Hawkeye The Marksman Day!

"Dashing" Don Heck was born on this day in 1929. Heck was a key artist in Marvel's early days, and he co-created many of their stars including the focus of today's Dojo celebration -- Hawkeye the Marksman. 

When I first tumbled onto the Avengers there were only three members, Goliath, the Wasp and the outstanding Hawkeye the Marksman. Hawkeye is the ultimate no-powers hero, hanging and banging with the big boys against mighty menaces armed with only his arrows, his savage wit, and his unblinking courage. Hawkeye was created by Larry Lieber and artist Don Heck in the pages of Tales of Suspense. 

He was at first meant to be an antagonist for Shellhead, led astray by the comely Black Widow. But he comes to his senses and his inducted into the Avengers where he serves off and on for decades, even going on to spearhead the West Coast branch of that operation. 

Hawkeye, revealed to be a man named Clint Barton after I started reading about him, could be an asshole for certain. He was difficult to manage as a part of the team when the fighting was not on, but fiercely loyal when that loyalty had been earned. I even liked the period of time when he wasn't Hawkeye but became Goliath. He eventually returned to his best self, but always he was Clint Barton.

It's too bad they gave much of his tempestuous but witty personality to Tony Stark when they made the movies, because think how popular he'd be if he could be himself on the big screen.

It's actually the second time Hawkeye's fiery nature was ripped off, the first was when DC updated their own bowman Green Arrow long ago.

Clint had identity problems for a while. Becoming Goliath for a while helped him feel he mattered but then he returned to his archer roots. Don Heck is the only artist who made this outfit look good. But soon he'd be back in his vintage togs. 

It took Hawkeye years and years to get his own series and to become what I always knew was his first best mission, the leader of the Avengers. When he married Mockingbird, he became even more of a favorite.  I've always liked Hawkeye, or should I say I've always liked the rambunctious Clint Barton. 

Special Note: Look for many more of these one-day celebrations as 2025 tumbles along. 

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Black Widow - The Portfolio!

In 1982 two things were incredibly popular -- art portfolios and artist Paul Gulacy. These two things come together magnificently in Black Widow, a portfolio in which Gulacy gives us a simply gorgeous Natasha Romanoff, the sleek and deadly Soviet defector who is reputed by some to be the greatest spy in the world. After looking at the six plates below in addition to the handsome cover above, I'm too breathless to disagree. 

Plate One

Plate Two

Plate Three

Plate Four

Plate Five

Plate Six

What do you think? I thought so. That's a wrap to the Black Widow material this month. I've had a blast reading nearly four decades of comic stories featuring the delightful Ms. Romanoff. We've seen her as villain, victim, superhero, spy, lover, but most of all as a survivor, the ultimate survivor in the Marvel Universe. Her death in the Marvel films was for me the emotional highlight, more poignant than even that of Tony Stark, because like her life, her sacrifice was in secret, but a secret that saved the world and more. Magnificent! 

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Black Widow - The Movie!

Black Widow the movie is a strange story in many ways because we already know the fate of the main character the Black Widow from Avengers: Endgame. This is a story which precedes the events of Avengers: Infinity War. We finally get the details (to some extent) of the "red" which is in the Widow's "ledger", the things she's done which motivate her to effectively sacrifice her life to battle alongside the Avengers to save the world. 

The story begins in these United States (circa 1995) and we meet Natasha's "family". They are actually Russian spies who pretend to be a family to aid their espionage. But Natasha and her little "sister" Yelena (Florence Pugh) are so young that the three of normal family (more or less) they have in Ohio undercover seems real to them, it becomes for them the family they never had in any other way. Natasha's "Mother" Melena (Rachel Weisz) is "Black Widow" too and her "father" Akexi is the Red Guardian (David Harbour), Russia's only super-soldier. 

The story then jumps forward in time to just after Captain America: Civil War when the Widow is a fugitive from SHIELD and most everyone else. We find that the Black Widows operate out of the "Red Room" which is operated by the cruel Dreykov (Ray Winstone) who uses a masked operative named Taskmaster to help him hunt down folks who get in his way. The Widows are now controlled with a chemical which makes it impossible for them to disobey. Natashas and her sister Yelena fight to free their sister Widows of this dreadful regime. 

