Natasha is getting settled in SanFrancisco, the town that Marvel tends to send female heroes when they want them out of New York. Along with Yelena, the pair have stumbled across a new big bad in the mysterious Apogee and his apparent interest in kids with powers. Of course, the idea of turning kids into weapons is one of Nat’s triggers, so when said young girl is saved from being a weapon for Apogee, imagine the disconcertion of Nat finding out that is exactly what Yelena is trying doing! With friends like these, right?
Kelly Thompson is the Queen of “buddy”comics, especially as it seems that Carol Danvers can’t survive in her own book without a rotating cast of “buddies”. There is an inherent difference between having a cast of characters in a book like Superman or Spider-Man and a “buddy” book. This difference and its continued use may explain Marvel’s humour requirement. Thompson writes a clever different type of relationship here. Rather than their differences bringing them together in a healthy supportive way, like Carol and Jess for example, Nat’s and Yelena shared experiences actually lead to discord. It is as if they have to be around each other rather than actually want to be. It’s a little nuance that change the entire tone of the characters conversation and interactions. Story wise, picking up strays and additions seems to be a Thompson schtick to some extent; the action scenes are fun as is the surprise addition to team “spyder”!
The art is a scratchy at times sort of affair that reminds me of a less polish Joëlle Jones. Elena Casagrande’s work does look different from the majority of Marvel books, highlight that this isn’t an Avengers book, There are some good establishing panel, that the movement in the action scenes don’t feel wholly fluid. Casagrande sticks to the current functional body style over curves which may disappoint a number of fans. Additionally, the faces can look a little blank at times, which detracts from the emotional aspects, a key given how strongly Nat and Yelena feel about their own points of view. Some of the consistency could be down to the fact that Casagrande inks her work in part, with Elisabetta D’Amico helping out. What is never inconsistent are the colors by Jordie Bellaire whose colors have a murky look to them, which suits the idea of spies living in plain view, dealing with the murkier side of the Marvel universe. Finally, VC’s Cory Petit does well with a font that has to deal with quite a lot of dialogue in places.
It feels that this book is suffering a little from the impact, or lack of, of the continued Black Widow movie delays. Thompson’s first arc may have had a more mature aspect, with Nat’s loss; this feels more like a super hero book. It is interesting how Black Widow can survive in both.
Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 4.5 Stars
Overall – 3.5 Stars
Written by; Kelly Thompson
Art by; Elena Casagrande
Inks by; Elena Casagrande & Elisabetta D’Amico
Colors by; Jordie Bellaire
Letters by; VC’s Cory Petit
Cover by; Adam Hughes
Published by; Marvel Worldwide Inc.
Author Profile
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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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