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.

Her characterization is also rather consistent and entertaining to follow as well, with a certain battle between her professionalism and her guilt, which shows in her narration and her actions. The way she analyzes things are apparent in her actions and her words, making the dialogue an essential part of the development and characterization of the issue, which shows perhaps some potent development for the titular character and the future of the title.

An area where Edmondson is surprising, though, is in the construction of Isaiah, the man who handle the contracts and contacts for Natasha. First introduced as a rather plain character in the first issue, the writer provides some intrigue to the character in this issue that does show a certain direction and a certain reason as to why he is the one handling Black Widow’s affair in the first place. Nothing conclusive is shown, yet the mystery in itself is a nice touch that could provide some plot points and world-building around the past of Natasha Romanoff.

The plot is a bit of an uneven quality, though, as while the general feeling of intrigue and action is well balanced, the build up and the resolution to the mystery is perhaps a bit too fast. When dealing with a mystery and a reveal, clues are generally a good piece in the entertainment part of the puzzle, with Edmondson not putting much emphasis on the readers and how the general story can be put together organically. While it does give a certain insight on how Natasha was in the past, the revelation of the culprit and his motivations doesn’t make for something that is particularly satisfying in terms of standalone issues. The actions and implications are good, but it’s in how it’s told that lays down the problem.

Still the visual part of the issue has not problem, though, with Phil Noto bringing his own style beautifully once more. His rough, yet very fitting approach to characters, backgrounds and lines is something very beautiful that makes each panel count in the fluid storytelling brought in each pages. The panel-to-panel progression is very good, with action meshing with a sense of ambiance in an almost seamless manner that makes the pacing very good visually. The expressions of the characters are also very well done, with a minimal approach to facial expressions that focus on mouths and eyes instead of overly exaggerated faces, which fits much more with the low-key spy story set here.

The colorization is also excellent here, with a very nice balance between overly warm and cold along with a certain approach to normal and stylized diversity. The blue and green filled panels make way for a nice touch of ambiance, whereas the overly warm panels that correspond to action are also very evocative in their own right. However, Noto does not only rely on those techniques alone, pushing for a certain play with black in white in a subtle manner in some more urban scenes to pinpoint characters and action very neatly as well, with some touch of light colorization here and there provided by elements of the scenery and background. The colors, as with the overall approach to the pencils, is beautiful to behold.

The Conclusion: It may only sport a rather decent story, it’s the characterization of Natasha, the art, the colorization and the building blocks for the future of this title that makes this issue a good time. A nice second issue that proves the potential of the series.

Grade: B

-Hugo Robberts Larivière