Following a tumultuous few years for Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow is back in her own five-part adventure from the minds of Jen and Sylvia Soska. Having wowed many a horror hound with movies such as Dead Hooker in a Trunk, American Mary and See No Evil 2 – plus with their Rabid remake on the way – how do the Twisted Twins fare when turning their attention back to the world of Marvel Comics?
To briefly get you up to speed, Black Widow was previously killed by an evil version of Captain America during Secret Empire. Since then, she’s managed to get herself essentially reanimated into a clone of herself before then destroying the Red Room facility that looked to make her their own personal property. Of course, to the watching world, however, Natasha Romanoff is still D.E.A.D. Still with us? Good.
In Black Widow #1, we open up with Nat and Captain America having to deal with the threat of a faux Cap and a problematic explosive on New Year’s Eve. As mentioned, Natasha is believed to be dead, while the Sentinel of Liberty is having to deal with a new level of suspicion surrounding him following the fallout of that Hydra-championing evil take on him. But fear not, for this isn’t yet another story in which Widow is merely along to play second fiddle to one of Marvel’s big guns, for the moments with Steve Rogers are here to show us where Natasha is in her life, how she’s struggling to battle her own killer instincts, and more importantly this opening is there to give Black Widow a reason to head to Madripoor. Seeking solace in this gone-to-the-dogs locale that houses so many of Marvel’s rough ‘n’ tough scumbags, it doesn’t take long before Natasha finds the perfect excuse to let out her pent-up aggression. It may be veering on spoiler territory to give up any further information, but let’s just say Nat is left with the perfect reason to forget about playing nice and to forget about playing by the moral code observed by the majority of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
For a first issue, the Soska sisters have carved themselves up quite the intriguing narrative; managing to make Natasha fully justified in embracing her darker instincts, yet still balancing that with a sense of warmth and even drops of humour for the character. Similarly, the art from Flaviano perfectly encapsulates the tone that Jen and Sylvia are looking to serve up; proving stylish and slightly cartoonish but with a sternness to it that makes you aware that this isn’t a book designed purely for the chuckles. As for the colour work from Veronica Gandini and lettering from Joe Caramagna, that brings an explosiveness and vibrancy to proceedings that makes this a visual treat to flick through. And then there’s the small matter of that cover art, right? Simply stunning work from Clayton Crain.
When stripped back to her very fundamentals, Black Widow is a character who is an unapologetic and clinical living weapon. Here, the Soskas have lifted the shackles that are so often placed around Natasha, and it promises to be a brutal, unrelenting ride as Widow looks to do what she does best: brutally off those in her crosshairs.
By the time all is said and done with Black Widow #1, you’ll be chomping at the bit to see just how far the Soskas – and Marvel, for that point – are going to go with Nat. If handled correctly, this could be the launching point for a very special story.
BLACK WIDOW #1 / WRITERS: JEN SOSKA, SYLVIA SOSKA / ARTIST: FLAVIANO / COLOURIST: VERONICA GANDINI / LETTERER: JOE CARAMAGNA / PUBLISHER: MARVEL COMICS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
