THE WIDOW PART 4 Who is behind the assassination attempts against the Widow?
Theres humour in this issue (Matts attempted 911 calls, Howard youll know it when you read it and Furys threat concerning J. Jonah Jameson are all great comic comic moments), theres some exciting Hollywood action and great dialogue, and theres also a real sense of maturity and heart on display nowhere more clearly than the double-whammy of Natashas autumnal farewell and the cold, rainy encounter with Milla at the issues end. Its ongoing story strands like this which have served Bendis so well, and its good to see him taking time to address them in a very realistic and logical way, being emotional without ever needing to resort to slushiness. All in all, its a better-than-expected end to an average arc. Im looking forward to the Golden Age story which begins in issue #66, but before that well be treated to an all-star artist single-issue-extravaganza which should be fun, hopefully giving the creative team a breather so they can make the next big arc something real Read Full Review
Alex Maleev is a fantastic artist when it comes to capturing the dark mood of this book, as the art manages to perfectly present the hidden dangers that our characters face in this issue, from the wonderfully bit of deception as Natasha toys with Jigsaw's underlings, to the equally impressive scene where we watch the sniper target our heroes. There's also a nice little scene where Natasha confronts her ex-husband, and the encounter manages to deftly project the sense that Natasha is well in control of the situation. There's also a couple solid little moments like the murderous fury that we see in Jigsaw's eyes as Matt agrees to press charges against him, or Natasha's sudden shift from a formidable fighter into a distraught victim when the police arrive. The rain soaked final page meeting between Matt and his soon to be ex-wife was also well done, as Matt's reluctance to let go is nicely complemented by the weather. Read Full Review
Also interesting: Oh, yeah, Matt tries to patch it up with Milla, and Madame Hydra gets released. Theres a lot going on for one issue, but most of it involves Matt mopping up after the duplicity of his own double-identity. If only he were honest about all his lies and deceptions like Tasha, right? We know, Bendis, we know. Read Full Review
A fairly good ending to what has been a less-than-extraordinary storyarc. Murdock's desperate attempts to reach the police and Widow's antics in the shower were fun, but the arc should have only been three parts; four is a bit much. And that cover is such a blatant Jennifer Garner/Alias pose rip-off it's not even funny. Read Full Review
Bendis and Maleev routinely turn out excellent stories about the Man Without Fear. When the standard is excellence, however, very good represents a step down and a disappointment. Read Full Review
Great issue