Hawkeye

[Perry Holley]

the solo adventure I wrote and John Byrne drew for AVENGERS (one of my favorites, and one I'm told pissed Chris Claremont off something fierce, though that wasn't my intention)
I don't remember the story in question... what was it that peeved Claremont off so badly?

[Steven Grant]

I don't remember the story in question... what was it that peeved Claremont off so badly?

Well... bear in mind nobody told me this when I pitched the story... Chris had introduced Deathbird in X-MEN but at that point she wasn't the incredibly vicious extraterrestrial he was building up to, but a character who was popping up here and there stealing technology. So, since Hawkeye was getting a job in the story as security chief for, what was it, Roxxon?, she seemed a good fit as a villain, and would provide a good opportunity to show how he could beat someone physically superior. (The basic object was to de-shlub him.) Not really sure anymore, but vaguely suspect it was then-AVENGERS & X-MEN editor Roger Stern who suggested using her.

Anyway, I didn't think anything of it, and if it happened, he never mentioned it to me, but the report I got was that Chris read the make-ready for the issue (basically a coverless printed copy sent by the printers to make sure everything was in order) and blew a gasket because Deathbird had been defeated by Hawkeye, and started making plans for a DB-victorious return bout that must've been kiboshed if the story is true. Like I said, I wasn't there to see it and don't recall ever discussing it with Chris, so...

But there's one object lesson for all would-be comics writers: when you work work-for-hire, it's your editor who ultimately makes the decisions on what can be done with "your" characters, not you. (But once you sign them over, they're not "your" characters anymore so you've only got yourself to blame.)

- Grant