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Avengers Spotlight #31: Review

Apr 1990
Steve Geiger, Al Milgrom

Story Name:

Hit and Run

Review & Comments

Rating:
4 stars

Avengers Spotlight #31 Review by (September 6, 2022)

Review: The dark multipart tale grows a bit darker as a mom and her kids are almost killed by the gang and Mom blames Hawkeye for stirring up trouble. The climax is a nice street battle which ends with the hero discovering he has a guardian angel—but of what kind? Pretty good tale with a guest appearance by U.S. Agent, foreshadowing the second story.

And the second tale gets even darker, starting with the slaughter of ordinary people and more of U.S. Agent, one of the most unlikable of Avengers. The writer is taking a daring move addressing such a hot-button issue as illegal immigration but is he wise enough not to oversimplify the issue? We’ll have to see.

Comments: First story: Part two of six parts. Second story: Part one of four parts. Walker’s dipping his finger into holy water at the church indicates he is, or at least was raised, Roman Catholic. Issue includes an extra cover accidentally commissioned featuring Hawkeye and drawn by James Fry and Randy Emberlin.





 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Avengers Spotlight #31 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Late one night in Avengers Compound, U.S. Agent discovers a stranger working on Hawkeye’s Sky-Cycle. The Agent attacks him—and learns that it is Hawkeye, testing out a disguise for his new mission against the city’s gangs. They go into the house where Clint is caught by Bobbi and has to explain….

At the home of the Gutierrez family, there is a late-night knock at the door and mother Anita opens it to find a warning note from the Stone Perfs street gang—and then gunshots are fired through the window, striking Anita but missing the kids; Luis hastily calls 911….

Detective Zamora calls Clint with the news. Clint tells Mockingbird that this is the mother of the boy who called 911 when Hawkeye was shot last issue. Mockingbird tries to tell him the problem is too big for their kind of heroism but he walks out. Hawkeye visits Mrs. Gutierrez in the hospital but she blames him for everything that has happened to her family. In the hallway, Luis assures him that his mother is only frightened but Hawkeye advises the kid to stay out of danger. Luis responds that he can take care of himself….

Stone Perfs gang member Prince Charming is bailed out of jail by a big-shot lawyer and delivered to crime boss Lotus Newmark. Lotus hires a hostile and reluctant Prince to chauffeur out-of-town hit-man Reynaldo Cortazar on his mission to kill Hawkeye….

That night, Hawkeye patrols the downtown, missing Luis purchasing something from a shady dealer in the street. Clint does spot a van matching the description of the one driven by the bad guys and jets down for a closer look. A bright light shines in his face, blinding him, and his Sky-Cycle collides with an oncoming car. Cortazar emerges, firing a huge gun at Hawkeye. The archer responds with an explosive arrow which destroys the gun and knocks Cortazar down. Hawkeye turns him over to see if he is all right only for the bad guy to point a gun at Hawkeye’s face from point blank range. Then Cortazar is shot in the head and Hawkeye looks up to see a mysterious figure on a rooftop flee into the night….

“The Xenophobic Man Part One: Rocks & Hard Places” 4/5
Writer: Fabian Nicieza. Pencils: Dan Lawlis. Inks: Keith Williams. Colors: Brad Vancata. Letters: Janice Chiang.
Synopsis: A group of Mexicans quietly crosses the Southern border in the dead of night, only to be ambushed by a gunman who opens fire on them killing most. But U.S. Agent is there and he manages to rescue three little kids; he tries to pursue the villain but decides the kids come first….

The gunman heads home, wondering who that was. It wasn’t Captain America because he thinks Cap would be on his side, trying to keep illegal aliens out of the country. He undresses and dons a uniform with a badge….

U.S. Agent has been sent to stop the madman who is killing illegal aliens as they cross the border and he is arguing with Captain Hitchuck of the Border Patrol, whose job it is to stop the border crossings but he is severely understaffed. He insists U.S. Agent doesn’t understand the situation and the higher ups don’t really want the problem solved as the killer has slowed the rate of influx more than the Border Patrol has. A nurse at the hospital slips Walker the name of someone who can help. He goes to a church late at night to find the sanctuary movement only to be surrounded by men with guns, led by a priest….



Al Milgrom
Don Heck
Paul Becton
Denys Cowan (Cover Penciler)
Denys Cowan (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)
Letterer: Jack Morelli.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Hawkeye
Hawkeye

(Clint Barton)
U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent

(John Walker)

Plus: Lady Lotus (Lotus Newmark).

> Avengers Spotlight: Book info and issue index

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