Review - Black Widow: The Name of the Rose

Following a brutal attack that left her on the brink of death, Black Widow is hospitalized. When a data storage device containing classified information is discovered inside of her, she is declared a traitor. Knowing that she’s being framed, Black Widow must escape and uncover the truth in order to clear her name.

Black Widow: The Name of the Rose collects Black Widow #1-5, written by Marjorie Liu and illustrated by Daniel Acuña.

The Name of the Rose is an elaborate espionage thriller that digs deep into Black Widow’s past. She is nearly killed, framed, and has a hit put out on her life by an unknown force. The key to unraveling this mystery is a single black rose, which is an obscure reference to something from her past. Black Widow must evade the government and overcome attacks from the world’s deadliest assassins (like Lady Bullseye!), so that she can find the puppet master who is pulling the strings. In some ways, this narrative feels reminiscent of a lot of prior stories starring Black Widow. It relies upon her past to build intrigue and to fill out the supporting cast. It reads like a more sophisticated version of Deadly Origin, but isn’t quite as intriguing and meaningful as Homecoming.

Despite the somewhat predictable narrative elements, Marjorie Liu proves herself to be incredibly adept at writing Black Widow. She’s still the icy spy that we know her as, but Liu also adds in some humour to the character and allows us to see her vulnerability. What stands out to me is that, for much of this story, Black Widow is gravely injured and she pushes on regardless of that. There’s a particularly memorable sequence where she and Elektra get into a physical altercation. Black Widow holds her ground and maintains her steely façade, but after Elektra is gone we see just how much pain she’s in. While Liu employs figures from Black Widow’s past to act as supporting characters, she doesn’t strictly rely on former lovers like most other writers do. Wolverine plays semi-important role in the story, which gives us an opportunity to see the unique dynamic that exists between the two. They have a mutual respect for one another that’s built on friendship rather than romantic feelings. It’s refreshing.

Daniel Acuña’s art is a perfect match for this story. The paint-like quality to his work gives the story an almost vintage feeling, which suits this world of espionage and intrigue quite well. In fact, it almost gives the story a noir kind of aesthetic. This is especially evident in how Black Widow is depicted. She looks like a film noir femme fatale, complete with a variation of the Veronica Lake hairstyle. There are a lot of characters featured in this arc and he does them all justice, with some standouts being Elektra and Wolverine. Beyond that, it’s worth highlighting the gorgeous usage of colour. There’s a lot of red and black throughout, which seems to be an obvious reference not only to our lead heroine but also to roses (the black rose being a pivotal plot element). The vibrancy of the red that reoccurs offers a lot of punch to the otherwise muted palette, while there’s some really neat contrast due to the shine placed on Black Widow’s iconic catsuit (since most of the colours used are matte).

Black Widow: The Name of the Rose is a worthy addition to any Black Widow fan’s collection. It’s visually stunning and features some incredibly strong writing from the award-winning Marjorie Liu. Though the story itself may not be the most original, the quality of the character work and action sequences are more than enough to make up for it.

RATING: B

Review - Aquaman Volume 4: Underworld Part 1

Aquaman is dead and the throne of Atlantis has been usurped by the terrorist Corum Rath. After imposing an isolationist and extremist regime on Atlantis, Corum has targeted the poorest and most vulnerable Atlanteans in order to further homogenize the kingdom. With his dictatorial reign in full effect, small contingents of rebels have formed to oppose him. Former royal advisor Vulko, the disgraced Mera, and a mute Atlantean named Dolphin each work towards ending Corum’s regime.

Aquaman Volume 4: Underworld Part 1 collects Aquaman #25-30, written by Dan Abnett and with art by Stjepan Sejic.

After a stellar introductory arc on his Rebirth run on Aquaman, Abnett and his creative team stumbled with a collection of mediocre stories that culminated in the Crown of Atlantis trade. While the series started out with a political tinge by tackling the subject of diplomacy, Abnett and co fell back on a more traditional approach to superhero storytelling for a handful of issues. Underworld brings readers back into the world of political intrigue. Abnett and artist Stjepan Sejic immerses readers in an Atlantis that is in the midst of a dictatorial reign as a result of a coup by the terrorist Corum Rath and his followers. It feels very topical, especially considering how classism and racial discrimination become central themes in this story arc. Abnett and Sejic re-introduce classic Aquaman supporting character Dolphin as a mutated Atlantean who lives in the poorest section of the kingdom. It is through her narrative that we see the danger that the Atlanteans live in under Corum’s regime. Those who live in the Ninth Tirade, like Dolphin, are mutated and live in severe poverty, thus becoming scapegoats for those in power. Dolphin must not only survive the crime in the Ninth Tirade, but she must also deal with the persecution she faces from Corum’s followers. It contrasts starkly with characters like Mera and Tula, whose adjacency to the throne afforded them certain privileges that Dolphin does not have.

