Clint is accused of murdering a Russian minister! Can Natasha find him before assassins kill him? Find out in Black Widow and Hawkeye #1 by Marvel Comics!
BLACK WIDOW AND HAWKEYE #1
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Paolo Villanelli
Colorist: Mattia Iacono
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Editor: Alanna Smith
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: March 13th, 2024
Previously in Black Widow and Hawkeye: Black Widow is a superspy who worked for SHIELD and the Avengers. Hawkeye is an archer who worked as a villain, SHIELD agent, and avenger. Black Widow and Hawkeye have consistently had each other’s backs as villains and heroes. Now, Black Widow has a symbiote companion, and who knows what Hawkeye is up to?
Black Widow and Hawkeye #1 starts with an engaging fight between Black Widow, who uses her symbiote spiders, and Mikhail, an assassin going after Hawkeye. After this encounter, we find out that Hawkeye allegedly killed a Russian minister. Before finding Mikhail, Natasha meets with Bobbi Morse, also known as Mockingbird, and gets a lead while Hawkeye is fighting off assassin after assassin. In one encounter, Hawkeye gets caught in an explosion. When he wakes up, he is in an ambulance in Madripoor. His ambulance is attacked by another assassin, but he is saved by Black Widow, who manages to catch up. When they get a chance to talk, Hawkeye expresses frustration in their relationship and admits that he actually did kill the Russian minister!
I think this duo is a character I like in theory, but I struggled to get through this book in practice. I wanted some things when I initially picked up Black Widow and Hawkeye #1. I wanted one of them to be on the run and need a save, and I wanted a weird tension between the two characters. Plot-wise, I got the first thing, but the second part felt short. And I wasn’t aware of the symbiote storyline, which felt a little jarring for the book’s tone. My assassin/spy book suddenly had tiny spiders and a venom-esque suit rather than the classic Widow’s String, which I think is iconic with the character. Symbiotes don’t gel with the spy storyline yet, which made the comic lack balance.
The art was well-drawn and colored, and there were some unique outfit designs from main characters and background characters alike, but some of the facial expressions felt a little flat at times. However, watching the backgrounds was entertaining and added great detail to the story. Good work here.
This can be a classic Black Widow and Hawkeye story, but it doesn’t tickle my fancy for some reason. I want to see more spy work and more chemistry between the characters, which is missing for me. Maybe I don’t love these characters as much as I thought, or perhaps I have a misconception about the characters’ themes. I think the creative team did an excellent job with the parameters they were given, but I don’t think I will continue with this story. Black Widow and Hawkeye #1 get a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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Black Widow and Hawkeye #1
Black Widow and Hawkeye #1 had an excellent premise but did not focus on what I wanted as a reader.
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Writing6
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Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com
1 Comment
I just could not get into this book. What makes these heroes so interesting is their lack of powers, so it’s just odd that BW is bonded with a Venom symbiote. I can’t get into Hawkeye’s characterization either, it’s like they don’t know who they want these characters to be. Great idea for a title, I just don’t know if this is going to work.