Marvel had itself quite the impressive week between the Devil’s Reign finale and the best issue of the ongoing Moon Knight series yet. But the nod has to go to a different Marvel title that came to an end this week with it’s 15th issue: Black Widow
Marvel Comics
Written by: Kelly Thompson
Pencils by: Elena Cassagrande & Rafael T. Pimental
Inks by: Elisabetta D’Amico & Rafael T. Pimental
Colors by: Jordie Bellaire
Letters by: VC’s Clayton Coles & Cory Petit
From Adam Hughes’ first cover to the final page of Black Widow #15, this has been an awesome series. I gave it a shot after it won the 2021 Eisner for Best New Series in a year where there was some very tough competition from the independent and creator-owned sector. And as much as this had a good ending, I wish Kelly Thompson, Elena Cassagrande, Elisabetta D’Amico and Jordie Bellaire were staying with the character.
Thompson maintained a perfect tempo from start to finish. Things moved when the spy/action stuff happened, and she slowed things down just enough when working through Nat’s trauma — which was a whole other thing. Thompson added a new layer to a character, giving her something she now holds dear after spending her whole life largely operating alone (outside of team-ups). All the while, Black Widow only became more badass.
And part of that was also due to the art. Cassagrande and D’Amico put together some wild action sequences with Widow — the panel-less pages being my favorite. All the while, Bellaire continued to remind everyone who the best colorist in the game is by playing a big part in moving the story in and out of those spy/action moments.
This final issue encapsulated a lot of what happened with this series. This group could certainly do more with the characters, but it’s easy to understand the decision to go out on a high note.
Honorable Mention: Devil’s Reign #6 – Alice Ever After #1 – Moon Knight #10
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