The action in this movie is typically hyperbolic, with impossible stunts becoming commonplace. It's exciting and as usual the creators hope the high-speed of the film will let most of this impossible action slide through the audience's credibility filters, and for the most part it does. But the finale battle in the air seemed a step too far for me, since as far as I know the Widow does not have superpowers really, merely exquisite training. It is nonetheless a kinetic joyride, typical of the Marvel movies and the story is possessed of sufficient heart to make a sentimental joker like me care a bunch. 

All in all, Black Widow is a dandy movie. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Highly recommended. Scarlett Johanson has created a fascinating character and she herself will be missed. As for the ending we all knew must come, all I can say is the Black Widow is dead, long live the Black Widow. 

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Black Widow - The Coldest War!

Black Widow -The Coldest War gathers together some of the Black Widow's best adventures including her rousing four-parter from Marvel Fanfare as well as the definitive effort in Bizarre Adventures. We have team-ups with the Punisher, Daredevil, and Nick Fury in high-profile longer-from adventures. And there's a graphic novel drawn by George Freeman which is arguably the Widow's finest hour. Outside of her adventures in the pages of the regular Daredevil comic and the Avengers most of the Black Widow's high-profile adventures from the 80's and 90's are here. 

 

This issue of Bizarre Adventures features on of the Black Widow's finest solo efforts. Drawn by Paul Gulacy, the Widow never looked sexier than she does here in a taught tale of espionage by Ralph Macchio. Gulacy pulls out all the stops and true to form, many of the characters look familiar to film buffs. More on Paul Gulacy later. 

The Black Widow really is lifted out of the mundane with this four-part adventure in Marvel Fanfare. One of the highlights of his series which featured some fantastic work, this is the swan song for Natasha's sleek black tights before she got a redesign from Frank Miller in Daredevil. This story picks up a plot thread from the end of the Champions series and has the Black Widow penetrate her old homeland looking for her friend and mentor Ivan. She must battle some distinctive assassins such as Iron Maiden and a deadly chick named Snapdragon but she overcomes as we knew she would to save her friend. It turns out an old enemy from her Daredevil days is behind this scheme. George Perez drew this awesome outing with inks by the likes of Brett Breeding, John Beatty, Joe Sinnott and Jack Abel. The latter two under a joint pseudonym "Sinnabel". Luke McDonnel draws one chapter in this Ralph Macchio tale recounting much of the Widow's history for newcomers. 

I really liked Solo Avengers, the split book that gave Hawkeye a permanent residence while giving other Avengers a shot at going it alone. In the story in this issue starring the Black Widow we are treated to some of Butch Guice's great work, It's a story which is surprisingly deep given its brevity and has the widow head back to Soviet territory to make some amends. 

The Black Widow - The Coldest War gives the collection its title and is a bonafide graphic novel in the classic Marvel style of the 80's. I am an enormous fan of artist George Freeman and it was a treat to enjoy his art on this Gerry Conway yarn which does a first-rate job of capturing that espionage feel of games-within-games. There is a cattle call of inkers on this giving the book an odd feel at times but I loved reading his story which did an excellent job of retelling the Widow's story while at the same time setting up a new and successfully emotional conflict for her. The Widow in his story as rendered Freeman is a hard looking woman, with edges where other artists drew curves. It's an interesting interpretation. 

The Doomsday's Web is a disappointment. I wanted to like this more than I did. The fact is as much as I like the Widow and the Punishers the artwork in this one by Larry Stroman is a chore to decode. I was constantly having to recheck pages to try to clarify what was going on. D.G. Chichester seems to want to write an action movie here and there is a nice propulsion in places but the lack of clarity in the art really cut against this story about a madman trying to drop a nuke on half the world. 

"Abattoir" is a gritty tale from Jim Starlin and artist Joe Chiodo. The Black Widow teams up with old partner Daredevil to discover why perhaps as many as fifty telepaths have disappeared and are likely murdered. The art in this one is lush and as beautiful as the subject matter is ugly. 

In Marvel Comics Presents we get a tiny Widow tale in which she follows a lethal trail to uncover a secret murderer with a very specific motive. The art in this one is pretty unimpressive and as short as this yarn is, it's still hard to follow. 

The art is only a little bit better in a Black Widow story which appeared in the back pages of Daredevil Annual #10. Matt Murdock is presumed dead, but the Widow needs to know more and digs deeply until she uncovers an old enemy who wants her dead as well. Writers keep retconning more and more information about how the Widow left the defunct Soviet Union, and the constant introduction of new personalities grows tiresome. 

