It’s interesting to see how the real world has impacted the creation and development of comic books, especially in the pop culture landscape of American superhero comics.
It used to be that our brave, square jawed American heroes got their start fighting the vile Nazis from the late 1930’s to the mid 1940’s, then they moved on to the ideological struggle with the vile Commies from the 1950’s until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and now they fight the vile One Percent and the forces of institutionalized oppression.
If there’s one takeaway from all of this, it’s that superhero stories are at their best when they have a distinct enemy to fight, and whenever the popular imagination finds a new enemy on which to imprint all of their fears and worries the transition can be a bit…jarring.
While the best example of this is probably a hero like Captain America, it’s a struggle that’s on full display in “Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova” #1
Written by Devin GraysonCover by: Mike McKone and Chris O’ Halloran
Illustrated by Michele Bandini
Colored by Erick Arciniega
Lettered by VC’s Cory Petit
Devin Grayson, one of the creators of Yelena Belova – the Red Room recruit who once nearly killed Natasha Romanoff – returns with a brand-new story drawn by rising star Michele Bandini! Yelena has spent years trying to figure out who she is. Once she thought the Black Widow mantle was her destiny, but fate had other plans. Now the past is catching up with her – and with Alexi Shostakov, a.k.a. the Red Guardian! Alexi has worn many titles, including husband to Natasha, but while the Widow played her avenging games, the Red Guardian waited in the shadows. Now a new day is dawning – and this time, no one will stand in his way.
“Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova” #1 is a direct, simple story following two supporting cast members of Black Widow’s world of spies, extra governmental shadow dealings, and very questionable morality. Since S.H.I.E.L.D is now gone (for now) there has been a bit of a rush by people in the know to swoop in and buy all the former assets, locations, and hardware that is remotely valuable and isn’t nailed down. The story follows former Russian spy, and ex Black Widow agent, Yelena Belova hiring herself out as a mercenary for the rich and powerful who want a piece of the S.H.I.E.L.D pie. Unfortunately for those people, Yelena seems to have different plans.
Devin Grayson is the writer on “Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova” #1 and if there’s one thing she absolutely nails, it’s the low key nature of the action and the moral complexity of Black Widow’s world. The comic excels at being a high octane story with relatively limited stakes, and it’s not hard to see it wind up on some sort of classified brief that will only be read by a handful of people. On top of that, Grayson also demonstrates a keen grasp of the moral gymnastics that the characters have to grapple with on a daily basis. Yelena is a character who is very much a product of an old system of thought and personal politics that doesn’t really exist anymore, and applying those politics to a rapidly changing modern world creates a very interesting character dynamic and great personal tension.
If the writing has a flaw it’s in some of the mechanics and pacing of the story. Grayson gives Yelena a very active internal monologue that does a good job of revealing character traits, the problem is that it’s written in a way that feels like how an American would write a stereotypical Russian trying to speak English, which makes the captions a bit difficult to read and kills the flow of the story. As for the pacing, “Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova” #1 dedicates most of its space to a massive action scene that’s good, but doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for a good finale. All this comes together in a comic that does a good job of telling a story and laying the foundation for future issues, but makes certain parts of the story feel cheap and rushed.
Continued belowThe artwork and colors of “Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova” #1 is provided by Michele Bandini and Erick Arciniega and can be described as simple, but effective. Bandini’s pencils bring modern sensibilities to things like anatomy and costume design, but the lack of facial features and big eyes show a bit of manga influence. It’s also a very character focused book and as a result the backgrounds are somewhat lacking. Instead, the action heavy scenes rely on swaths of Arciniega’s color to enhance the mood and feel of the fighting.
Speaking of the action, it’s a highlight of the book and a lot of fun. Bandini has a keen grasp of anatomy and how the human body moves and works, which makes the whole thing look and feel believable and visceral. There are some hiccups, some of the pages feel like there could have been more panels showing how the characters move from one place to another and every now and then Bandini loses her sense of the action’s geography, but it’s still very stylish and engaging to read.
“Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova” #1 is a good start to a series that has the potential to be very interesting and while it falls back on some tired stereotypes, it’s still an engaging character study with good action.
Final Verdict: 7.7- A relatively low stakes super spy thriller who’s flaws are mostly negated by solid action and great character work.
