Considering how heroic Black Widow looks in the movies and in most comics it’s easy to forget she used to kill all the time without shedding a tear. Sure, she was taught to do this when she was at an age where she didn’t know better, but it makes her less squeaky clean than Captain America ever was. A new story arc kicks off this week, but is it good?
Black Widow #7 (Marvel Comics)
So what’s it about? The Marvel summary reads:
“LION TAMER” STARTS NOW! Now that Natasha knows the Weeping Lion’s secret, she’s in control of his very particular set of skills. Natasha plans to use him to destroy the Red Room’s reincarnation, the DARK ROOM. But she’ll have to face RECLUSE, the daughter of the Red Room’s headmistress, who’s fixated on killing Natasha to prove her worth.
Why does this book matter?
Mark Waid writes this with Chris Samnee so you know it’s going to be special. Tight dialogue, interesting character development and good art are a guarantee with these guys. This issue delves into Black Widow’s past and that’s always interesting given how blurry it is.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Way to be a dick Widow.
You can easily drop into this issue without reading the previous installments even without reading the summary page. It opens with Black Widow and a man named Weeping Lion about to infiltrate a stronghold containing the headmistress who taught Black Widow everything she knows. It quickly delves into Black Widow flashbacks which reveal the very bloody early childhood of the character. The trick of these scenes is how they tie into the Weeping Lion’s past and could spell very bad things for Black Widow considering with his powers he can pull information from anyone’s minds.
As the issue progresses, Black Widow and Weeping Lion have three confrontations, which add a lot of dramatic value to the issue. Most importantly, everything is building nicely to a confrontation Black Widow doesn’t even see coming.
Samnee draws this issue with solid flashbacks drawn in a way to separate it from the main narrative. They’re incredibly dramatic and filled with emotional tension that builds on the character’s development. When Weeping Lion uses his powers there’s a great visual to convey the melding of minds and later, the shattering of one. It’s hard to visualize mind powers, but Samnee makes it highly dramatic and easily understood.
It can’t be perfect can it?
It’s pretty damn good.
Watch your 6!
Is It Good?
Deep emotions are felt as flashbacks reveal two very disturbing childhoods. This all ties into current events that feel important and groundbreaking. This is great storytelling because it’s tied so well to the character. If you’re at all interested in Black Widow, you must read this.
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