Some characters have a level of history and chemistry that’s simply iconic. For many, Black Widow and Hawkeye are among those characters, with a history stretching back to their villainous roots and a friendship that’s flourished across comics and movies. Now they’re getting a new team-up comic, but will it be a great addition to their ongoing stories, or is it forgettable? Let’s find out…
Written by Stephanie Phillips
Illustrated by Paolo Villanelli
Colored by Mattia Iacono
Lettered by VC’s Joe SabinoTHE EYES OF A HAWK AND THE VENOM OF A WIDOW!
Even when Black Widow and Hawkeye had no one to trust, they still had each other – even though their paths sometimes diverged. So when Clint Barton is accused of a rogue assassination attempt that puts the U.S. and Madripoor at odds, a symbiote-equipped Natasha Romanoff thinks nothing of coming to his aid. But as echoes of their past ripple into the present, it will take all their faith in each other – and the lessons learned along the way – to protect their futures.
Join fan-favorite creators Stephanie Phillips (ROGUE & GAMBIT, CAPWOLF & THE HOWLING COMMANDOS) and Paolo Villanelli (CAPTAIN MARVEL: DARK TEMPEST, STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS) as they celebrate sixty years of Black Widow and Hawkeye with this new chapter IN the pair’s storied legacy!
“Black Widow & Hawkeye” starts the issue strong, showing us Natasha in action as she chases down a hitman. This in media res introduction serves as a strong hook, bringing readers into the story and leaving us wondering what events lead to this point.
From there, it jumps between viewpoint characters, switching between Natasha and Clint as it brings their stories together. However, it also jumps through time, bringing us back through events as we start to piece things together. The use of reverse-chronological storytelling makes each moment more engaging, as we have to keep reading to see what brought the characters to this point, and learn more about the ongoing plots in motion.
It also controls the pacing nicely, giving us snippets of action and intrigue as the story unfolds. As the flashbacks conclude, we’re given a series of panels jumping forward through time again, until we as readers are caught up with the characters in the present.
That also brings us to the characters teaming up, slightly more than halfway through the issue. This is where it can both pick up speed with more action and slow down with the characters taking time to talk, setting up their dynamics and conflicts for this run (both inter-character conflicts and the overarching plot, of course).
Writer Stephanie Phillips does an excellent job balancing all the story elements. The dialogue and narration carry the characters’ voices well and get us in their heads as the plot develops, and the action sequences are fun and intense, while moving the story forward. (There’s a particularly amusing moment where Clint gets attacked by an assassin, and he remarks about missing the days when assassins weren’t all going around with cybernetic grappling hook arms.) There’s plenty of intrigue, and the story knows when to let the artwork do most of the speaking.
On that note, credit also needs to be given to Paolo Villanelli’s artwork and Mattia Iacono’s colors. Villanelli’s illustrations make excellent use of dynamic angles and shading to bring dramatic effects out for each moment, in addition to the overall solid character designs and scenery.
For instance, when we first see Hawkeye, we get a lovely image of his silhouette leaping in the foreground, while the city of Madripoor is illuminated in lights behind him. This is immediately followed by a panel of him jumping at such an angle that some of his limbs pop out of the panel and overlap with the panels above and below it, but rather than blocking the images, they’re framed in a way that it carries us from one moment to the next.
The rest of the ensuing fight (and all those that follow) also make great use of these dynamic shots. We get a lot of panels that take up plenty of real estate on the page to illustrate the action or set the scene, and it pays off visually.
Continued belowSimilarly, the visual storytelling works very well during a flashback to the inciting incident that kicks off the story. The panels here shift to be more uniform and linear, but they focus on close-ups showing or obscuring key details. This builds tension, but also provides little hints for what’s to come or what the truth is as the illustrations focus on little things. I get the feeling that I’m going to want to look back on this issue when the series ends to see what visual foreshadowing I might have missed.
The lighting and shading effects go a long way to add to each image, which is a credit to both Villanelli and Iacono’s work. Colorist Mattia Iacono knows how to make the characters and action pop off the page with sharp colors and voluminous shading effects, highlighting the details and making the lighting match the mood.
We see some great color choices across the issue as well. Little glow effects occasionally cast red or orange across the page, making the characters stand out more with a nice dramatic effect. The purple of Hawkeye’s outfit contrasts nicely with yellow lighting from the Madripoor backdrop, while Natasha and Bobbi stand out strongly against a blue club background. It’s all a solid use of contrasting colors that helps keep our eyes focused on the characters and action without detracting from the scenery.
Overall, “Black Widow & Hawkeye” #1 is a great read. The excellent pacing, storytelling, artwork, and colors create a gripping narrative that keeps readers engaged from the first page, and it will be a thrill to see how it all plays out.
Final Verdict: 8.3 – A great way to kick off the comic, filled with action and intrigue that will appeal to fans of Clint and Natasha.
