Sunday Splash Page #333

 

"Lethal Voyeurism," in Marvel Fanfare #10, by Ralph Macchio (writer), George Perez (writer/penciler), Brett Breeding (inker), Petra Scotese (colorist), Tom Orzechowski (letterer)

I don't know what the thinking was behind Marvel Fanfare. It seemed like a book to showcase one-off stories by well-regarded writers and especially artists, without trying to fit them into whatever ongoing book those characters might have at the moment. Or maybe they were just inventory stories that Marvel figured they might as well use. It wasn't uncommon to have two stories in one issue, by different creative teams, with different characters.

Sometimes an entire issue was devoted to one story, like #47, a Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden story where a sick Spider-Man tries to survive the crossfire between a berserk Hulk and an incompetent SHIELD guy and his malfunctioning killbots.

Other times, the story runs across multiple issues, such as the Black Widow story above, or a 4-parter near the end by Steve Gerber and a variety of artists, focused on Shanna the She-Devil. That's one that makes think it was a story filed away for a rainy day, because it has 3 different artists, and it had been sitting so long, Gerber didn't remember the original ending and had to try and come up with a new one for the finale.

Which means it's also a book that definitely lends itself to a selective purchase of back issues, at least for me. The book ran for 60 issues, and I own 16 issues. The reasons vary between who's the creative team and who the story stars, or sometimes just the concept. Half of issue 29 is a Hulk story John Byrne did in all splash pages because - if we can trust the "Editori-Al" cartoon Al Milgrom did on the inside cover - Byrne saw Simonson's all splash page issue of Thor and wanted to do one, too.

So I buy the issue to see that, or I buy an issue because the second story has Norm Breyfogle drawing Captain America, or Ann Nocenti writing Moon Knight.

What I Bought 6/28/2024 - Part 2

Wrapping up June's books with the final issue of a mini-series, and the midpoint of another mini-series.

Black Widow and Hawkeye #4, by Stephanie Phillips (writer), Paolo Villanelli (artist), Mattia Iacono (color artist), Joe Sabino (letterer) - Kind of surprised the symbiote doesn't cover Natasha's hair.

In the present, Black Widow shows up to rescue Hawkeye, Damon Dran hits both of them with hypersonics, but Natasha's able to pull through long enough shut it down so Hawkeye can shoot Dran with arrows made of the symbiote. Seems weird that would do anything, since Hawkeye shoots him with an exploding arrow in the Silver Age flashback and Natasha says that won't stop him. Maybe the symbiote's eating the guy from the inside-out.

The flashback ends with Iron Man smashing into the Soviet embassy to arrest Hawkeye and the Black Widow both for treason. So Natasha stabs herself with an arrow to exonerate Hawkeye and makes her escape. In the present, Hawkeye explains he realized during the diplomat's speech that the guy had been poisoned sometime earlier, so it was too late to stop the assassination. All he could do was kill the guy himself so it wouldn't be pinned on the U.S. government and used as a pretext for war.

The point being, rather than Hawkeye following the trend he and Natasha usually do, where one of them sacrifices themselves to protect the other, Clint asks if she'll accompany him back to the U.S. to help him face the consequences.

In theory, I like the idea of them breaking this cycle of alternating martyrdom, but does it really do any good here? Unless Black Widow found proof of Dran's plan we don't know about, there's nothing to exonerate Hawkeye. All he's got is his word, unless someone did an autopsy and found traces of a poison. Without proof of Dran's involvement in the poisoning, that brings about the result Hawkeye's trying to prevent.

Blood and Fire #2, by Aaron Wroblewski (writer), Ezequiel Rubio Lancho (artist), Es Kay (letterer) - Someone is setting up a very strange Valentine's Day surprise. 

The last remaining samurai squares off against four of the new shogun's men. He gets three before the fourth throws snow in his eyes and slashes him across the torso. Which brings us to where the first issue started, him on his knees, looking about to be executed. But as he tells a vision of his wife and daughter he'll see them soon, they become some angry shadowbeast that demands he fight.

So he does. He makes it home, but home is on fire. His wife and daughter are dead. The shadow insists he kill them all. Which he'll get to, once he's made a funeral pyre. More samurai arrive, and promptly start dying. Is it the last holdout doing the killing? The samurai's definitely around, cutting off horses' legs and a man's head, and by that point, Lancho is drawing him mostly as a shadow. Maybe a few places that aren't shaded so heavily to offer a hint of a nose or cheekbone.

But at least one of the enemy sees a small girl at the edge of the forest, who then vanishes. That guy winds up getting dragged into the forest by something we don't see clearly. It's on the edge of one panel, the outline of either long hair or tentacles, and in the last panel we see of him, there are two barely visible dots - probably eyes - above him further in the background.

What I Bought 5/22/2024

I finally saw one of those Cybertrucks in the wild a couple weekends ago. I only got a quick glimpse because we were going opposite directions on a divided highway, but I had to do a double-take to be sure of what I was seeing. 

Then I burst out laughing. It's just so bizarre, and ugly, it's hard to believe anyone would want to drive one, let alone pay 100 grand for the privilege.

Black Widow and Hawkeye #3, by Stephanie Phillips (writer), Paolo Villanelli (artist), Mattia Iacono (color artist), Joe Sabino (letterer) - Ghost of Hawkeye Past up there wondering, "What the hell happened to my fashion sense?"

In the present day, Hawkeye's not dying of poison, because the symbiote saved him. But it's presence is lingering, amplifying Hawkeye's inferiority complex. Probably in an attempt to get him killed and out of Natasha's life, symbiotes being greedy tar monsters. So Hawkeye tries to set up a meeting with Damon Dran - I've been flipping through my issues of Marvel Fanfare in preparation for that entry in Sunday Splash Page, so at least I know where Phillips got this dope and Snapdragon from - to bargain himself to save Natasha. Except, of course, Dran doesn't want Clint, so he's just turned himself into effective bait.

This mini-series, the present day portions at least, are not exactly doing Hawkeye any favors. It's him being mostly inept and incompetent so the Widow can keep saving him. Yes, the flashback sequences are about Clint storming the Russian Embassy to rescue the Black Widow, but even there, we see Natasha taking advantage of the confusion to free herself. Present Day Clint Barton is a hapless dope with apparently no peripheral awareness.

At least in the flashback we get to see him get Iron Man with an exploding arrow in the flashback sequence. That's after Stark calls Hawkeye "kid", and says it's better they let the Russians have Natasha, even though he agrees they'll kill her. Iron Man: Always ready to let someone else get it in the neck!

But seriously, there's one issue to go, and we haven't received an answer for how or why Hawkeye committed the murder. Or, in the likely event he's innocent - and sure I hope he is, I'm so fucking tired of stories about Hawkeye killing, and especially when it's somehow only a problem when he does it, while the X-Men are killing people willy-nilly like Garth Ennis is writing their book - how everybody got fooled. Or, how are he and Damon in contact in the first place?

Phillips has 20 pages left to work with, and presumably we also need some sort of conclusion to the flashback, but Phillips is not giving me a lot of confidence she can pull one of those off satisfactorily, let alone both.

What I Bought 4/18/2024

My dad's dog is getting better behaved. It certainly helps to not be constantly having to tell her to get off me. Though she still doesn't do great at sitting still when you try to pet her. Hard to pet her when she chases her hand around with her mouth.

Black Widow and Hawkeye #2, by Stephanie Phillips (writer), Paolo Villanelli (artist), Matta Iacono (color artist), Joe Sabino (letterer) - What is it with people in the Marvel Universe getting a symbiote and letting it near fire? Did no one give them the "how to care for your alien slime friend" pamphlet?

