Title: Black Widow
Written by: Mark Waid
Art by: Chris Samnee
Published by: Marvel
Year: 2016

Chapter 2 of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s Black Widow run opens with the burial of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent while Black Widow is watching the assembled mourners through the viewfinder of a sniper rifle.

A new enemy called Platch Liev – the Weeping Lion – is targeting the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., Maria Hill. Unnoticed, Black Widow takes the assassins out one after the other until there is only one man left to question…

I enjoy reading Mark Waid’s stories. He has a way of capturing the reader in just a few panels. This chapter is set before the first one, so I guess we’ll have a little time-jumping in this series. The reason why Widow goes up against S.H.I.E.L.D. is explained, well, to some degree at least. I like the action scenes a lot. Seeing Widow in action is always a real treat.

Unfortunately, I still can’t get used to Chris Samnee’s art style. If it weren’t Phil Noto who he’s following, I guess it’d be a lot easier for me to adapt to the change. As it is, I still find it difficult to concentrate on the story and not on the drawings.

Don’t get me wrong, the art is beautiful. The panels are full of expression and movement, the characters are well defined… The colours fit wonderfully as well. It is simply a peronal adjustment that needs to take place after getting to know and love the Black Widow Phil Noto drew.

I will continue reading and I will get used to the art eventually. Until then, I will try to concentrate more on the story that is being told and less on the way the book looks. I think that’s a good way to go.

My Rating: 3/5