A lot has happened to Black Widow and Hawkeye in recent years, but they must join forces again now that Hawkeye has been framed for murder. Featured in Black Widow & Hawkeye #1, out today, Hawkeye is no longer the leader of the Thunderbolts, while Black Widow has her own Symbiote, complete with mini spiders and lots of tricks. In a relationship that seems to go in cycles of one saving the other, how can the creative team put their own spin on these two heroes? The answer may surprise you.
Stephanie Phillips writes a good first issue setting up the point of view of both Hawkeye and Black Widow. The narrative jumps around a bit, first showing us Black Widow learning of Hawkeye’s death, then jumping back 24 hours. It jumps back again, then forward, and back again, creating a nice cinematic feel as we try to catch up to the story’s events. It feels a little manipulative to the reader, but it mostly works.
When we first meet Hawkeye, he’s being attacked by an assassin, and we soon learn he’s not the first. The story also involves Russia, making it seem pretty reflective of our world. Black Widow has always had ties to Mother Russia, but here it gets political and could have the potential to dig into the mistrust between America and Russia.
Creepy!
Credit: Marvel
As the story unfolds, Phillips introduces a familiar lover of Hawkeye’s along with the knowledge that maybe Hawkeye did commit a murder. Before the story can slow down too much it zips back to Hawkeye and more action ensues. Phillips also plays up the longtime relationship between Hawkeye and Black Widow to a level where superfans will feel right as rain with her at the helm.
The art by Paolo Villanelli is quite good, with dramatic angles and action. They nail the espionage elements–sleuthing and keeping to the shadows–and ramp up the action as needed. Black Widow also looks fabulous in the Symbiote, and it will honestly grow on you after reading this issue if you’ve been on the fence about that new development. Villanelli draws these Symbiote spiders that do Black Widow’s bidding, and they not only look cool, but they also make sense for the character.
Black Widow & Hawkeye has all the makings of an all-timer espionage book mixed with an action team-up book. Above all else, Phillips isn’t just writing a story that involves the usual tropes but building the characters’ pasts and evolving them for a new era.
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