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A review by helpfulsnowman
Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Finely Woven Thread by Nathan Edmondson
2.0
Oh man.
Well, this is probably going to come off as a horrible comparison, but here we go.
Reading this, the main character, it was like dating some weirdo when you're in high school who's like, "I'm dangerous. You just don't know. I've done...things."
And they want you to ask about the "things" over and over, but they are never, ever going to tell you.
And you keep asking because you get the feeling the person WANTS you to ask, but every time you ask, you get the brushoff. But then you're in the car, and she's totally silent and looking out the window, and you're like, "Whatcha thinkin' about?"
And then you're like, "Holy shit. I've become that. The guy who asks what someone is thinking about. I've somehow become complicit in this whole secrecy as currency thing."
Then you grow up. And you realize you don't want to date someone if you have to ask about their feelings all the time. You realize there are plenty of people to date who will just tell you how they feel, or at least be open when you ask.
Ultimately, in the comics, it leads to me not caring about this character AT ALL. Who is she? What is she like? What does she like to do? What is her past about, and c'mon, give me something here.
I'm pretty outspoken about not liking James Bond for the same reason. Why do I give a shit about this dude? He's like the smoothest operator ever who only lives to work, and therefore I guess I don't really feel all that bad when it's like, "Oh shit, is James going to die during a mission, which is really the only way he could die anyway because it's not like he's ever on vacation or something?"
I don't need Black Widow's entire backstory, but I need something. I need something to make me see this character's motivation. Not just a generic, "I've done bad things." It's interesting to me that she's doing more bad things to make up for those other bad things. It's kind of interesting to me that she's an Avenger and still kills people, although I think it's implied by now that Avengers do kill people because shit happens. It's not the 1980's anymore where we're going to crazy lengths to punch out Thanos because we refuse to kill him.
What's not interesting to me is Black Widow with a wig on, shoots a dude or drops him out of a window on a bungee cord. It's just all so perfect and planned, but joyless. Like, imagine watching Ocean's 11 except from Andy Garcia's perspective. You know some shit is going down, but not really what, and mostly it feels like, "Dammit, they're always one step ahead."
It makes sense for Natasha to be one step ahead of the enemy, but not one step ahead of the reader as well.
If I don't have an emotional connection and I don't have a story arc and I don't have an arc of watching a plan come together, then what am I left with?
The art. The art is good. It's the saving grace, I'd say. It's non-traditional comics art, but I think it works. It adds a pulpy, spy feel to it, and though I'm not a fan of James Bond, I recognize something interesting in the aesthetic here.
Oh, P.S., enough with the spider-related puns and wordplay. Please. You don't see Green Lantern saying some version of "I'll have you seeing...green" all the time. Black Widow has a superhero name because she kills people, not because she's some kind of transforming spider woman.
Well, this is probably going to come off as a horrible comparison, but here we go.
Reading this, the main character, it was like dating some weirdo when you're in high school who's like, "I'm dangerous. You just don't know. I've done...things."
And they want you to ask about the "things" over and over, but they are never, ever going to tell you.
And you keep asking because you get the feeling the person WANTS you to ask, but every time you ask, you get the brushoff. But then you're in the car, and she's totally silent and looking out the window, and you're like, "Whatcha thinkin' about?"
And then you're like, "Holy shit. I've become that. The guy who asks what someone is thinking about. I've somehow become complicit in this whole secrecy as currency thing."
Then you grow up. And you realize you don't want to date someone if you have to ask about their feelings all the time. You realize there are plenty of people to date who will just tell you how they feel, or at least be open when you ask.
Ultimately, in the comics, it leads to me not caring about this character AT ALL. Who is she? What is she like? What does she like to do? What is her past about, and c'mon, give me something here.
I'm pretty outspoken about not liking James Bond for the same reason. Why do I give a shit about this dude? He's like the smoothest operator ever who only lives to work, and therefore I guess I don't really feel all that bad when it's like, "Oh shit, is James going to die during a mission, which is really the only way he could die anyway because it's not like he's ever on vacation or something?"
I don't need Black Widow's entire backstory, but I need something. I need something to make me see this character's motivation. Not just a generic, "I've done bad things." It's interesting to me that she's doing more bad things to make up for those other bad things. It's kind of interesting to me that she's an Avenger and still kills people, although I think it's implied by now that Avengers do kill people because shit happens. It's not the 1980's anymore where we're going to crazy lengths to punch out Thanos because we refuse to kill him.
What's not interesting to me is Black Widow with a wig on, shoots a dude or drops him out of a window on a bungee cord. It's just all so perfect and planned, but joyless. Like, imagine watching Ocean's 11 except from Andy Garcia's perspective. You know some shit is going down, but not really what, and mostly it feels like, "Dammit, they're always one step ahead."
It makes sense for Natasha to be one step ahead of the enemy, but not one step ahead of the reader as well.
If I don't have an emotional connection and I don't have a story arc and I don't have an arc of watching a plan come together, then what am I left with?
The art. The art is good. It's the saving grace, I'd say. It's non-traditional comics art, but I think it works. It adds a pulpy, spy feel to it, and though I'm not a fan of James Bond, I recognize something interesting in the aesthetic here.
Oh, P.S., enough with the spider-related puns and wordplay. Please. You don't see Green Lantern saying some version of "I'll have you seeing...green" all the time. Black Widow has a superhero name because she kills people, not because she's some kind of transforming spider woman.