So, remember all that stuff I said in my review for Volume 1? About how awesome it was that you didn’t really have to know anything about the character going in, and that the story was totally self-contained? Forget all that. This volume was basically the opposite of that.
The story starts with a brief flashback – a generic “years ago” in San Francisco – where our fearless Black Widow meets with Daredevil for a quick chat about right and wrong. Why is Daredevil not in Hell’s Kitchen? What is the history between Natasha Romanoff and Matt Murdock? Absolutely no idea. But an assignment brings Natasha back in San Fran as she attempts to outsmart some counterterrorists. Yup, attempts. As in, this book is still serving me a Black Widow that is 3 steps behind the bad guys, and I do NOT care for it. *stomps foot* Anyways, we get another meet-cute with Daredevil, who can no longer tell when Nat is lying, catch-up with Nat’s lawyer Isaiah, and c’est tout. We jump right into the next issue: Black Widow on a mission in a foreign country, things go sideways, she meets up with another Marvel hero. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I know, it sounds like I’m being really harsh on this book, and I DID actually enjoy it. Really! But it just felt like a bit of a let-down after the awesomeness of the first volume. So. Many. Characters. Throughout the 6 issues, Natasha either works with, runs into, or faces: the Winter Soldier (albeit a less sad version), Crossbones, the Punisher, Hawkeye, and X-23. We also get an interlude in the form of Punisher (2014) #9, which is the exact same story as Black Widow #9, but told through Frank Castle’s point of view. The last issue is the most crowded, with appearances from ALL the Avengers – some of whom I did not even know were part of the team – but I thought it was the most engrossing story, and it ends with one hell of a cliff-hanger.
So, obviously, I enjoyed this volume less than the previous one. The art is still beautifully done, the watercolour-like illustrations still perfectly suited to the story. In fact, I was so wrapped up in the dreamy art, it was jarring to flip to the more classic style used in the Punisher story included in this volume. The writing was still good, but I found it hard to become as engrossed in the story with all the random characters popping up all over the place. I’m not up-to-date with the Marvel universe, so there was extra confusion and spoilers for a number of characters. I understand that this whole book is basically just a set up for the third and final volume in this series, but I still wanted a bit more story as opposed to clues and hints about the all-knowing Big Bad. I guess there is something to be said for the fact that I still don’t really have any idea what is going on, who is pulling the strings, or why “Chaos” is gunning so hard for Natasha. I’m definitely still invested in the story, and I want to see how it all comes together, but it would have been nice to have more focus on the kickass Black Window, as opposed to shout-outs to so many randos. I must say that the events of the last issue make for an excellent set-up for the final volume, and that ending was an incredible hook. I just don’t know how my beloved Black Widow is going to get out of this one…
