Tales of Suspense (1959) 57

Archery predates 2800 BC and is one of the oldest sports still in existence. It is also the focus of the day, National Archery Day.

The National Archery in Schools Program has helped tweak interest in the sport in recent years. NASP began in 2002 in Kentucky and has expanded to 47 states and 10 countries.

The NASP also petitioned for National Archery Day which was first recognized in March 2015. The second Saturday in May, when the day is celebrated, was chosen due to the proximity in dates as to when the NASP tourney is held annually.

Tales of Suspense (1959) 57

Last year we celebrated the day with DC Comic’s premier bowman. This year we tap Marvel’s marksman, Hawkeye.

He first appeared in Tales of Suspense issue 57, cover dated September 1964. He would guest twice more before becoming a full-time member of the Avengers in their second line up.

Hawkeye, or Clinton Francis “Clint” Barton, has become synonymous with Marvel’s premier anthology team; so much so he has appeared in all five incarnations. In addition, he has been featured in the Ultimates version and was founder and team leader of the West Coast Avengers.

Later he would jump ship and work for the Thunderbolts followed by the Secret Avengers.

A popular ensemble character, Hawkeye would earn three solo series, Hawkeye (2003) issues one through eight. Two other attempts were made, 2012 and 2015. Both lasted a handful of issues before cancelation.

He would also star in a handful of mini-series, the first of which was Hawkeye (1983), written by Mark Gruenwald and running four issues. Next was Hawkeye: Earth’s Mightiest Marksman issues one through four. Hawkeye & Mockingbird ran six issues in 2010. It spawned Widowmaker in 2010 and 2011 for four issues and Hawkeye: Blindspot in 2011 running four issues.

Jeremy Renner has brought life to the fictional character for Marvel’s cinematic universe. Hawkeye has appeared in Thor, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame.