BLACK WIDOW: PALE LITTLE SPIDER #1
"Part the First"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Igor Kordey
Colors: Chris Chuckry
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Stuart Moore
Price: $2.99 US/$4.75 CAN |
Lately, I've been lauding "Ashes & Dust" -- the current story arc in DC's Hellblazer -- for its examination of the dark side of the human psyche. Just as Brian Azzarello is doing in that story, so does Rucka go spelunking into the uglier recesses of the mind, and he's using some of the same toys to make his way. The title character finds herself in a world that she, and likely the reader, finds alien and disgusting, but there's an alluring quality to it as well. And that's what's truly disturbing about it.
Yelena Belova, the new Black Widow, is tasked with the investigation into her mentor's murder. Unforunately, she discovers she didn't know her father figure quite so well, and she's forced to face that awful truth by examining the site where his body was found: an S&M sex club in Moscow. The dominatrix who greets her sees more than a Russian intelligence officer, though; she sees the kind of person she is, and the kind of demons than haunt her.
This is some of Kordey's strongest work for Marvel yet. He captures the stark, cold nature of the Russian establishment, as well as the polished depravity of the S&M club. There's a definition and clarity to his work here that was lacking in his contribution to this week's New X-Men #125. Chuckry achieves an interesting contrast with his colors in this book. He bathes the most disturbing setting in the book with a warm, inviting glow. It reflects how the title character finds the club so disgusting yet inviting all at once.
This is the third Black Widow limited series in recent years, but it's the first to exclude Natasha Romanov, the first woman to bear the title. That doesn't mean her presence isn't felt, though. We've seen other comics writers delve into a young person's frustration with living up to a predecessor, but Rucka approaches the notion from a much darker angle here. He connects Yelena's inferiority complex to a submissive side of her psyche, and it makes for fascinating, novel characterization.
Rucka taps into themes of control and manipulation, and it's adding up to what's potentially the strongest Widow story from the "new" Marvel yet.
Note: Some comments in this review are reproduced from a previous feature on the site.
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