Clint tells the Natasha to leave, she refuses. He insists he killed the foreign minister (who he was tailing on some covert job), both she and the symbiote know he's lying. The symbiote attacks him, Natasha reels it in. Hawkeye acts like he doesn't recognize a symbiote when he sees one, but also comments that it seems jealous he knew Natasha first. Well, Phillips has the "cocky and kinda dim" aspects of his character down.

Hawkeye gets hit with a poison dart by someone in an old helmet. The shooter escapes because Natasha makes the symbiote deal with the poison, which may or may not have worked, but offers a chance for a trip down memory lane. This flashback actually started last issue, when someone sent Snapdragon after Natasha not long after she defected, and Hawkeye got smacked around trying to protect her.

I don't know who the mastermind villain controlling (and killing as a precautionary measure) the shooter. Name is vaguely familiar, but I guess he's another ghost from the Black Widow's past. What a shocker.

Villanelli softened his lines a lot for this issue. Definitely compared to the Captain Marvel mini-series he drew last year, but even compared to the first issue, the faces of the characters look a lot softer, less sharply defined. Maybe Villanelli didn't ink himself as strongly, so Iacono's colors are overwhelming the lines? It gives things a bit of an unfinished, smudged look.

I could argue it works for all the murkiness in the plot, between Clint's insistence on his guilt and the awkwardness of their past history with the added mess of the symbiote. But if that were the case, I think the flashback's art should be more distinct, sharper defined as a time when things were clearer between Nat and Clint, which isn't the case.

Blow Away #1, by Zac Thompson (writer), Nicola Izzo (artist), Francesco Segala and Gloria Martinelli (colorists), DC Hopkins (letterer) - You're not supposed to go out on the ice. A very annoying woman at a park once berated me about that.

Brynne's on assignment in the Baffin Islands, trying to capture photographic proof of a pair of nesting endangered bird. 6 weeks in, she's got a lot of pictures of snow and a few of a hunter. Then the mountain climbers show up. We don't know why they're there, because what we see is always through Brynne's camera, and it's set up for long shots. When she does zoom in on the photos, they're blurry and there's no audio, so it's all conjecture on her part that "Blue" looks frightened at one point, or that they started fighting at the summit.

There's also some sort of messy business in Brynne's backstory, involving something called "Arson Media" and blood splatter. She also seems to have some self-worth issues that are hinging on her getting these photos of the endangered birds. How that's going to factor in going forward, I don't know. I also don't know if the person watching Brynne through a sniper scope at the end of the issue is the same hunter as early, or some new problem.

Izzo keeps us at a distance from everything, even Brynne. There are very few close-ups on her, and when there are, she's usually outside with her face covered. Inside her base camp, there are a lot of panels looking over her shoulder the shots the cameras got. If the focus is on her, Brynne is usually looking off to one side, and our view is from at least a few feet away. Nothing close, nothing that's being said directly. Everything's inference and conjecture, which probably contrasts with her trying to get this definitive proof the birds nesting. That has to be a sure thing or it won't be accepted.

What I Bought 3/13/2024

Welp, did not go to a comic convention last weekend. Did try a gaming store, but it was more collectible card games than video games. Also, they had a box of comics, but it was basically just The Walking Dead. Anyway, I'm typing this Thursday, waiting to see if a tornado shows up. Hopefully not!

Power Pack: Into the Storm #3, by Louise Simonson (writer), June Brigman (artist), Roy Richardson (inker), Nolan Woodard (color artist), Travis Lanham (letterer) - Storm gambling the Brood are terrified of the color blue.

Franklin's apparent death is immediately revealed as a fake-out. The ship's just caught in a Brood tractor beam, and Franklin's body gets wrapped in some fiber stuff that would keep him asleep, if, you know, he wasn't asleep already. So while Franklin goes back to Earth and brings Storm in the ship, the Pack stage a rescue attempt.

The rescue is going pretty badly until Storm shows up and takes advantage of the large amount of lightning available on the alien world's atmosphere. The kids are free, but the storm goes out of control and causes the Brood ship to crash and explode. So for the second time since the end of last issue, the Power kids think someone in their little group has died. At least this time, we already know Djinna is a prisoner of her aunt, along with Franklin's unconscious body. Still, that feels like going to the same well too quickly.

Kofi insists on trying to save Djinna himself, but the effect of teleporting that far makes him easy prey for Mayhem. And the Pack and Storm are back on the alien world. So it feels like all that's changed is who is a hostage, and who's holding them. Mayhem seems to have plans to use the kids' powers for herself, just like the Brood. It's just that her plans don't involve planting embryos inside them.

One thing I notice is how quick all these kids are too try and take the blame for things when they go wrong. Alex tries to blame himself when they think Franklin is dead. Kofi thinks it's his job to rescue Djinna. Some of it is these are superhero comics, so the characters are going to care about doing the right thing (and Kofi's dad clearly places a lot of expectations on him as a future public figure.) But I'd expect kids to deny responsibility at least some of the time.

Black Widow and Hawkeye #1, by Stephanie Phillips (writer), Paolo Villanelli (artist), Mattia Iacono (color artist), Joe Sabino (letterer) - That arrowhead looks weird.

Hawkeye's on the run from a lot of people, for killing a Russian Foreign Minister. Mockingbird's being watched too closely to help, but the Black Widow's not. Didn't realize those two had become pals, but why not? All superheroes are pals now. 

By the time she finds the guy released from Russian prison to kill Clint, he claims he already blew Hawkeye up. Wrong, but unfortunately there are other killers with the professionalism to try and finish the job. Just not before the Widow shows up. She tries to make Hawkeye leave Madripoor, but he refuses. In fact, he doesn't want her involved at all. So he's determined to solve it alone, since he's being hunted. Because he's stubborn and arrogant. Natasha's going to stick around, figuring he can't do it alone. Because she's also stubborn and arrogant.

At any rate, Clint's explanation is phrased in such a way as to imply he's guilty. I figure it's another fake-out where he was watching the press conference, and saw someone who looks just like him release the arrow that killed the guy. Or the whole thing is faked footage. A.I. generated crap that nobody's debunked for. . .reasons. Ominous reasons.

So far, the fact the Black Widow has a symbiote is something I can largely ignore. She uses it to get information - via symbiote spiders crawling into the guy's brain? - and to restrain one of Hawkeye's attackers. Which makes it basically a tool. Like her bracelets. I can deal with that. This "give everyone a symbiote" thing is still stupid.

Villanelli seems to have a lot of panels with close-ups on things. Clint's bow, Natasha's hand as the symbiote reforms around it, a mechanical hook arm that clasps Hawkeye's ankle. Sometimes they're smaller panels set against the backdrop of a larger establishing shot, and sometimes they're one in a sequence of rapid-fire panels. It works as a point of emphasis.

Black Widow

It's fine, I guess. 

Florence Pugh seemed to be having fun as Yelena, although getting to play the irritating younger sister seems like a more rewarding role than big sister. The, 'This is a much less cool way to die,' line made me chuckle. The fight they had in the Budapest apartment reminded me a little of watching my friends and their siblings fight, albeit at a much higher level of skill. But the point where they're choking each other with the curtain made me think of two kids where one has the other in a headlock, but their hair's getting pulled or the eye poked or something.

The whole weird family dynamic thing was, I don't know. David Harbour plays Red Guardian as your typical American sitcom dad. A big clumsy well-meaning putz. Who is also a true believer Soviet super-soldier. That kind of humor is pretty typical for Marvel movies, but it felt out of place in what, at times, felt like it was trying to be a spy movie. Everyone else is being so serious, even Pugh, who is playing excited, not silly. 

