I used to read comics and graphic novels somewhat fanatically. But that expensive hobby fell by the wayside more than a decade past, and now I only pick up collected editions sporadically. Recently, I picked up a discounted copy of Hawkeye: Private Eye because ... well, when I watched the Hawkeye miniseries on Disney+, I had no idea who Kate Bishop was. So, I thought I'd give this book a try and get to know her a little bit better.

Although this collection reprints issues 1-12 of the character's ongoing (but short-lived) series, it is not the beginning of her story. You quickly learn that she has had various adventures with Clint Barton, the original Hawkeye, and has served with the Young Avengers. Here, she has just relocated from New York to Los Angeles and is setting out her private eye shingle -- although she apparently has no real experience in the field and definitely does not have a PI license. That doesn't stop her from taping a hand-drawn sign on the door and trawling for clients.

Predictably, the first several are either looking for the other Hawkeye or are looking for an optometrist (because of the poorly drawn eye she drew on her sign). Then in walks a young woman who has problems with a stalker, and Bishop takes the case.

In relatively short order, the hero meets and recruits several people of approximately her age ("a full-on Scooby gang situation") who provide assistance on the case. She also meets an abrasive police detective who could be either an ally or hindrance to Bishop's work. And, in the two adventures included here, she teams up with visiting heroes Jessica Jones and a pair of young female Wolverine clones, all while trying to find her less-than-savory father and figure out what happened to her missing mother. The setup at the end of the book promises a team-up with the original Hawkeye in the next volume.

Bishop has a friendly, easygoing attitude toward her vocation, and she can banter with the best of them. The action is, of course, over the top, but Bishop takes her lumps and wears her bruises and Band-Aids with nonchalant pride.

Full credit to writer Kelly Thompson and artists Leonardo Romero and Michael Walsh, who have put together a solid narrative with good visual appeal.

It's a fun book. If I still read comics on a weekly basis -- and if this series was still running -- I might be persuaded to add it to my rotation.