Black Widow #3 – Review

by Nathan Edmondson (Writer), Phil Noto (Artist)

The Story: In and out of a mission, one does not mess around with Natasha Romanov.

The Review: Formulas are somewhat hard to judge. While many books can be called out for using the same plotlines and the same methods for a long period of times, there is always a certain usefulness to regularity. Adding consistency to a book, a formula can be played with, subverted or twisted around in order to make it more entertaining or daring, yet not all writers can pull it off.

While Black Widow is a decidedly young title, the formula is already set in place, for good or ill. Natasha accepts a mission, run the whole thing and then return to her apartment as her development with the cat advance a tiny bit. While this approach might become somewhat problematic in the long run for this series, the immediacy does serve its purpose in developing the character and the title all the while. However, does the third issue show cracks in the regular proceeding, or does Nathan Edmondson provide plenty of qualities for the book to thrive?

In some ways, while the formula is played just a bit around, there are some improvements in this issue which does show that the writer does have ideas for the character. Opening straight on a mission, this issue skips around the introduction of some of its elements in favour of putting the character right in the middle of the action. Juggling development, explanations and a good touch of mystery to the tale, Edmondson is able to keep the readers on their toe without sacrificing any other aspects of this issue, balancing things out rather beautifully.

Black Widow #2 – Review

by Nathan Edmondson (Writer), Phil Noto (Artist)

The Story: A contract goes very wrong in Shanghai as Natasha needs to get out of a mess.

The Review: There is no such things as a bad character. While this is a rather controversial statement, it is something that I believe in, with every single character possessing the potential to draw in readers if a right angle can be found. Titles like X-Men Legacy and Journey Into Mystery proved to me that characters such as David Haller and Sif could be actually interesting and entertaining with their general outlook on their philosophy and their adventures and so did Black Widow.

I have to confess I never had much interest in Natasha Romanoff before, with the Avengers movie only providing me with a little spark of curiosity in face of the old Marvel character. However, by taking a chance, the first issue managed to be rather good, with a certain emphasis on her taking jobs, providing a few surprises and some qualities along the way. However, first issues aren’t everything as the team must prove that their concepts can provide entertainment for the long run. Is the second issue as good as the first one?

In a general manner, this issue is consistent in terms of quality, although there are some areas in which it is a bit stronger and others where it is weaker. The overview of how Natasha operates and the kind of life she has led until her Avengers days are rather interesting, putting a lot of potential for problems and conflicts from her past, which shows up in this issue. The way Edmondson already plays a bit around the motivation behind her actions and the results of her present and past demeanour makes for something that is indeed interesting to follow.

Black Widow #1 – Review

by Nathan Edmondson (Writer), Phil Noto (Artist)

The Story: Natasha Romanoff tells us a bit about herself and what she does when she isn’t with S.H.I.E.L.D. or with the Avengers.

The Review: I almost didn’t buy this book. I had close to no real intention of ever reading this thing at first, but then I remembered I had made the resolution to try out new things for 2014. With close to no expectation except perhaps a bit of espionage action, I went out to buy the book to at least give this title a chance.

Black Widow, as a character, is not one I’m exactly terribly fond of, as cool as she was in the Avengers movie. Perhaps it’s the fact that she does not seem as cool as other members of every team she was in or the fact that I could not remove the fact that she has been mostly used as either a double-agent or an over-sexualized character in other titles, I was never that huge a fan of her.

Still, reading this issue, I was pleasantly surprised as the take of Nathan Edmondson takes c page out of Matt Fraction’s book, with a certain angle that is not dissimilar to Hawkeye, yet goes in a different way all the same. What does Black Widow do when she isn’t with any iteration of the Avengers? With a quick done in one tale, the writer demonstrates just who the character is and what she does quite aptly, although he does some mistake in the process.