If there'd been more of them as an undercover family, I think it would have worked there. Him trying to maintain cover and being really unnatural about it. Like Steve Rogers struggling with being inconspicuous in Winter Soldier, a comparison the Guardian would apparently appreciate. By the time the family is together, they're moving into the climax and there's only time for fight scenes and speeches.

Rachel Weisz' character felt like it fit the movie better. She's extremely competent and cool under fire, more than a little morally ambiguous at best with the mind control thing. But she'll also tell Natasha not to slouch at the dinner table. It's still sort of a sitcom mom, but a much more toned down version in comparison to what Harbour's doing. Maybe the movie is too dour without him. Or maybe, since he seems like a true believer in Communism, you also need him to recognize they got used, but their little family still mattered, too. 

I think all three of Melina, Natasha, and Yelena weren't believers so much as they were pragmatists. They were put in situations where they had no choice to play ball, but none of them were under illusions about what they were doing or why. They knew they were just puppets. Maybe Melina with her work with the pigs didn't see it that way, but it seems just as likely she was fooling herself. Like Natasha had been doing when she went to work for SHIELD that it would be different.

When Dreykov was making his big speech about how the world is run from the shadows and blahblahblah, I expected Natasha to point out none of that would have meant a damn thing if the world is conquered by space aliens commanded by an Asgardian. For that matter, what good were all his little widows when Ultron was going to use Sokovia to cause a mass extinction event? But the guy's whole bit is control, so he probably just ignores that.

Taskmaster was definitely not what I was hoping for. Taskmaster being an example of the red in Natasha's ledger was fine. I'd have preferred a freelance killer, but the whole movie is Natasha trying to actually deal with her past rather than run from it, so it's fine. But I was hoping for someone a little more talkative, boastful about their skills, and instead we got a Terminator, basically.

I mean, at least Batroc got to talk a little smack to Steve Rogers.

Sunday Splash Page #91

"Good Crop of Moloids This Year," in Black Widow and the Marvel Girl #4, by Paul Tobin (writer), Takeshi Miyazawa (artist), Veronica Gandini (colorist), Dave Sharpe (letterer)

A 4-issue mini-series that came out in 2009-2010, so roughly the same timeframe as the Marjorie Liu/Daniel Acuna ongoing series. You know how Marvel is about saturating the market with stuff. This was more continuity free, standalone issues of the Black Widow teaming with up various other characters.

We get the Enchantress in issue 1, and Carol Danvers (when she was still Ms. Marvel) in issue 3, both drawn by Salva Espin. The Wasp in issue 2 (drawn by Jacopo Camagni), and Storm in issue 4. Most of the issues showcase the Black Widow being calm and resourceful under fire, always prepared ahead of time, almost always having the leg up on the guest star of the issue. (The Enchantress would be an exception, but she showed up when Natasha was still training in the Red Room, and not actually the Black Widow yet). It's a pretty entertaining series, as Tobin makes good use of a variety of parts of the Marvel Universe, and the art teams are solid at the worst, with bright, easy to follow and expressive styles

The Black Widow comes off as very cool, but I think the series kind of highlights the reason I can't quite warm up to the character, and since it's the last Black Widow series I have, we might as well deal with that here. 

Basically, Black Widow's Late 90s-Early 2000s Batman. She always has plans. She knows all your weaknesses. Any time you think you have the upper hand, you're wrong (Carol thinks she was watching Natasha from above, but actually Natasha was letting her do that while using drones to spy on Carol from above). 

The second issue makes this big deal that the Wasp doesn't trust the Black Widow, but by the end of the issue, she totally does and tells Iron Man this. The last panel is Natasha, seemingly sitting by herself far away from the conversation (but not far enough she can't hear it), smiling when she hears that. But we only see her smile, we don't see her eyes to know if she's actually happy like, "Yay, I have a friend," or "Good, I've gained her trust, that will make whatever complicated plans I have easier."

And that just feels like the Batman of that time running up to Infinite Crisis. He spies on his allies, manipulates them, makes plans to kill them, refuses to apologize when those plans get stolen and used, gets allies killed (let Ted Kord go off to his death alone, when he knew something was wrong), and yet the story somehow always validates the actions. Natasha is, at least, far more competent in how she handles things than the Bat (it's very rare that other heroes or innocent people are hurt by Natasha's information-gathering and manipulation), but that doesn't make it behavior I find any less off-putting.

I get it for her character, it's just not a trait I really like, when you get down to it.

Sunday Splash Page #90

"Fire and Mud", in Black Widow (vol. 3) #1, by Chris Samnee (writer/artist), Mark Waid (writer), Matthew Wilson (color artist), Joe Caramagna (letterer)

After the conclusion of last week's series, Natasha got a second ongoing in 2014 that ran for 20 issues, mostly by Nathan Edmundson and Phil Noto. I skipped that one, because Edmundson's writing hadn't impressed me in the past, and I'm not a huge fan of Noto as a sequential artist. Great individual images, but for telling a story, conveying action, not so much.

That series got wiped out in the mass cancelations brought on by Secret Wars. You'd think Marvel would have learned something from DC and the New 52 about ending all of your series, but apparently not. After that whole mess was over, we got another Black Widow ongoing, this time by the Daredevil creative team of Chris Samnee, Mark Waid, and Matthew Wilson. I figured if anyone could make a Black Widow series I'd enjoy, it was only the second creative team to really make me enjoy Daredevil.

I dropped the book after six issues. I only kept two, this issue and #6, although reading through it, I can't figure out why I kept the latter. Maybe I meant to keep one of the earlier issues with more fighting.

It was a very stylishly done book, the first issue is just one big chase scene of Natasha fleeing the Helicarrier and then a bunch of SHIELD agents who chase her through the city and into the hinterlands. Samnee and Wilson do some great work, especially Wilson. He did some stuff with red and black that worked so well for me. There was one issue, #4, where they did some great stuff with her infiltrating the new Red Room. That was probably the issue I intended to keep. 

But at the end of the day, it's a story where all the good guys wonder if they can trust Natasha while she encounters problems from her past (in this case the Red Room) in the form of characters I'm not certain we'd ever heard of before. Gee, why does that sound extraordinarily familiar?

Sunday Splash Page #89

"Whose Book Is This Anyway?" in Black Widow #2, by Marjorie Liu (writer), Daniel Acuna (artist), Nate Piekos (letterer)

This was the first official ongoing series they gave the Black Widow, although she'd had around 4 mini-series over the previous decade. I assume because there was positive response to her appearance in Iron Man 2 that year (2010). I only bought this series within the last few years during one of my back issue hunts.

Naturally, it only lasted 8 issues, because that was normal for Marvel at that time. Nowadays they either make it to 6 or 12. Liu and Acuna left after 5 issues, handing it off to Duane Swierczynski and Manuel Garcia for the last three issues, which led into a Hawkeye/Mockingbird/Black Widow mini-series, Widowmaker, I think I picked up used a few years ago, but have no distinct memories from whatsoever.

Liu and Acuna's story was that someone with a grudge against Natasha has figured out her secrets and is trying to get revenge. Also known as, "plot for 70% of all Black Widow stories." Also, it turns out she's been collecting intel on all the other Avengers and her other allies, so now they all have to wonder if she can be trusted. This is known as "plot for the other 30% of all Black Widow stories."

So I can't say the creative team didn't cover their bases.

