Avengers Assemble #12
With a team up like Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Spider-Woman, it’s either going to go well, or horribly. Thankfully, with it’s bountiful options, Kelly Sue DeConnick plays it just right, balancing tension and light heartedness, as the three go to face ghosts of Natasha’s past.
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick | Artists: Pete Woods, Scott Hanna, & Rain Beredo
Cover: Nic Klein | Publisher: Marvel
A story that brings up Black Widow’s past has great potential, throw in Hawkeye and Spider-Woman for some added triangular tension, and it’s a recipe for greatness if balanced correctly. DeConnick though has proven that she’s a master at the craft and precariously balances the tension of these characters and history of not only their past but also of their relationship with one another that reading Avengers Assemble is an enjoyable breeze where nothing is over done.
Just the opening pages alone hook a reader in. The flashback to what brings Natasha to this predicament in the first place is so beautifully done—very fitting to Nat’s Russian spy days with the sepia colours and a narrative to compliment. It’s almost sad when a flip of the page takes you back to the present, but it’s okay, because the story isn’t lost.
Nat’s sent out markers to pay for some karmic debt that she’s in (what’s worrying- though not surprising is that the marker number we see is 82, while high, certainly isn’t the highest), and she’s been summoned in for an owed favour. Clint being the guy that he is can’t let her go on her own, and Jessica won’t let Clint be alone with Natasha, fair enough right. As a matter of fact, Jessica almost steals the show. She arguably has some of the best lines the issue, and her banter with Clint is great, classic couple who sound like they’ve been together too long and not even an attack of lizard people break their stride of dialogue. It’s the perfect counteract to the heaviness of what Black Widow has gotten herself into. We all know her past is pretty grimy, and the flashbacks, and even the glimpses of what’s actually happening on hand currently can get pretty nasty, pretty quickly, but they don’t let that happen. It’s what makes Avengers Assemble a fun read, you don’t get lost in the dark for too long, because that strong sense of team, whether friendship or romantic affiliation, even as a reader from the outside, The Avengers are right there to bring some light to it all.
I love where this arc is going, and I love that the focus is always with just a few members at a time. It’s going to be interesting to have these three have their shining moments coming up, it’s already so great having them team up.
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick | Artists: Pete Woods, Scott Hanna, & Rain Beredo
Cover: Nic Klein | Publisher: Marvel
A story that brings up Black Widow’s past has great potential, throw in Hawkeye and Spider-Woman for some added triangular tension, and it’s a recipe for greatness if balanced correctly. DeConnick though has proven that she’s a master at the craft and precariously balances the tension of these characters and history of not only their past but also of their relationship with one another that reading Avengers Assemble is an enjoyable breeze where nothing is over done.
Just the opening pages alone hook a reader in. The flashback to what brings Natasha to this predicament in the first place is so beautifully done—very fitting to Nat’s Russian spy days with the sepia colours and a narrative to compliment. It’s almost sad when a flip of the page takes you back to the present, but it’s okay, because the story isn’t lost.
Nat’s sent out markers to pay for some karmic debt that she’s in (what’s worrying- though not surprising is that the marker number we see is 82, while high, certainly isn’t the highest), and she’s been summoned in for an owed favour. Clint being the guy that he is can’t let her go on her own, and Jessica won’t let Clint be alone with Natasha, fair enough right. As a matter of fact, Jessica almost steals the show. She arguably has some of the best lines the issue, and her banter with Clint is great, classic couple who sound like they’ve been together too long and not even an attack of lizard people break their stride of dialogue. It’s the perfect counteract to the heaviness of what Black Widow has gotten herself into. We all know her past is pretty grimy, and the flashbacks, and even the glimpses of what’s actually happening on hand currently can get pretty nasty, pretty quickly, but they don’t let that happen. It’s what makes Avengers Assemble a fun read, you don’t get lost in the dark for too long, because that strong sense of team, whether friendship or romantic affiliation, even as a reader from the outside, The Avengers are right there to bring some light to it all.
I love where this arc is going, and I love that the focus is always with just a few members at a time. It’s going to be interesting to have these three have their shining moments coming up, it’s already so great having them team up.
A Look Inside
