Review: Black Widow #3
Marvel, Marvel, Marvel. You have to marvel at the way that Marvel do not let a number of failed series or poor sales let a character rot in non-published anonymity. Step forward exhibit A, another Black Widow
book! Just in time for a film not to hit the cineplex.
Natasha is now Natalie; the former spy is now a happy homemaker, with a hubby and a baby. Thing is, there are little snippets of her past life eking out from behind the edges of whatever has been built around her mind and memory. But as the bad guys try to take away her happiness, they will find that this Widow still has a sting!
Kelly Thompson is a name that is synonymous with strong Marvel female characters. She has also gone round a few times on the “new volume” edict that accompanies Captain Marvel. Thompson, at first glance, is an odd choice. For all her great work with Carol and Jessica [Drew], those character come with their own inherent version of humour, which isn’t Natasha’s default setting for sure. Therefore, Thompson adds a cast of characters in which to bring her “funny” whilst we get a maturer inner monologue than I would have given Thompson credit for. The result of this mix and match approach skirts the line of awkwardness; is it a fun book with violence or is it a violent book with some humour and which takes prevalence? Truth be told, I think that’s a concern for another day. Instead, enjoy the mayhem and, the at times, madcap of the story.
The art is provided by Elena Casagrande whose art has graced a number of books including Batgirl and Catwoman amongst others. Frameworks is maybe not as detailed as I would like, with more of a kind of in the same ballpark approach. This does mean that characters such as Hawkeye and Winter Soldier get little in the way of heroic poses and Yelena. Things get better with the introduction of the big bads. I will say that Casagrande utilises one of my favourite artistic tricks when it comes to showing how a character moves through a fight scene. The colors by the always fantastic Jordie Bellaire who gives the book a sort of surreal scheme reminiscent of the world through a sunset that is just starting. Finally, VC’s (who else letters at Marvel?), Cory Petit supplies an easy font that has to accommodate verbiage as well as spareness of dialogue.
Natasha suffering a memory loss isn’t a new thing; it can been seen as far back as Marvel Team-up #82, where a certain red-haired school teacher despatches would be muggers before Spidey can lend a hand. Still that was quite some time ago, to say the least, so I am willing to give Thompson and company a bit of a pass here. Taking a breather from Captain marvel is certainly giving Thompson some fresh muscles to flex.
Writing – 4.5 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
Overall – 4 Stars
Pick up your copy of Black Widow #3 NOW
Written by; Kelly Thompson
Art by; Elena Casagrande
Colors by; Jordie Bellaire
Letters by; VC’s Cory Petit
Published by; Marvel Worldwide Inc.
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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