Nobody Bats A Thousand

I've stopped picking up Black Widow. The skill of the people involved was obvious, but it didn't interest me. The Black Widow is a character I can sometimes appreciate, but isn't one I seem to have any innate affection for. I picked up the Marjorie Liu-written Black Widow series from several years ago in a back issue search, and it was much the same: Well-done, but nothing I regretted not buying when it came out.

Of course, you could say the same for my feelings on several characters, including Daredevil, but I loved Waid and Samnee's (plus plenty of other talented artists and colorists) work with old Hornhead. The difference is, there it felt like they were going against the routine. All those years of Murdock's life being an unending string of misery and woe, and they opted to instead have him fight against that. Which didn't always work, but he made the effort. Let his friends in, leaned on them when he needed to, kept smiling in the face of hardship, refusing as much as possible to let it drag him down. I've already read a run where Matt was shattered and flew from the wreckage he made with his tail between his legs - it was Ann Nocenti and John Romita Jr.'s run on the title. Didn't really need to see it again, because I wasn't likely to enjoy a sequel more.

And Waid/Samnee mostly avoided falling into the same old "fights ninjas/the Hand" deal most writers since Frank Miller seem compelled to do (Nocenti being one exception). Ikari is close, but unique enough to be interesting. Instead he's fighting bizarre echoes of Klaw, or the Spot. Teaming up with the Silver Surfer, or going after the Book of the Darkhold with Satanna and Werewolf by Night. Even when he does go to the well of Kingpin or Bullseye, he uses Fisk as someone Murdock turns to out of desperation as a savior, and Bullseye as someone trying to use his gift for hitting any target to strike at Daredevil from the shadows. It's at least somewhat an inversion of the norm (although Fisk and DD have had this co-dependent do-si-do going on for years).

Black Widow felt pretty much like every Black Widow story I can remember reading. Natasha's past comes back to haunt her in some way. It's always the Red Room striking at her, or another of their products trying to exceed her, or some awful misdeed coming home to roost. Doesn't make it a bad approach to take, but it isn't one that's struck a chord with me yet, despite a number of writers and artists trying.

What I Bought 8/28/2016 - Part 1

While I was visiting my dad, I took the opportunity to grab some of the comics that had come out over the previous two weeks. But I already had all of last week's posts ready to go, so we're just getting to them now. Not as though I've been on the cutting edge of reviews for a long time now.

Black Widow #6, by Mark Waid (storyteller), Chris Samnee (storyteller/artist), Matthew Wilson (colorist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - Samnee drew an older version of the armor, but not the really early, clunky grey or gold versions. Curious.

Dr. Yinsen is the man who saved Tony Stark's life when they were held prisoner by a warlord. Natasha is the one who abducted Yinsen for that warlord. Stark is somewhat peeved, but gets duped by Natasha, who uses his equipment to find where the Weeping Lion is. Then she finds out the big guy is just the brother of the true Weeping Lion, a telepathic teen, right before she repulsor rays the kid through a window and tells him he works for her now.

I've not been a big fan of Tony Stark since oh, the last Civil War Marvel did. I think that's well established in the archives. Still, I feel conflicted about how this played out. Natasha's smile as she busted out the Iron Man gauntlet on her would-be tormentor was a nice moment, the smile Samnee gave her a nice touch, but could she have tried just asking for the stuff? Maybe Stark was too heated for that, but he isn't wrong that she is at least partially responsible for Yinsen's death (though also Stark's still being alive, since Yinsen is responsible for that). It wasn't something done of her own volition, but "I was only following orders," hasn't been an acceptable excuse for awhile now. And her explanation to Stark consists of "I was a different person then."

I'm probably just looking for a "sorry", but I think the character, and certainly the people who trained her would contend sorry doesn't matter. Doesn't fix anything (though what would she do?). But it's at least a public acknowledgment that you fucked up, you know? It was what drove me nuts about Batman for years, all his heavy-handed bull that kept blowing up in other people's faces, and never the actual admission he messed up.

Maybe if Tony hadn't come in so obviously cocky, talking about "amateur hour" they would have been able to chat.

It's another lovely issue. The flashback being colored in that pale red is a nice, vivid distinguisher, and I think Wilson darkened it just a bit on the final page, as Yinsen's being handed over. That moment of no return, when Natasha stands with her hands in her pockets and sends a man to his death without a word. And I like the last word balloon on that page being partially cut off by the panel border, I guess as Yinsen is dragged out of range of his voice, or physically silenced. Also, the two panels of Natasha stepping out of, and then back into her shoes in the cemetery, with the noticeable difference in the condition of her stockings. Very effective.

Blue Beetle Rebirth #1, by Keith Giffen (story and script), Scott Kolins (story and art), Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colors), Josh Reed (letters) - That's not the cover I wound up with, but I like it better.

Jaime is living at home, with his parents and his sister. His friends are once again, Brenda and Paco, though I don't recall them being quite this argumentative, but I came into Jaime's first series late and sporadically, anyway. Jaime's working with Ted Kord, who alerts him to a couple of somethings tearing up a coffee shop. Jaime struggles to deal with them, while Ted is being not terribly helpful in his ear, but survives the encounter with no civilian casualties. Ted's supposed to be helping Jaime get the scarab off of him, but doesn't seem to be making much progress, and along comes Dr. Fate to claim the scarab is magic, not alien science. Well, you know, sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from science, if practically every Arthur C. Clarke story I read is correct.

Looking at this as an introduction (or re-introduction of the character), I think it's very effective. Giffen and Kolins got a lot of the supporting cast in there, from Jaime's parents, to his friends, to Ted and Fate, and Brenda's aunt, who is probably still a crime boss, and maybe she's a sorcerer. Her eyes were red in one panel. Oh, I hope she doesn't turn out to be Darkseid. That would be the dirt worst. Anyway, I think they managed to give at least some idea of the various relationships between the characters, even if just a sketch outline, but that's not too bad for the ground covered.

Kolins' art is pretty much how I remember it from the last time I saw it, whenever that was. Maybe a little less busy with faces than before, which is fine. I actually thought Amparo (Brenda's aunt) looked drawn in a different style from everyone else, even smoother and more simplified, which could be something significant. Could just be my imagination. A lot of panels per page early in the issue, a some decent variety in layouts, which is a good call for extended sequences of talking. Plus, it makes the point when you turn the page and get the full page splash of Jaime in the armor more effective. I also noticed that in the panel where the armor starts to form some sort of gun, before Jaime alters its aim, the gun partially goes outside the panel borders, to that area that's full of black dots on a white background on practically every page. Again, could be something, given what Dr. Fate's selling, could be nothing.

Solid start, regardless. I'm on board for awhile.

The "Murder" Option Is The Better One

Not about Age of Ultron, but still about Black Widow and Iron Man. Comic book versions, not film.

Probably not any big surprise, but I'm expecting that the big secret Natasha didn't want revealed by Weeping Lion is that she killed Tony's parents. I don't know if that means Howard and Maria, or his biological parents - who Tony may not have discovered the identity of yet, I don't know, I'm not reading International Iron Man - but one set of them. Which would explain Black Widow #5 ending with pissed off Iron Man hunting for Natasha.

Although, there is another possibility. Highly unlikely, and probably very ill-advised, but what the hell: Natasha is one of Tony's biological parents. She's much older than she appears - Waid and Samnee have already referenced this in issue 4 - and as far as I know, the comics have not incorporated Whedon's decision to have her surgically made incapable of conceiving a child. It's feasible, though I wouldn't advocate for it, since I don't think it's really a development either character needs. But I didn't see the point in revealing Howard and Maria aren't Tony's biological parents, either.

