Makeup And Acting
Written by:Chris Samnee and Mark WaidArt by: Chris Samnee, Matthew Wilson and Joe Caramagna
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 22, 2016
Review by: Josh Vermillion
Coming out of Black Widow #5, I was stoked for a showdown between Iron Man and Black Widow. With Natasha’s deepest darkest secret out in the world and apparently tied to Tony’s past, the lead-up to this issue was very promising.
Chris Samnee and Mark Waid don’t waste any time laying out just what that secret is. The opening page shows Tony hearing the news that Black Widow was involved in the kidnapping of Ho Yinsen, the scientist that helped Tony build the original Iron Man suit. I think it’s safe to say that Tony’s pissed as he flies off to confront Natasha.
Speaking of, we see Natasha in Paris talking to someone on a payphone. We go through the backstory of her getting her assignment to capture Yinsen and how she did it, which was basically by knocking out Yinsen and his bodyguards. Back in present time, Iron Man shows up and is ready to go rounds with Black Widow, but stops when he realizes how beat up looking she is. Stark decides to take her back to one of his offices and give her a chance to explain herself.
They yap for a bit and Natasha doesn’t actually do much explaining other than to say she was a different person then and she regrets it. Tony takes her to his sex office so she can lie down, but she knocks him out with an electric shock and goes to work stealing some stuff.
She heads back to the Weeping Lion’s den and starts doing what she does best: beating up a dude at least twice her size. She’s about to make the kill when the real Weeping Lion steps up and asks her to stop. Ilija Knezevic reveals himself to be the true Weeping Lion and a telepath. He tries to read Black Widow’s mind so he can use the information as leverage over her but an earpiece she stole from Tony prevents it. Instead, she uses one of Tony’s hand blasters (which she also stole) to blow Ilija through a window. With a very menacing throat step, she declares that the Weeping Lion works for her now.
I enjoyed this issue more than the last one, but it’s still definitely not my favorite book. Chris Samnee continues giving solid art that isn’t perfect but isn’t awful either. The book still reads like a spy movie, which I’m okay with. I can’t quite put a finger on it, but both times I’ve finished an issue I’ve just been left wanting more.
Bits and Pieces:
This issue did more for me than the last one, but it still left me wanting more out of the story. Natasha is always an intriguing character to explore, I just wish the story intrigued me as much as the character herself. It’s not bad. It’s just not fantastic either.
6.8/10
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