Black Widow #9 Review


Can Black Widow tell Friend from Foe? Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

“FRIEND FROM FOE.” In the pursuit of XAOC, Black Widow finds THE PUNISHER! And they are trapped on an abandoned oil tanker rigged to explode with CROSSBONES and his SKULL SQUAD! Don’t miss the other side of this action-packed crossover event in THE PUNISHER #9!

BWIDOW2014009-int-LR2-2-7e865Black Widow joins Punisher in a crossover dubbed Friend from Foe, with this issue mirroring the events of The Punisher #9 (and visa versa). Though the format in which this story has been told has left me on the fence slightly, one thing I can say is that it’s a fantastic one off event for both characters.

Nathan Edmondson has been killing it on both this series and the The Punisher, as though not always the best on the shelf, it’s creative uniqueness makes them the series’ I look forward to most from Marvel. As I stated in my The Punisher #9 review, I did find the format slightly questionable, with the same story from two different viewpoints feeling slightly wasteful. On the other hand the fact we got to see what Black Widow was getting up to whilst Punisher was readying the Helo, giving a more defining vibe to the event. In addition to this it moved Black Widow’s story forward brilliantly, with the epilogue being very teasing.

Phil Noto always amazes me with his wonderful artwork, and though there were a few rough points throughout this issue, it continues to do so here. Despite giving a wonderful look to Widow as a character, Noto also manages to give a intense and explosive vibe to the story. He also manages to do justice to the Punisher as though much like I prefer Noto’s art on Widow I still prefer Mitch Gerads‘ work on Punisher. Despite this I wasn’t a fan of Noto’s take on Crossbones, with his head feeling too thin, being kind of cyborg like.

Black Widow continues to be an entertaining read, as though I look forward to delving into the future of her own story, this Friend from Foe crossover was very captivating. Recommended.

OUR RATING
7
  • + Black Widow and Punisher… 'nuff said!
  • + Nathan Edmondson caters for fans of both series.
  • + Phil Not delivers beautiful artwork like normal.
  • - Format was a little questionable.

S#!T Talking Central