It was just a notion that came to mind a couple of weeks ago.

It Was All Right There, They Just Didn't Use It

So when Age of Ultron came out, there was the whole thing about Bruce and Natasha being a couple, or more specifically, the idea that Natasha felt they were both monsters, and that she was a monster because the Red Room had made her incapable of having children. I doubt Whedon specifically meant a woman is a monster if she cannot conceive, but that's how it came off, and this was understandably not received well by some people. And it's such a dumb way of going about it. Especially because there was a so much better way to make that comparison already waiting.

In the first Avengers movie, they establish this idea the Hulk is sort of a survival mechanism for Banner. Stark raises the point that the amount of radiation banner was hit with should have killed him, but instead he became the Hulk. Banner asks if Stark is suggesting the "other guy" saved him, and seems both skeptical and scornful (mostly of the idea he should be grateful). Later Banner admits he tried killing himself, and the "other guy" spit the bullet back out. Some part of Banner wants to live, and finds expression in this monster.

Now you've got Natasha. We know, again from the first Avengers movie, she feels there are things she's done she has to atone for, or at least balance some scales (the whole "red in her ledger" bit). We know from The Winter Soldier that she had hoped, even though she was doing the same sorts of things she used to, that doing them for SHIELD meant she was doing something better, and she was distressed to see that it really wasn't working out that way. You could even interpret her willingly releasing all those SHIELD files, including the ones about her and her activities, as part of her trying to deal with her past.

Then, in Age of Ultron, we get a glimpse of her training in the Red Room. Of her being caught in that headlock and not being able to get loose, tapping out, and being reproached by her teacher. And yet, she became the best student the Red Room ever produced, right? At some point, Natasha decided that to survive, she'd do what was necessary to that end. It could be argued they had successfully indoctrinated her to the idea she was simply an unimportant tool of theirs, but I still think on some level she would have to want to survive to not merely pass, but become as great as she is. Once she was out on missions, that continued. She had to do awful things to complete her missions, but she has to complete them to survive.

Which leaves her with the realization of all that she did, she feels guilt over, because she also wanted to survive. Whether it's her being too rough on herself or not, her perception would be that, like Banner, her survival instinct took the form of a monster. They've both tried to turn that to something good, while fearing that it's never going to be enough.

What I Bought 7/26/2016 - Part 1

So hey, comic books, I bought some, let's talk about one. I figured I'd start with the one Marvel book I got not tying into the current Big Event at the month. We'll get to the two that are Friday. Or Monday, if I decide to go with the stuff from other publishers on Friday. I don't know, I'm making this up as I go along.

Black Widow #5, by Chris Samnee (writer/artist), Mark Waid (writer), Matthew Wilson (colorist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - That's a cool cover. I don't have anything substantive to say about it, I just like all the different elements. And they're actually relevant to the story, it's not just a cool pin-up, though it works that way as well.

Natasha awaits the Weeping Lion's courier, but is visited instead by SHIELD agent Elder, who pretends to be the guy she's waiting for. And Natasha pretends she buys it, while trying to get them someplace safe. This doesn't work, as Elder gets shot. Natasha tries to get him to safety by car, that doesn't work either, and two of the Lion's agents use Elder as leverage to get the files. Natasha relents, so Elder blows himself and the goons up. And the files, which means she can't complete her task, so the Lion's going to release whatever it was he had on her, which involves Iron Man.

I have no idea who the guy seated at the table the Lion is working for or with is. Surprised Waid and Samnee shuffled Agent Elder off the table so quickly. Of course, I was thinking he actually was the Weeping Lion, and either he was a traitor to SHIELD, or this whole thing was some cockamamie scheme SHIELD cooked up to get this information while not appearing to have done so. It would have explained how they had so many gunmen at a supposedly secret SHIELD cemetery.

I think the Lion should have the tear track on his mask that he does on the cover. Which yeah, he's supposed to be actually crying because he's sad about killing people or something, but screw it. Add something unique to his otherwise boring-ass ski mask look. You're supposed to be a big wheel, show some visual flair. I do like that Samnee and Wilson keep practically all of the Lion's peoples' faces obscured, at least partially. Not just the Lion, with his mask, or the guy at the table. Even the goons and the people keeping an eye on Natasha. Either they wear ski masks, or their faces are in shadow, or not even in panel. If they're really going with the idea this guy has eyes and ears everywhere, it plays to that. They're an anonymous, faceless army. Also liked the concerned look on Natasha's face as she starts to apologize to Elder for him getting shot. Most of the issue, she looks to be scowling, or maybe just concentrating on what's going on around them, but she does care. She was taking steps to try and protect this guy, it just hadn't worked as she hoped.

It seems like Wilson used shades of orange a lot this issue for things connected to the Lion. The lighting for the sniper in his room, some of the background lighting wherever it is the Lion's hanging out. Wilson uses it repeatedly when the Lion is reacting badly to something, like the panel with his clenched fist, or the one where he hears the bad news some poor dope delivered. The scenes when the SUV with the armed goons arrives are done with largely orange tints. Most of the other panels during that sequence are mostly blacks and cold blues in the background, but then there are those noticeable orange backgrounds. A contrast between the threat to Natasha and Elder outside, versus the threat to her from Elder inside the car?

I could have done without Natasha's dig at Hawkeye when asked if she had what she'd been sent to retrieve. I did not expect Mark Waid to jump in on the, 'Clint Barton is an incompetent fuck-up' bandwagon. Took me right out of the story because it bugged me so much. It's still bugging me a little, obviously.

In Superhero Comics, Making Enemies Is Easy

I was thinking about how both the Black Widow and Deadpool are both being menaced by someone they treated badly in the past. The Widow by Maya, the daughter of the woman who taught Natasha in the Red Room. Deadpool by Madcap, who had a bad go of it when he was stuck inside Wade's head.

In both cases, the protagonist was in a rough place, and simply didn't have much empathy to spare. Natasha was just trying to survive, and had no time to befriend another girl who wasn't trained, and whose injury or death would probably have gotten the same for Natasha. By belittling Maya, describing her as a pet, as one kept safe from the danger every other girl there was being thrown headlong into, she seems to have instilled in Maya a desire to be better than Natasha at what she does. Or what Maya thinks Natasha does and is, anyway. I suspect in their final confrontation, whenever it occurs, it will turn out Maya has fundamentally misunderstood the Black Widow.

As for Deadpool and Madcap, Wade's life has been a steady string of misfortune, one which causes him to lash out or treat others poorly, while trying to keep the causes of that behavior hidden. And here's Madcap, who takes nothing seriously, running around in Wade's head, privy to all his secrets, treating it like some buddy comedy. As Wade points out, he's not a great friend to have even when he's trying to be one, and he wasn't interested in being one to Madcap.

Now, both the characters are in different place. Natasha's old friend may scoff at her being an Avenger, but she is more willing to have friends, to actually care about people. And Deadpool, if his comments to Madcap are to be believed, brought Madcap into the Mercs for Money because he thought the guy was lonely and could use friends. Even if Wade hadn't embarked on his newly found, "let past wrongs go," approach at that point, he still seems to have been trying to make amends.

And it's too late. However current Natasha might treat Maya now, the damage is done. And Wade only reached out to Madcap after establishing close bonds with several other people, most of whom hadn't previously been tormented by Deadpool. With Madcap, there's also the possibility that when he left Wade's mind, he may have taken some of the worst parts with him, in which case Wade has become his own worst enemy even moreso than he was before. You can't necessarily say that about Natasha and Maya (Maya probably has a steep hill to climb to become the Widow's worst enemy, for one thing), but certainly the path Maya has chosen was informed by what she saw the Black Widow doing.

