Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Morgan's Widow has fangs!, May 9, 2005
Over the years Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow, has shown up time and again, often working with The Avengers and Daredevil. Despite the efforts of more recent Widow scribes such as Jim Starlin, Devin Grayson, Greg Rucka and Bendis, she's long been a laughingstock character -- little more than a sex object, "the bike of the Marvel Universe." But now novelist Richard Morgan (ALTERED CARBON; WOKEN FURIES; etc.) has teamed up with artist Bill Sienkiewicz (ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN) and utterly outdone all previous incarnations of this superspy. While keeping to established continuity, Morgan has updated the Widow, making her a much more human, respectable character, and the book much less misogynstic than it often has been. He's scripted a tight, mean, intelligent and topical comic book, aimed at adults rather than adolescent boys, that any fan of espionage fiction, superhero comics or plain ol' good storytelling should enjoy. Anyone picking up this book looking for exaggerated female bodies in kinky poses will be disappointed, but if you're looking for a very fine comic book, look no further. Do yourself a favor, even if you don't think you care for this particular character, and pick up this book. The Black Widow finally has her fangs.
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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly solid Black Widow story, May 20, 2005
As a previous reviewer mentioned, the Black Widow has been one of the lesser known and mishandled characters in the Marvel Universe. In the hands of novelist Richard K. Morgan, he has taken to the character back to the roots of her origin, focusing more on action, espionage, and story rather than exploiting a sexy drawing for adolescent boys to slobber over. The story concerns Natasha being thrown back into the spy game (as if she ever really left) after an assassination attempt on her life. Soon, along with her male sidekick, she's kicking butt and taking names, all the while unraveling a conspiracy which evolves into the best Black Widow story Marvel has ever published. This TPB's only flaw is that it wears a bit thin towards the end, but the art by the great Bill Sienkiewicz is worth giving this a look at alone. All in all, if you've been looking for a mature and action packed mainstream comic, give this a look.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An old favorite meets a new favorite, December 8, 2005
The old favorite is Marvel Comics, which I devoured during my formative years. The new favorite is Richard K. Morgan, whose work I've been reading ever since he published his first novel, _Altered Carbon_.
The combination is terrific. Natasha Romanova (the Black Widow) has always been a comparatively minor character in the Marvel lineup, and her treatment hasn't always been consistent. Here she finally gets the focused treatment she deserves.
Frank Miller and Alan Moore pretty much spoiled me for other comic-book writers (oops, "graphic novelists"), so it takes a lot to please me. Morgan isn't quite Miller, but his handling of Black Widow is at least in the same ballpark as Miller's run on _Daredevil_ and comparable in flavor to Miller's _Batman: The Dark Knight Returns_. The quality isn't quite there -- most notably because Morgan has a tendency to make his protagonist spout militant-feminist cliches a little too often -- but the approach is similar.
The story here is most definitely told on Morgan's own turf. I won't spoil anything for you, but be prepared for some revelations about Natasha's backstory that will satisfy both Marvel fans and readers of Morgan's noir SF. (Marvel readers may be pleased to know that Nick Fury is around as well -- and although Daredevil isn't, you'll at least spot Matt Murdock's name on Natasha's cellphone. Other readers have objected to the treatment of the relationship between Nick and Natasha, but I don't share their objections.) And yes, Morgan has cranked Natasha's brutality up several notches. I think that's a good thing all around, but your mileage may vary -- at least if you prefer your Cold War-era spies warm and cuddly.
The art by Bill Sienkiewicz and Goran Parlov is magnificent, of course -- consistently fine throughout, and some of the compositions are downright stunning. (And unlike Miller on Daredevil, Sienkiewicz and Parlov don't sometimes forget which body part they're drawing and make somebody's left leg sprout a right foot, or double the length of someone's sideburns between one panel and the next and then add a mustache in the panel after that.) Dan Brown's colors are every bit as magnificent.
And more good news: apparently Morgan has an ongoing relationship with Marvel and has been doing some further work on Black Widow. I don't subscribe to any of the monthlies, so I'm looking forward to reading it when it's published in book format.
And hey, while we're rescuing second- and third-string Marvel characters whose potential hasn't previously been fully realized -- can we get somebody busy on Iron Fist, please? (As with Black Widow, there's been a movie in the works on and off for several years; a graphic novel like this one might be a big boost.)
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