To absolutely no one's surprise, Black Widow continues to amaze. The best, in my opinion, of writer Kelly Thompson's three comic releases this week, I can't resist discussing the many fantastic aspects of this team's monthly efforts. You can find my review for the first issue here, and the second issue here, if you care about reading those before this. Continue Reading for the third installment discussion! This one just gets better and better. As usual, spoilers ahead! Once again, unsurprisingly, the Black Widow creative team knocks it out of the park, leaving me itching for more. The book is written fantastically, taking full advantage of what the medium offers, and is matched equally by the "eye-candy" interior art. I've already written a plethora of praise on art team Elena Casagrande and Jordie Bellaire, as well as writer Kelly Thompson, but quality material such as this begs to be celebrated again and again.
One of the most stand-out features of this issue was the page layout--how the group handled action sequences and story pacing. Box panels mixed with more open shots, fight splash pages with continuous, trackable movement and targeted paneling; it's clear how much thought and effort goes in to each page. The attentiveness is also apparent in the story, where as Nat's enemies are revealed to the reader, so is a powerful new ally. This issue answered a great deal of questions, but still left us with more. The first reveal, chronologically in the issue, was that White Widow Yelena Bolova is the secret identity behind the mysterious babysitter, whom we met in the last issue. Made unrecognizable with her blue wig, glasses, and millennial style of dressing, she reveals herself to the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye as they wait in the bushes outside Nat's new home. Yelena informs them that since none of them are certain of the long-game yet, they should observe their friend, but not interfere. She also tells the men that she'd done some testing, and the baby is certainly the real child of Nat and her fiancé, although they still don't know how that's possible in the timeframe she's been missing. The next question answered is the identity behind the people who put Nat in this place, to begin with. Red Guardian, as suspected from the last issue, in confirmed as one member of the group, alongside ring-leader Arcade, Madame Hydra, Weeping Lion "2.0," and Snapdragon. What they all have in common to hate the Black Widow over: she's killed them all. But there is dissent in the group. While Weeping Lion wants to just kill her and get it over with, Madame Hydra argues that killing her now is a waste of their efforts, as they worked so hard to give her this perfect life. The plan seems to be to take her off the board entirely, by not giving her a reason to ever leave that perfect life. While no one else agrees with Weeping Lion, he reveals he's already sent killers to take care of the job. With this news, Madame Hydra goes pale in the face, stating that he's killed them all. At this point, there is concern to be had over the brainwashed Nat's fate, but you have to remember the last issue, when her fighting instinct took over in a dangerous situation. This time, it's even more impressive. "Natalie" knows something is wrong as soon as she arrives home from her wedding dress fitting that night. Internal chatter about the wrinkling fabric inside the garment bag is quickly replaced by acknowledgement that something inside of her is lethal, and ready to fight whatever waits inside. The page of her fighting three goons in her kitchen is a work of art. No speaking, just the grunts of the men and SFX of the fight sounds. Each figure is repeated several times across the page, every detail accounted for. Nat's leg kicks one man in the face while her hand, hand, holding a hangar, swings forward, ripping at the mouth of another assailant before leaping onto the counter, grabbing a kitchen knife, and slicing at the third. The tea kettle finishes him off, and she moved forward with her knife still in hand to attack a fourth intruder. This one, however, gets a message off, in Russian, over a walkie, before she knocks him out. Knowing there must be another attacker on the other side of the intercom, Nat retrieves her homemade bomb from the end of the last issue, hidden in a kitchen vent. Using the weapon of one of the unconscious men, the bomb, a nail gun, and some rope, Nat successfully disarms, removes, and explodes the final assailant. He had been keeping watch over her fiancé and their son, who both witness her making these incredible, inexplicable moves. She and fiancé James exchange a few shocked words about what just happened, and Nat expresses she doesn't think she's just an architect. Suddenly, a shock from an apparent implant goes through Nat, knocking her unconscious. This is followed by a stunning double page spread of Nat laying across the floor, surrounded by the webbed memories of her life as Black Widow. The Widow is represented from every era, alluding to the return of said memories. As James and the baby try to wake her, the team of secret controllers watch from their boardroom on cameras. Madame Hydra states plainly to Weeping Lion that if the process of remembering who she is doesn't kill her, Black Widow will kill him. And if she doesn't, the Madame will, herself. At this point, I'm almost certain that James is just a pawn in this game. I'm not sure if that leaves him to be another victim of brainwashing, a genetic clone of some kind, or just a guy created in a lab, but her doesn't seem to be in on their plan, at all. Especially if they took him hostage during their attack--he must be real to her in every way. This also brings up the question of their son; Yelena announced that DNA testing confirmed him to be their real child, leading me to believe James was created in a lad, just like his son, specifically for this experiment. Especially with having Madame Hydra on the team of villains, head of an organization known for their edgy scientific testing and research. In the previous issue, one member of the then-mysterious group controlling the Widow felt ill at-ease with the blue-haired babysitter, although they could not point out why. With the reveals of this issue, I believe that must have been Red Guardian, unknowingly recognizing his fellow Russian spy. While I didn't write about it in the plot summary, there is a scene that takes place in a Bridal dress shop with Nat in her dress for the first time, by our eyes. It's a thing of immense beauty: white, sleeveless, and a little bit in the mermaid style, her gown is covered in a top layer of lace, strikingly resembling both spiders webs and shattering glass. This is symbolic of her time and true identity as Black Widow, but also hints at her inner torment, and maybe knowing something inside her isn't right. This concept is further driven by the tears falling down her cheeks, addressed by the arrival of "Helen," Nat and James' babysitter. We, the reader, know her as Yelena Bolova in disguise, the closest thing to a sister Nat has ever had. She claims to have been just passing by, but in truth, she was certainly looking to experience this moment with Nat, trying on her wedding dress for the first time. The two talk for a moment, and Nat admits she feels like something inside her is missing, painfully so. Through their discussion, she decides to put on a brave face, and stop taking her admittedly perfect life for granted. Since this issue has ended with the Widow supposedly getting her true memories back, what will she be like when she awakes? Will the feelings that have been designed in her for James and their baby boy remain, in any way? They could be entirely fictitious, leaving Nat as the cold, independent Russian, again. But with all that has happened in her time with them, I get the feeling Nat will be a lot more torn between the two worlds in front of her.
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