This isn't a new story turn, the protagonist who was kind of an ass but has since reformed, being confronted with people unwilling to accept the change, but it catches my interest. The impulse, when you're having a bad time of it, to dish a little of it out, I get that. And I get that it can make you feel like crap afterward, especially if the person who bears the brunt of it had nothing to do with your crappy situation. And there's nothing that says the person who takes the hit has to forgive and forget, even if I show up later trying to make amends (or went my own way and barely gave them a passing thought, in Natasha's case). It might be healthier for them, but no one is guaranteed a chance to patch things up, or erase a past act of casual cruelty. And how that's handled, that's something I'll be curious to see.

What I Bought 6/21/2016 - Part 1

I didn't get every book I intended to from the last 3 weeks. Deadpool #13 and Detective Comics #934 were far more expensive than I was willing to accept. Maybe next time (although I've seen scans of Detective Comics, and can't decide whether it's going to be for me or not.) Better to deal with the comics I have than the ones I don't, right?

Black Widow #4, by Mark Waid (writer), Chris Samnee (writer/artist), Matthew Wilson (colorist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - I like the two birds watching the whole thing. Don't know why.

Natasha doesn't die of her wound, because she's saved by an old friend. Said old friend also tells her who is behind the little kid that stabbed her, where to find them, and hooks her up with some equipment. Which Natasha says is really old, but we didn't really see her use any of it, so I don't know what it was. She retrieves the file she was after, because the head of this new training program was waiting for her and gave it to her. Maya wants to kill Natasha, as a "prove myself" thing, but is advised to do it when Natasha is 100%. So Natasha has what she needs, but her comes that one SHIELD agent. Is he the Weeping Lion? Probably.

Things are starting to gain momentum, though I'm surprised by how many old friends Natasha has, given the mortality rate for espionage. But every time you turn around (or every time she gets a new series), there's another friend, still alive. And another enemy. The situation with her and Maya is going to be ugly, considering the very attitudes Natasha took to keep herself alive in the Red Room, are what helped her make an enemy of Maya in the first place.

The panels Samnee did of Natasha breaking in, set within a larger panel of a maze, was obviously some good work. I notice that when Natasha retrieved the file and went to the spot to drop it off, she started wearing some sort of eyeliner. Either that or she's really tired. Does it subtly alter her face, so people might not recognize her as readily, or is she just more relaxed now? I also like how Wilson colors the outfit Natasha uses for the break-in. The interplay between black and red in this series seems like something I need to look into more, when I get a chance. The red tends to be intense, but sometimes, even when a character is standing in a spotlight of it, if they're wearing black it doesn't seem to be affected. Anyway, I'm enjoying the book more the farther in we get with it.

Patsy Walker, aka Hellcat #7, by Kate Leth (writer), Brittney L. Williams (artist), Megan Wilson (color artist), Clayton Cowles (letterer) - I can't quite parse Jessica's expression there. It looks slightly weary to me. I'd be more befuddled, wondering how Patsy got into the Blonde Phantom's wardrobe, but whatever.

Jessica offers to help Patsy by going to visit Hedy (who of course owns some stupid froo-froo dog) and see if she can find anything they might be able to use to block Hedy's attempt to discredit Patsy. She also convinces Patsy to do a book signing at Tom's store, which is painful enough for Patsy she compares it to being dead. She and Jess try breaking into Hedy's apartment, and get caught. Smooth. Patsy finally blows her top, but sadly, does not kick Hedy in the teeth. Right about then, She-Hulk discovers Patsy's mom was doped up out of her mind on morphine when she signed the rights over to Hedy, so the contract is void. Well then, all's well that ends well, until next month when the book has to deal with Bendis killing or making comatose a member of the cast.

I admit I expected Patsy and Hedy to have some heart-to-heart, and Hedy would reconsider, and they'd mend fences, because Patsy's been making friends with enemies some of the time in this book. But no, I don't see that happening after how this ended. Which actually bums me out a little, I liked how they were portrayed as actual friends by Steve Engelhart when Patsy first came back to life.

I laughed at Luke Cage's reaction to reading the (I'm guessing) fan-comic of him and Iron Fist as a romantic couple. C'mon Luke, do you not spend any time on the Internet? Right, he has a kid, meaning he has no free time. Never mind. Huh, I just noticed Squirrel Girl came to the celebration at the end of the issue. Will Marvel do a crossover between those two books, or at least a team-up? C'mon, they had Squirrel Girl team up with X-23, sorry, Wolverine.

Williams uses the bit where she's goes a bit more exaggerated with character expressions judiciously, which I appreciate. It makes it more effective. Like the panel of Hedy being huffy and put off after Jess leaves at the end of her first visit. It's different enough from her regular style to catch the eye, but still recognizable. And I laughed at her drawing herself getting to meet Patsy. I wonder if that bit where she says she loves how mean Patsy and Hedy were is reminiscent of something she experienced at a convention (being complimented on something kind of awful), or something else.

Also, there's two panels in this issue where the character is placed in front of a solid black background. One is when Patsy mentions that her mother tried to make a deal with a demon to steal Patsy's body, and the other is when Hedy, having heard this, reacts with a blithe, 'Is that all?' The two panels are pages apart, but revolve are the same selfish (possibly drug-induced) act, one framing it as the fairly hurtful thing it is, and the other completely dismissing it. It's like two ends of a conversation the characters weren't even necessarily having with each other at that specific point in time.

I continue to greatly enjoy this book, and hope that it continues for a long time

What I Bought 4/19/2016 - Part 1

All this month, I've been expecting certain books to be released, and they keep not appearing. Which is why there are only four books in this batch (and because the store was out of the most recent issue of Henchgirl). So the last week of April better have a ton of books for me.

Illuminati #6, by Joshua Williamson (writer), Mike Henderson (artist), John Rauch (color artist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - Nice touch by Rossmo having Crusher's right hand starting to absorb the properties of the ice cream cone.

This issue takes place after the Illuminati - or Hood and Titania anyway - rescue the Absorbing Man from the Pleasant Hill virtual reality prison place. And most of the issue is taken up with Crusher explaining to the Hood what was going on before they got there. He worked in an ice cream shoppe. He had a crush on the sheriff, who turned out to be Elektra. Oh, and he decided he liked the normal life, but not until he wasn't around Skeeter, as she points out before she storms off. So now Crusher is pissed, and wants them to recruit all the villains that were kept prisoner, and then go wipe out SHIELD. Because that's a productive and intelligent plan. What am I saying, this is Absorbing Man we're talking about. He has the brainpower of a turnip.

That was not really what I expected. I was hoping for more of a caper approach, the Illuminati trying to break into Pleasant Hill, figure out what's going on, find Crusher, figure out how to get him to remember who he is, escape SHIELD, maybe tangle with some confused Avengers. Instead, it's a recap issue. I know the book is on its last legs, but it's a letdown.

The variation in the colors between different parts of the issue is interesting. The sections in the Hood's lair are dominated by a black, featureless background, with scant sources of light that begin and end abruptly. The reality in Pleasant Hill has a dusty feel. Sort gritty, dirty, you wouldn't want to breathe the air too much. And the false image is bright and cheery, blue skies. The teenager that was actually Whirlwind(?) has cheeks that almost glow, they're so cherubic. Everything looking pretty, but it's all garbage underneath.

