Web Of Black Widow #5 - Marvel Comics

WEB OF BLACK WIDOW No. 5, March 2020

As conclusions go, Jody Houser’s revelation in Issue Five of “Web of Black Widow” that Natasha Romanoff knew right from the start of this mini-series that she was being watched by a woman who was somehow connected to her “missing memories”, must surely have been viewed by many of this comic’s readers as a horribly contrived anti-climax. Indeed, the very notion that the ex-KGB assassin had choreographed her confrontation with Iron Man, ferocious fist-fight with the Winter Soldier, and brutal battle against Hawkeye, all in order to simply elicit an account from her doppelgänger as to how “a special virus… made out of Epsilon Red’s own DNA” was blocking her implanted memories, makes a complete mockery of what had been a thoroughly enjoyable and suspenseful ‘spy-fi’ tale.

True, the rationalisation behind Clint Barton’s wholly unlikeable behaviour in the publication’s previous instalment when he appeared utterly convinced as to the “rumours of Widow’s villainy”, makes much more sense, especially his “actually shooting her with an arrow”. Yet such a horribly convoluted narrative undoubtedly diminishes the much-lauded clandestine abilities of the titular character, by having the Russian secret agent simply play the role of a Judas goat, rather than covertly investigate her mysterious enemy’s possible connection to her past using her tactical expertise in espionage and obtaining confidential information. In fact, this veteran hand-to-hand combatant (and mistress “of various other weapons”) is depicted as even needing the intervention of Captain America in order to defeat the Headmistress in a one-on-one rooftop confrontation; “But sometimes an old man likes to feel useful.”

Perhaps this book’s only saving grace is therefore Stephen Mooney’s dynamically-drawn fight sequences, which at least provide this twenty-page periodical’s audience with an occasional thrill. Considering that the Black Widow has an arrow shaft in her side and been shot in the leg, it is somewhat difficult to imagine her being quite so athletic in her impressive backflips and somersaults as the Irish artist would have any perusing bibliophiles believe. But that unrealism doesn’t notably detract from the sheer savagery of his pencilling once Romanoff and Anya finally come to trade vicious blows, and the blood starts to freely flow…

The regular cover art of "WEB OF BLACK WIDOW" No. 5 by Junggeun Yoon