This arc is filtered through the perspectives of four primary characters – Corum Rath, Mera, Vulko, and Dolphin (and her very familiar companion SPOILER ALERT - it's Aquaman). Corum is desperately trying to hold onto his power, barking orders at whoever will listen. Meanwhile, Vulko strikes an alliance with an unlikely benefactor and sets out to undermine Corum’s rule. Mera returns to Atlantis with the aid of Aquaman’s one-time sidekick Tempest to destroy the magical barrier that surrounds the kingdom. Finally, Dolphin convinces a vigilante operating in the Ninth Tirade to oppose Corum. The plot is structured in such a way that each character’s narrative never gets lost in the shuffle, though Corum does seem to be the most inessential character to be following (despite his important role in the events). The pacing works quite well as Abnett and Sejic perfectly manage to balance action sequences with character building exchanges. One of my favourite moments blends both of these together. While Mera and Tempest attempt to destroy the barrier around Atlantis, Tempest confides in Mera by telling her the reason why he gave up using magic. It’s a poignant moment that adds to the impact and high stakes of the action occurring around them.

One of the most impressive elements of Underworld is its art by Sejic. There’s a storybook-like quality to his work that elevates the material outside of the traditional superhero aesthetic. The painted style truly suits the underwater setting and gives readers some of the most beautiful backgrounds possible. I’m also incredibly impressed by the appearance of the female characters. Mera and Dolphin are especially striking. Both Mera and Dolphin are rendered in a very elegant way. Additionally, the mutation on Dolphin’s legs and arms has a certain level of realism that provides a kind of tangibility to her appearance. With that said, the quality does tend to vary from panel to panel. The colours are applied imprecisely in some spots and Sejic seems to be less consistent with men than women when it comes to proportions.

Aquaman Volume 4: Underworld Part 1 is a satisfying return to form for the Rebirth Aquaman series. Abnett’s refocusing on the intrigue of Atlantean politics gives this trade a unique quality in comparison to other superhero books. There’s a ton of action, but there’s some substance there as well. Abnett and Sejic give us plenty of touching moments between the characters, for instance, while also adhering to a set of topical themes that feel relevant to what’s currently going on in the world. Though I’ve never considered myself an Aquaman fan (like others might), Abnett’s run has impressed me and this collection in particular is worth a read.

RATING: B+

Review - Black Widow: Deadly Origin

After the apparent death of her mentor Ivan Petrovich, Black Widow uncovers a decades-long plot known as the Icepick Protocol. This protocol initiates a series of events that could kill everyone Natasha has ever cared for if she doesn’t save them on time. To do so, she must look into her past and question the veracity of her origins.

Black Widow: Deadly Origin is a four-part mini-series, written by Paul Cornell and illustrated by John Paul Leon and Tom Raney.

At its core, Deadly Origin is a standard espionage thriller that feels remarkably like an old school James Bond film. It starts off fairly grounded, with Natasha investigating the death of Ivan Petrovich and searching for clues about what the Icepick Protocol is. She learns that she was injected with deadly nanotechnology decades ago and she’s been slowly infecting everyone she’s come into contact with. The Icepick Protocol activates this technology and turns the infected into murderous drones. As the narrative progresses, it becomes a little more outlandish as our titular heroine ends up facing off with the mini-series’ big bad on an abandoned space station above Earth. In terms of tone, it basically goes from From Russia With Love to Moonraker. It’s a bit jarring since writer Paul Cornell had kept much of the story within the realm of espionage, but abandoned that for a more traditional superhero style finale.

Despite what its title may imply, Deadly Origin is not an accessible retelling of Black Widow’s origins. While we do get glimpses into her past through flashbacks (gorgeously illustrated by John Paul Leon), they’re mostly filtered through the perspective of Ivan Petrovich. As such, there’s a bit of a disconnect between Black Widow and the reader. It’s not quite as character driven as some other Black Widow stories because of this. The brief vignettes set in the past do an adequate job of detailing some of her past relationships, but they don’t provide much depth. The events set in the present similarly lack the layers necessary to endear the reader to Black Widow and give us a clear sense of who she is as a character. At just four issues, the story wasn’t given enough room to breathe and had rushed pacing that didn’t allow for adequate development.