Black Widow #2, by Chris Samnee (writer/artist), Mark Waid (writer), Matthew Wilson (colorist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - I actually got the variant cover drawn by Bengal, because it was being sold more cheaply, and I am cheap. It's not a bad cover, except for the fact it's a Civil War variant, even though that hasn't started yet.

This issue explains why Natasha stole from SHIELD. She was trying to stop a group led by the Weeping Lion from attacking SHIELD at a funeral, except she was the target all along. And this Weeping Lion has records of something Natasha did that's so awful, she will steal from SHIELD just to keep it from leaking. Now, I fully expect that down the line, we will learn Natasha doesn't really care if it leaks, and was just playing along to find out what this bad guy really wanted. But as it stands right now, it's pretty hard for me to believe she did something that would make all her friends and allies turn away. Deadpool is an Avenger right now, with full support of Steve Goddamn Rogers. Wolverine was an Avenger, he's killed more people than organized religion. Tony Stark does something horrible every five minutes, they keep letting him in the door. I think Natasha would be fine. But as I said, it's probably all part of a plan on her part.

That aside, it's still a nice issue. I had wondered, after Natasha trounced her captors, why they would thoroughly search her for tracking devices, but not remove those bracelets of hers. And a page later, we get the answer: They were amateurs, set up by their boss for her to trounce. I like Wilson's occasional use of red during the fights in the cemetery. He doesn't use it every time Natasha strikes, I think he saves it for the moments of greater tension. When she's having to rush, or struggle a bit.

One page I'm trying to figure out is page 18, where the Weeping Lion is standing along the left side of the page, and he stretches vertically across four panels. Including a panel that is just a close-up on his face. That's not really something I can recall Samnee doing before, so it must mean something. The guy's dialogue starts with that figure, but then moves to other pictures of him within the panels. But that larger, full-body image of him is still there.

What I Bought 3/8/2016 - Part 1

I thought for the start of this round of reviews I'd start with first issues. One's from an ongoing, the other from a mini-series. One has quite a bit of dialogue, the other not so much.

Black Widow #1, by Chris Samnee (writer/artist), Mark Waid (writer), Matthew Wilson (color artist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - I notice Samnee gave her shoulder holsters rather than at her waist, which is the approach favored by the recent films. I wonder if there was a particular reason. Also, I hope SHIELD gets a group discount from the person who paints their logo on stuff, cause it's always getting trashed.

Natasha stole something from the Helicarrier. Maria Hill wants it and her back. Many SHIELD agents try, they fail, that's the first issue plot summary. Well, that was easy. I've seen a few mentions online about how the book takes roughly three minutes to read, which I can't dispute. Not that I have a problem with giving Samnee and Wilson an issue to show off. I thought, especially in the scenes with a lot of fire that the art looked a bit like Francisco Francavilla's. The last page, or the panel where she leaps out of the Helicarrier. Maybe that particular color and Samnee's inks remind me of those Afterlife with Archie covers. The 14-panel page fight in the mud was pretty good, the two times that the panel doubles in width, as we pull back for just an instant during the fight. Also the markedly different font to the "CLIK" of the gun compared to all the impacts of people hitting each other.

That said, they could have put a bit more into the story. Not even a lot; tell us what she stole. You don't necessarily have to explain why she took it, but something to give it a little more. it's definitely a different approach from Daredevil, where they spent a lot of time inside Murdock's head. Here, everything is based on actions, and we don't even really get the thoughts of the people chasing Natasha, let alone hers. I'll admit if it was almost any creative team other than this bunch, I'd be less trusting. I'm guessing there's a point to this approach, and I'll stick around to see what it is.

Agent Preston better not have been hurt by that explosive, though. She's finally getting established as a SHIELD agent enough to appear outside Deadpool books, and they go and have the Black Widow through a damn bomb at her. She's got two kids to look after, Natasha! Plus Deadpool, which is like five kids.

Wynonna Earp #1, by Beau Smith (writer), Lora Innes (artist), Jay Fotos (colorist), Robbie Robbins (letterer) - She's got the slow badass walk while backlit down. That's half the battle to being a cool action hero.

I have no prior experience with the character's earlier mini-series, but I know enough people online who like Beau Smith's work I'm willing to take a chance. Wynonna works for a branch of the U.S. Marshals that deals with paranormal crime, and at the moment, they're focused on a demon named Mars del Ray, who has a human organ trafficking operation they'd like to shut down. Having some trouble finding it, though, even with intel of some guy named "John Henry". Wynonna doesn't seem to entirely have the trust of her partner, who's concerned she doesn't worry about civilian casualties enough, and there's someone shadowing her footsteps, I don't know why.

This is not the polar opposite of Black Widow, but it's a different approach to be sure. A lot of that is Smith trying to make sure the reader is up to speed on the key points, as well as getting the main threat going, hinting at some, possibly unconnected problems, and allowing for a lot of snappy back-and-forth. Which is fine by me. It a different kind of fast-paced, but fast-paced all the same.

I'm not familiar with Innes' art, either, but it works well here. She really seems to have a good handle on Wynonna's expressions and body language. Earp comes off as very relaxed and in control during the fights, even during the moments when things aren't necessarily going well. And the conversation with Downs in the diner was well done. Earp starting off refusing to make eye contact, crossing her arms when Downs starts in with his spiel about being careless. Leaning forward and looking directly at him when she's trying to convince him he can count on her. And I really like the scowl she's wearing as Downs and "John" are talking and seemingly ignoring her. Also, when the two DEA guys get shot by the mystery person, one of the "BLAM" sounds effects has a blur through part of it, like the motion of the bullet. Not sure if that was Innes or Robbins, but a nice touch either way.

I don't know if Smith, Innes, and company will maintain this kind of pace through the remainder of the mini-series, but I'm willing to stick around to see.

The Widow's Wait

The trailer for the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron movie is out. I don't quite know what to make of it. The Hulk is fighting his friends, when Banner doesn't look really sad. Hawkeye's running around in the snow, Captain America's kicking open doors in monasteries. Ultron looks about as good as I could have hoped, but who knows if it'll come together well? Even after all the superhero movies I've seen I enjoyed, I'm still gunshy. Batman and Robin casts a long shadow, and it's very cold.

I didn't really want to talk about the trailer, though. Among the reactions to it elsewhere were some noting that there's still no sign of a Black Widow movie among all of Marvel's projects. It does seem strange Marvel seemingly isn't even trying to make a movie about Scarlett Johansson kicking people in the face and tasing them with the Widow's sting. She seems open to the idea, people seem willing to pay to watch movies where she does cool stuff, Marvel Studios likes money, what's the problem? Are they really worried it wouldn't do well? They're trying to make a Dr. Strange film, not to mention Ant-Man. Guardians of the Galaxy has made over half a billion dollars. I think Black Widow: Choose Your Own Subtitle Because "The Widow's Kiss" Was The Best I Could Manage And That's Terrible would do all right.

Natasha is contacted by some old contact of hers, an informant, an old lover or compatriot in arms, take your pick, who warns her about some major threat. A gene bomb that will randomly mutate a stadium full of people, killing most of them, leaving the rest with wild, likely uncontrollable powers (could play off the idea of Strucker's experiments we heard about at the end of The Winter Soldier, where Wanda and Pietro were the only survivors). Or AIM developed their own Stealth Helicarrier, or there are remnants of the aliens that attacked in the first Avengers flick running about, selling their remaining scraps of technology for some unknown motive. Whatever, Natashe finds out about, but can't get ahold of anyone else as backup, so off she goes. Maybe, I emphasize maybe, Hawkeye could show up late to lend a little assistance, just to continue building the friendship there, but it's still 95% Black Widow.

