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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
The story wasn't particularly interesting or memorable, but the artwork was absolutely gorgeous. Phil Noto is now on my list of artists to watch out for. I will definitely be checking out more comics drawn by him!!
Love the art, love Natasha as a character - but these stories are not the most interesting to me.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really love the illustrative style of this, but it didn't do a lot for me. I think I picked this up originally because a comic book store owner said it was related to the characterization of MCU Black Widow, and yeah - I can see that? Even if it's not actually foundational, the characterization feels right to the MCU characters.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I get the while atonement thing with Black Widow, but I didn't get the sense of what she was atoning for. The book alludes to her past a lot, but that's it-there's no connection there.
You can't build a character solely off of the premise, "I've done bad stuff in the past, now I'm making it right." Kind of a non-starter for me.
However, the art was great. Art=4.5 stars.
You can't build a character solely off of the premise, "I've done bad stuff in the past, now I'm making it right." Kind of a non-starter for me.
However, the art was great. Art=4.5 stars.
Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanov, works with S.H.I.E.L.D. to save the world from evil villain-types, but in her spare time, she puts her considerable skills to work in the freelance assassin field. She funnels the funds she receives in exchange for her work into a trust fund meant to help out the victims of her past. She'll only assassinate people she believes to be truly evil and guilty of the worst crimes. Everything she does at this point is a form of atonement for her past crimes. This time around, however, she may have met her match with an unbelievably powerful monk-like villain who insists he is fulfilling some sort of twisted religious mandate.
I really, really wanted to love this comic, but I wound up feeling slightly disappointed. I'm not especially well-versed in the Marvel Universe; my main exposure to Black Widow is via the Avengers movies. Naturally, I found her character intriguing, so I was hoping that seeing her in her own comic series make for amazing reading. Instead, it's merely OK. It's not bad, by any means, but it doesn't really do much with Romanov. She's far more stoic and glum in these comics than she is presented as in the movies. I'm not actually sure what exactly I was hoping for here, but I didn't feel entirely satisfied by this story line. I'd like to think the arc will develop more from here, but I'm not even sure I'll go as far as to seek out future volumes. The art, however, is quite nice, so there's that.
I really, really wanted to love this comic, but I wound up feeling slightly disappointed. I'm not especially well-versed in the Marvel Universe; my main exposure to Black Widow is via the Avengers movies. Naturally, I found her character intriguing, so I was hoping that seeing her in her own comic series make for amazing reading. Instead, it's merely OK. It's not bad, by any means, but it doesn't really do much with Romanov. She's far more stoic and glum in these comics than she is presented as in the movies. I'm not actually sure what exactly I was hoping for here, but I didn't feel entirely satisfied by this story line. I'd like to think the arc will develop more from here, but I'm not even sure I'll go as far as to seek out future volumes. The art, however, is quite nice, so there's that.
Most of the stars are for the art. The story is pretty good but the art is just utterly beautiful.
A collection of black widow missions. I enjoyed it, ready to pick up the sequel.
First things first: great art. Just really beautiful and understated. The best thing about the book.
Alas, the story is thin. Like, really thin. I realize that as a solitary spy with a shadowy past, Natasha is meant to be difficult to read, but this basically just boils down to "I'm alone, I have no home." It didn't make for particularly interesting reading and provided virtually no insight into a one-dimensional character. Throw in mostly standalone stories and this just isn't very interesting.
Also: the use of the cat as a plot device is stunningly obvious and on the nose. Boo
Alas, the story is thin. Like, really thin. I realize that as a solitary spy with a shadowy past, Natasha is meant to be difficult to read, but this basically just boils down to "I'm alone, I have no home." It didn't make for particularly interesting reading and provided virtually no insight into a one-dimensional character. Throw in mostly standalone stories and this just isn't very interesting.
Also: the use of the cat as a plot device is stunningly obvious and on the nose. Boo