As mentioned previously, this mini-series straddles a line between spy thriller and superhero adventure. There’s no greater example of this than with the art. As mentioned previously, John Paul Leon handles the flashbacks. His work is moody and emotive, beautifully capturing a Cold War era aesthetic. Tom Raney illustrates the present day events, which take up a bulk of the narrative. Raney’s work has an edge to it, but it’s still very much within the realm of what you’d expect of a superhero comic. In fact, his art has a bit of a ‘90s vibe to it. The difference in style between the two artists creates a schism that may be disappointing to some readers. For me, I’d have preferred it if John Paul Leon had been the sole penciller.

Black Widow: Deadly Origin is an entertaining read, though not one I’d actively recommend to anyone looking for a great Black Widow story. The covers by Adi Granov are gorgeous and iconic, but the contents don’t quite live up to that level of quality. I’m not particularly a fan of the direction Cornell took the characters in (especially Ivan Petrovich) and Raney’s art isn’t especially impressive.

RATING: C+

Review - Spider-Man: Blue

On Valentine’s Day, Peter Parker reflects upon his life and the story of how he fell in love with Gwen Stacy. He records these past events in a tape recorder, recounting his greatest heroic and romantic triumphs before one of the greatest tragedies in his life.

Spider-Man: Blue is a six issue mini-series written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Tim Sale.

Though sometimes regarded as a Gwen Stacy story, Spider-Man: Blue is truly a love letter to Stan Lee and John Romita Sr.’s historic tenure on The Amazing Spider-Man. It captures the exuberance and dynamism of the Silver Age Spider-Man stories, something which changed drastically when Gwen Stacy’s death brought the world of comics screaming into the edgier Bronze Age. In Blue, our titular hero reminisces about how he fell in love with Gwen Stacy and reflects on the impact she had on his life. These past events also coincide with his first encounters with Mary Jane, giving readers a glimpse into the early days prior to her maturation into Peter’s loving wife. This narrative is peppered with battles pulled from Lee and Romita’s run. This action helps to break up the otherwise introspective slant to the series. Loeb and Sale do a beautiful job of paying tribute to the classic Spider-Man stories with Blue. There’s something familiar about it in a way that’s sure to rustle up feelings of nostalgia in its readers.

For those who might be fans of Gwen Stacy and may be expecting her to be a central figure in this series, Blue is likely to be a bit of a disappointment. While it does a spectacular job of capturing the essence of the Lee and Romita era of stories, it ultimately fails to actually pay tribute to Gwen Stacy. Despite being positioned as the subject of Peter’s tape recordings, Gwen has very little panel time. She has no autonomy as her identity is defined solely by her relation to others – as a love interest to Peter and as a rival to Mary Jane. This is further emphasized by how Peter discusses Gwen. She doesn’t come across as a fully-formed human being with her own personality and life, but rather as an object that Peter must acquire (if he should choose her over Mary Jane that is). Loeb and Sale don’t do an adequate job of showing us why Peter loves Gwen or what it is about her that’s actually special. In this regard, they fail her. In contrast, Mary Jane practically bursts out of this series. She’s a truly dynamic presence on the page with electric dialogue and colourful outfits. Through her dialogue and actions, we have a better understanding of who she is and a better sense of why Peter eventually falls in love with her. Even still, there’s something very disturbing about how the women are actually framed in the story. The way they’re discussed is almost as if they’re possessions and that none of their hopes, feelings or aspirations matter as their sole purpose is to be Peter’s love interests. It also doesn’t help that Gwen and Mary Jane are so obviously placed in opposing roles. This is done so obviously that we even see them (Gwen primarily) making catty remarks. It’s immature and beneath both characters (especially Gwen).

While Blue is largely a rehash of events we’ve seen play out in classic comics, Tim Sale does a beautiful job in making everything feel fresh and new while also respecting that source material. Sale’s art is notable for its noir slant (see Batman: The Long Halloween), but he does manage to really capture the ‘60s vibe with this Silver Age inspired series. I really appreciate the effort he put into matching the clothing and styling of that era, as well as the work that went into making each character look distinct (though Gwen and Mary Jane basically look like the same character with different hair colours). In fact, it’s Sale’s art that truly sells this series. That said, I do have a bone to pick with his recreation of Mary Jane’s iconic first appearance in that he didn’t draw her wearing the same outfit. He drew her in a dress rather than the iconic black tank top and tan pants. It’s arguably one of the most enduring pieces of comic book imagery yet it’s not replicated in a way that matches it in any way.

Spider-Man: Blue is a cute mini-series that plays on the nostalgia surrounding the “good ol’ days” of Spider-Man stories. It’s perfectly paced, features gorgeous artwork, and possesses an unironic sentimentality to it. While I found many elements to be somewhat underwhelming and lamented the lack of panel time afforded to Gwen and Mary Jane, I can understand why Blue lands on many best of lists for Spider-Man fans.

RATING: B-