Here is the latest cool comic book moment in our year-long look at one cool comic book moment a day (in no particular order whatsoever)! Here's the archive of the moments posted so far!

Today we look at one of my favorite Hawkeye moments, courtesy of Tom DeFalco in a late 80s Avengers Annual.

Enjoy!



In Avengers Annual #16 by Tom DeFalco and a host of artists, the Avengers are in trouble. This issue continues from West Coast Avengers Annual #2, where the Avengers and the West Coast Avengers were forced to fight each other (and the West Coast Avengers improbably won! Including Iron Man somehow defeating Captain Marvel!). In this issue, the combined Avengers are forced by the Grandmaster (who has somehow managed to capture Death herself) to fight against the Legion of the Unliving, or else the universe will be destroyed!

Hawkeye and Captain America are the only Avengers to make it out of the battles alive, but the universe is saved at least. However, Grandmaster, being a jerk, tells them that no, they're not done yet. They have to fight the Legion of the Unliving AGAIN, only THIS time, the Legion also includes all of their friends and fellow Avengers who died in the first round of battles.

So Cap and Hawkeye are screwed, basically.

However, Hawkeye manages to pull a fast one of the Grandmaster - he offers up the one thing that the Grandmaster cannot refuse - a game!



Which one will the Grandmaster pick?



The Grandmaster's loss distracts him long enough for Death to escape his hold on her and she blasts him away - the day is saved! Of course, how did Hawkeye pull it off?

He cheated!!



Perhaps the definitive Hawkeye moment.

At the end of the issue, when the Avengers get back together for a game of softball, Cap mentions to his teammates that they ought to keep an eye on Hawkeye - he cheats!

The art for that part of the story, by the way, was by Bob Hall and Tom Palmer. Good stuff.