Under Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto Black Widow has been one of the most consistent comics Marvel has published. The latest story involving Black Widow getting tied up with an organization going by the name of Chaos has put a spotlight on who she really is. Will that spotlight continue to shine or will it dimly fade out? Find out with our review of Black Widow #18.
Creative Team
Writer: Nathan Edmondson
Artist: Phil Noto
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Review
Black Widow #18 puts a giant question mark on where Natasha Romanoff will go next. There is a lot of character work done in this issue by Nathan Edmondson as he closes this arc up involving the mysterious Chaos organization. It is a close that also reemphasized who Natasha is at her core.
With the opening of this issue Edmondson showed us that when push comes to shove Natasha’s survival instincts will always kick in. Natasha is a survivor and will do what is necessary to ensure that she does not go down without a fight. And this particular opening showed just how much trust Edmondson has in his artist to convey this by allowing Phil Noto’s artwork to take center stage during this moment.
Not having any sort of dialogue until the fourth page really allowed Noto’s artwork to shine as I was just paying attention to how much determination Natasha had in her eyes to swim out of the ice and take down The Prophet. I was glad that even after this action Edmondson did not try to force in some sort of catchphrase. Instead Natasha remained calm, like this was just another day at the job, and just moved forward without thinking.
The addition of Bucky Barnes being the one that picks Natasha up after her ordeal was a nice touch. Edmondson did a very good job using Bucky throughout this arc and there brief scene together also further re-enforced how Natasha isn’t looking to run away from her problems. It was a good way to transition into her decision to turn in her SHIELD badge to Maria Hill and say goodbye to Isaiah.
While all of this closure Edmondson made a good choice not to let Natasha shut her whole career down. Her exchange with the Avengers at the tower at least gave us an idea that Natasha’s next journey will be one that is unknown. Seeing how Natasha decided to finally have a relaxing boat ride with her cat was also a nice way to symbolize the unknown road that she will be taking after Secret Wars.
Overall: Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto continued to show us how much chemistry they have with the close of their latest arc. It’s that chemistry that made Black Widow #18 something I wanted to read multiple times, just to catch the little things they each did. With how many question marks they left in Natasha’s life with how things ended I am excited to see what they will do next with her.