So Natasha's tracking the leads, using the skills she has none of the rest of the bunch do, but she's a more public figure since all her history got released along with SHIELD and Hydra's. There are a lot of people with scores to settle, for revenge over allies and loved ones she killed, or for plots or weapons buys she thwarted, for humiliations she brought upon them by making it look so easy. While she's hunting whatever we've decided the threat is, all those people are on her tail. It may even be the people she's after who have alerted all these old enemies to her location, to keep her occupied.

Am I hoping this would pit the Black Widow against a host of Marvel's hired guns? Yes. Would I like to see Batroc reappear? Yes. Would I like to see the Black Widow fight Taskmaster? You betcha. Paste Pot Pete (sorry, the Trapster)? Heck yeah. You could even let Natasha be the one who prompts the name change, either now, or in some past meeting, depending on which name you want him to have in the present. Could we play up the "former Russian spy" angle and perhaps get the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes? OK, that's probably pushing it - but what about Arcade? You know you want to see the Black Widow escape Murderworld.

I'm sure they must have a possible script floating around somewhere, it just seems strange they won't go for it. C'mon Marvel, you feel bulletproof right now, don't ya? And you could beat Warner Bros' Wonder Woman movie into the theaters, and then talk big about that, which I'm sure you'd love to do. Just make sure you focus on her being badass and good at what she does, maybe include an attractive guy as either an antagonist, or someone she has to protect for reasons, to give the ladies or interested fellows some equal time gawking. Get a solid plot that keeps things moving, doesn't get bogged down in too many meandering sideplots (like say Amazing Spider-Man 2), some good action set pieces, fights or Natasha avoiding fights by being sneaky and clever. Some good dialogue, maybe let her play up Natasha's sense of humor some (she'd have that sort of fatalistic Russian humor, right?), and there you go. I'm pretty sure it's doable.

The Archer, Amour, And Espionage

Should I take Hawkeye's casual hookup with the redheaded lady in Hawkeye #3 (I'm guessing she's the "Cherry" mentioned in the future solicits) means his relationship with Jessica Drew is kaput?

I'll be honest, I stay so far away from most Avengers books (largely because of Bendis), I didn't even know Jessica and Clint had become an item until I read a review of Avengers #30 that mentioned they came to the conclusion they each had too much baggage to make it work. I knew there'd been some flirtatious banter, but come on, when he isn't in a relationship, Hawkeye flirts with just about every woman.

It doesn't explain that phone conversation he had with Mockingbird in Avengers Solo where he insisted that no, he hadn't brought "her" with him to an isolated cabin of Bobbi's where he was going to hide the people he was helping. I had no idea who the "her" was at the time, but I guess it was Spider-Woman.

Anyway, I figure if Clint's fooling around with other women, then he probably isn't in a committed relationship at the moment. One thing I like about Hawkeye is that, for all the stupid things he says and does, he is generally faithful to whoever he's in a relationship with*. He'll still say and do stupid things - letting his mouth outrun his brain at the worst moment is another of his character traits - but he's doesn't fool around. Not on Natasha, not on Bobbi (he screwed that one up in other ways), not on Karla Sofen. A month ago, I bought the hardcover that collected, among other things, the Hawkeye mini-series from the '80s where he met Bobbi. Though they wind up together by the end of it, when it starts he's in a relationship with Shelia Danning, one of his bosses, and the reveal that's she been up to no good and playing him for a sap sends him into a massive funk. He's pretty much oblivious to the fact Bobbi's interested in him until very late in the mini-series, well after what he and Shelia had is conclusively dead. Of course, it's also clear Hawkeye does rebound, sometimes faster than others, so it wouldn't be a surprise he meets another woman he likes not long after he and Jess split.

However, there was one other thing I noticed thinking over his past history, and that's his tendency to fall for women versed in the espionage trade. The Black Widow and Mockingbird, obviously, but Jessica Drew has a long history as a double and triple-agent. Shelia wasn't a spy, but she was playing at liking Hawkeye to keep him duped. Dr. Karla Sofen doesn't have an espionage background either, but if you consider that part of that job is understanding what makes a person tick so you can move them around as need be, then Sofen's an expert. The only two I can think of that wouldn't really fit the bill are the Scarlet Witch and the Wasp. The former never went anywhere, because Wanda wasn't interested in Clint that way, and the latter was written by Chuck Austen, which I'm guessing qualifies it for an asterisk**.

All the relationships he's been in that lasted any period of time have been with women who are, not more devious, necessarily. More clever, more worldly perhaps? I'm not sure what it means. 3 of the 5 (Natasha, Karla, Shelia) started out with the lady in question manipulating Hawkeye, but Natasha and Karla both developed genuine feelings for him over time (though Karla was having issues with the Moonstone at the time, so I don't know how we factor that in). Hawkeye's attracted to smart women? They're attracted to his honesty and straightforward approach, his openness with his feelings?

Natasha, for example, is very good at concealing her true feelings when she needs to. It's part of the job. Someone may disgust her, but if they are necessary to complete her mission, she sets that aside and works with them. She's probably already thinking of ways to make sure they go down as well, but she doesn't let it distract her. Hawkeye, on the other hand, pretty much says what he feels. If he's angry, he says so. If he likes you, he says that, too. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he lets it rule him if he's not careful. There's also the arrogance and insecurity that can be played with. Which makes him a prime target for manipulation by someone with that goal in mind. Which can certainly explain how things started with some of these women, but not all, and not why things changed between him and Natasha/Karla.

It's interesting, because it's an inversion of that old Western trope where the kind young schoolteacher manages to tame the rough and tumble cow-puncher/honorable bandit guy***. Hawkeye's the more open, naive person, but his honesty and belief in redemption gradually wins over at least some of the cynicism. They see the good guy beneath the bluster, and decides it's someone they like, rather than someone they can use.

In some ways, it could also portray Hawkeye as the younger person in each relationship. It isn't as though he's had an easy life, but he is in some ways so much less aware of the uglier aspects of how the world runs, that it makes him seem less experienced than the woman he's currently involved with. I don't know the ages of everyone involved to know whether that's true or not. The Black Widow is clearly older, by a lot, and I would imagine if Karla and Bobbi had enough time to gain doctorates and become established in their fields then they're both probably older as well. I'm less sure about Jessica and Shelia, but I wouldn't be surprised, and it's a little different for the guy to be the younger person in the relationship. This being superhero comics, none of them look older than Hawkeye, but it's still another interesting piece. That he's consistently attracted to older, more worldwise women, and most of the time, they end up being attracted to him as well (even if it takes awhile).

* This in contrast to Green Arrow who, for all he frequently declares how much he cares about the Black Canary, sure seems to sleep around a lot. I think it's been more of a problem since Kevin Smith brought him back from the dead, but I'm pretty sure there were flare-ups between Dinah and Ollie over prior to his death as well. Which is fine, that can be a character trait, and it fits with all the contradictions in Ollie's character, that he deeply loves one woman, but can't seem to stop being a cad.

** It's hard to tell if anyone would have followed up on it. Hawkeye died in the very next storyline, and I don't think he and Janet had any chances to interact between the time he returned and her death/disappearance at the end of Secret Invasion. That no one made an attempt, though, probably says a lot about the other writers' view on it.

*** Unless it's just the "make an honest woman of her" thread. Which would be less interesting, and wouldn't really work for Bobbi, certainly, and not really Jessica, either, since they didn't enter into the relationships with Clint with ulterior motives. I prefer the inverted Western trope theory myself, but figured I better at least mention this one.