Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Elena Casagrande, Jordie Bellaire, and VC’s Cory Petit
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 7, 2020

I loved the first issue of Black Widow. I am a fan of the character and am intrigued by the mystery that Kelly Thompson has set up, mainly because of the little nuances that she threw in to show she knows the character. I also hope that we get some crazy stakeout humor from Bucky and Clint! So, did the second issue keep the trolley going? Let’s find out…

The issue opens with Clint and Bucky, hiding in the bushes, peeping in on Nat’s new life. Whether she is a willing participant is on everyone’s minds, including her two superhero friends, and when she goes off to work on her new motorcycle, Clint happens to be walking by.

There are so many questions about what is going on with Natasha, but her not knowing Clint is huge. I am not sure why she doesn’t think he is some creeper casing the joint, but I liked the conversation for its awkwardness, especially from Clint. I wish we saw a bit of Bucky back in the bushes while this was going on, though!

While this is going down, I started to get nervous that Natasha’s fiance would show up. Is he in on the mind wipe? I mean, he has to be, right? So, I expected a scene straight out of Total Recall, but instead, Thompson throws a massive curveball at the reader. Natasha’s baby son (with Jeffery Landshark Pjs) walks into the garage. We don’t get a full disclosure here, but he looks just like her, even though the timeframe does not compute. A clone? A robot? A cutie-pie in cool pajamas?

All of this starts the wheels turning, not just with myself, but for Clint as well. Natasha seems so happy. Who are they to take it all away from her? They’re her friends, dammit and friends always fuck shit up for each other! Also, this involves Arcade and some shadowy cabal up to no good.

The issue continues with Arcade getting increasingly mad at not being allowed to kill people, a babysitter that seems familiar, and a night out that ends up with the classic mindwiped spy trope. When a woman is attacked, Nat jumps in to save the day by kicking ass, taking names, and possibly staring at her hands in confusion afterward. I expected her to look confused at her hands afterward, but that is saved for the cliffhanger after she goes all McGyver meets Beautiful Mind and makes a bomb in the garage. Yep, Kelly Thompson ends with the old making a bomb in the garage bit, and I loved it!

I like this book a whole lot! I wonder where we will go once we find out and solve the mindwipe mystery because this feels more like a mini than an ongoing right now, but I am enjoying the ride. Elena Casagrande was a great choice on art and makes everything in the issue look fantastic.

Final Thoughts:

Kelly Thompson continues the mystery of what the hell happened to Natasha, and I am enjoying it. Elena Casagrande’s art is excellent, and the story is shaping up to not only be about saving Black Widow but deciding if she should be saved at all.

8.0/10