Review - Black Widow: Itsy-Bitsy Spider

While on a mission to apprehend a bio-toxin from a foreign government, super spy Natasha Romanoff is confronted by a woman claiming to be the new Black Widow. The tenacious Yelena Belova has been sent by Russia to procure the bio-toxin and eliminate her rival if necessary. Natasha must outwit and outmaneuver her successor every step of the way, while ensuring that the bio-toxin doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

Black Widow: Itsy-Bitsy Spider collects Black Widow (vol 1) #1-3 and Black Widow (vol. 2) #1-3, written by Devin Grayson and Greg Rucka, and with art by J.G. Jones and Scott Hampton.

This collection is divided into two sections – the first collecting the “Itsy-Bitsy Spider” story arc that introduces the new Black Widow and the second that serves as a sequel titled “Breakdown.” “Itsy-Bitsy Spider” is a globe-trotting spy thriller that takes us to the fictional country of Rhapastan as Natasha Romanoff attempts to secure a bio-toxin that turns humans into monstrous super beings. Hot on her trail is Yelena Belova, the self-proclaimed Black Widow. She’s eager to usurp the name from Natasha and is willing to do whatever necessary to please her superiors back in Russia. “Breakdown” is a simmering and more intimate arc, which sees Natasha switching places with Yelena in order to manipulate her into giving up her life as a spy.

Devin Grayson handles singularly handles the writing for the first arc and is joined by J.G. Jones on art. Jones’ artwork is incredible and pairs well with Grayson. The work is expressive and Jones creates many dynamic action sequences. His creative perspectives and experiments with panels gives the overall story a cinematic feel to it. Though it’s easy to say that Jones’ artwork steals the show, Grayson is certainly no slouch either. She gives us complex character work that makes it easy to sympathize and understand our protagonist’s perspective. We get a few touching moments where we see Natasha’s emotions come through, which is rare for her character.

Grayson pairs with Greg Rucka for the follow-up “Breakdown,” with Scott Hampton providing the art. Where Jones’ bold artwork paired well with the explosive first arc, Hampton’s simpler style works well for the more Cold War era-tinged second arc. The usage of cooler tones and pops of warmth throughout provides an atmospheric vibe that enhances the story tremendously. While the narrative itself is loosely a sequel to “Itsy-Bitsy Spider,” it is more character-driven than its predecessor. We see Natasha really pushing Yelena to the brink of insanity through her machinations and it shows just how far she’s willing to go to spare her successor from going through half of what she went through. That said, the main plot device that supports the identity switch is really contrived.

Black Widow: Itsy-Bitsy Spider is an intriguing read and provides a nice little character study of Black Widow. While the two arcs included do very little to elaborate on her past or provide background information on the iconic redheaded spy, they do tip towards being accessible. This is a great collection of stories for fans of the character, especially those who enjoy the Marvel Cinematic Universe version.

RATING: B

Review: Batman - Cataclysm

After an earthquake destroys Gotham City’s infrastructure and kills thousands, Batman and his allies lead the efforts to find and rescue the remaining survivors. Meanwhile, an opportunistic villain known as Quakemaster has kidnapped a seismologist and is threatening to unleash more tremors should his demands not be met. While Batman aids the victims of the quake, Robin is dispatched to stop Quakemaster.

Batman: Cataclysm collects Batman #553-554, Detective Comics #719-721, Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #73-74, Nightwing #19-20, Azrael #40, Catwoman #56-57, Robin #52-53, Batman Chronicles #12, Blackgate: Isle Of Men #1, Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma #1, and Batman: Arkham Asylum: Tales Of Madness #1. It features writing by Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant, Doug Moench, and Devin Grayson, with art by Graham Nolan, Jim Balent, Scott McDaniel, Staz Johnson, and more.

Cataclysm is presented as an 18-part event exploring the aftermath of an earthquake through the perspective of Gotham City’s most iconic heroes (and villains). It is comparable to its predecessor Contagion, which was an impactful crossover storyline that dealt with the frustrations and powerlessness of Batman as he was faced with a threat he couldn’t simply toss into Arkham Asylum. However, much of what made Contagion so effective is missing here. Cataclysm is rather episodic and stumbles through its first few chapters as it continually brings the reader back to the moment the earthquake struck. This constant retelling of events, albeit from the perspective of different characters and parts of the city, fails to progress the overall narrative. It also doesn’t help that the major arc of the story, Quakemaster’s kidnapping of Jolene Relazzo, is buried beneath diversionary tie-ins. With Contagion, titles like Azrael and Catwoman were woven into the narrative. Here they’re filler.

Interestingly, some of the best moments come from the filler tie-ins. One of my favourite issues was Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma, written by Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Eduardo Barreto. In it, Spoiler’s father, the crook Cluemaster, leads a group of Blackgate escapees on a looting spree at the mall. At the same time, Spoiler and Huntress are helping those trapped in the mall. It’s a fantastic one-shot that gives readers an unusual team-up between two heroines who are total opposites. Huntress’ aggressive stance on dealing with criminals ultimately comes into conflict with Spoiler’s more tempered approach. This serves a very important dramatic purpose as it heightens the tension regarding Cluemaster’s fate, which depends upon which of the two he eventually faces off against. Another must-read from this collection is Catwoman #56, written by Devin Grayson and illustrated by Jim Balent. The typically self-serving Catwoman willingly helps to evacuate a building after she is caught inside during the earthquake. It’s an issue packed with an character development that peels away the layers of Catwoman’s character to reveal a vulnerable and altruistic person underneath. It also features the most poignant and emotional moment of this entire event (the specifics of which I won’t spoil here).

Unsurprisingly, Huntress and Catwoman, along with Robin, end up being my favourite characters within this collection. Huntress’ very presence picks at the hypocrisy within Batman’s character. Though he’s admittedly quite heroic and selfless throughout, he’s incredibly condescending towards Huntress when the two cross paths. She’s put in hours of hard work rescuing people and stopping criminals, to which Batman tells her to go home and rest. The context of the situation gives it a misogynistic and hypocritical vibe. Since he fails to provide the same “advice” to Robin or Nightwing, it comes across as him effectively telling Huntress to go back to the kitchen. I love the lip she gives him. Her attitude is refreshing within a cast of characters who are otherwise way too eager to be on Batman’s good side. With regards to Catwoman, despite only appearing twice, those appearances linger long after finishing this trade. As I’ve said in my reviews of Knightfall and Contagion, she has a unique voice as a character and is given a lot of great punchy dialogue. As for Robin, well, he gets brownie points for actually being the only character to do detective work in this storyline to deduce the identity of Quakemaster (which is actually a pretty brilliant reveal, by the way).

Cataclysm isn’t one of the best Batman crossovers out there. It fails to thrill or innovate in the ways that its predecessors did and is largely a slow, meandering storyline that drags over the course of its 18 chapters. There are some bright spots throughout, of which I’ve highlighted a couple. If anything, Cataclysm is really meant for completionists looking to read every modern Batman story. Otherwise, it’s easily skipped and little is missed from it. My suggestion? Read the issues Huntress appears in, Catwoman #56, and the issues of Robin that are included here. Almost everything else is disposable.

RATING: C