From 1995 we get Death Duty, a story which features art by Charlie Adlard, famous of course for his work on The Walking Dead. Alas his work here is stylish and atmospheric, but all too often fails to be clear enough to understand what is happening at all times. Characters are not drawn with sufficient distinction to be able even to know who is who, even at critical junctures. I'm a fan of Night Raven, the vintage British character by David Lloyd who serves as something of an artistic precursor to V for Vendetta, but I had a difficult time grokking all that went on in his long story. Either I'm dense (a definite possibility) or I missed something. I really wanted to like this one more. 

Despite that regrettable Image-inspired 90's art style, I liked "Web of Intrigue" from three issues of the revived Journey Into Mystery much better. Randy Green is the artist, and the writer Scott Lobdell creates a fascinating year which uses limited perspective superbly. The Widow is showcased and there's lots of great action. This is a confident Black Widow and very much the one I know from the later movies. 

This collection wraps up as it began with work by Paul Gulacy. Gulacy produced an exceedingly handsome portfolio featuring The Black Widow in 1982. All the plates are here, and I will have more to say on this later. This is a collection that spans seventeen years, and it offers up a lot of different styles of art and storytelling. Some of the greatest Black Widow stories are here, but some lesser ones as well. Not a surprise that, but despite its flaws this is a truly fascinating Epic collection and recommended. 

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Black Widow - Marvel Team-Up!

There were times when Marvel Team-Up was my favorite Spider-Man title. Many of those times were when his co-star was the Black Widow. But it was not limited to MTU, the Widow made guest-star appearances in many comics over the years and the collection Black Widow Marvel Team-Up gathers most of the classic ones together into a very handsome and readable volume. 

The first story is from Marvel Two-In-One ten in which the Widow works with the Thing to stop a world threat. It's the usual superhero shenanigans but it turns out this adventure in which she worked without Daredevil by her side was instrumental in helping her decide to finally break off their partnership and strike out again on her own. 

She first teamed up with Spidey in Marvel Team-Up with the fifty-seventh issue in which she and the Web-Slinger come up against the nigh unstoppable Silver Samurai. The Samurai had only just been introduced in the pages of Daredevil as an ally of the Mandrill and here he is working for powers unidentified to gather some strange object. But while he's doing it he nearly wrecks a building and nearly kills our heroes before they drop him. 

Later we get one of the real highlights of Marvel Team-Up's long run when Spidey and the Widow are together again. This time she has suffered some sort of amnesia and thinks she's a teacher named "Nancy Rushman". But that doesn't explain the Widow costume in her purse nor the SHIELD agents intent on killing her. 

SHIELD seems to be fighting itself as Nick Fury tries to find out why his agents have turned against their oaths and his leadership. The Widow is still suffering from bouts of amnesia but her fighting skills sill respond to danger, and she, Spidey and Fury battle against the Boomerang and the Silver Samurai. The big boss though is the murderous Viper, once known as Lady Hydra. 

Shang-Chi joins the battle as the quartet try to invade the SHIELD helicarrier and prevent Viper's plot to attack Washington and kill the President and all the other elected leaders of the United States. The battle is furious and slowly the Widow's old personality and skills reassert themselves. 

It's a wild finale and I won't spoil it, save to say that this four-parter by Chris Claremont and artists Sal Buscema and Steve Leiloha was a real highlight of the entire Marvel Team-Up run. 

Will Meugnoit, an artist in the "Good Girl" tradition gets a chance to draw the Widow in this nifty little adventure which has Spidey and her battle the obnoxious Owl. As always he's seeking revenge for his past defeats. The plot is from Marv Wolfman and the script is supplied by Roger McKenzie. 

Next up is a significant two-parter in which both Daredevil and the Widow join forces to help Spider-Man delve into the mystery of a murdered Pawn shop owner. In the first part featuring art by Ron Frenz Spidey and the Black Widow look into a street gang and seemingly solve the case before Spidey pops into a weird machine to disappear from NYC to fight the Secret Wars. DD takes over the lead when in the next issue Spidey is gone. The Widow sporting her short hair and new gray costume (thanks to Frank Miller fashions) is along for the ride in both issues. The new black-suited Spidey returns to wrap up the case. Bill Mantlo and Ron Frenz handle the first part while Tom DeFalco, Jim Owsley and Greg Laroque and Mike Esposito wrap it up in the second half. 

Sadly this collection closes out with three Black Widow stories from various issues of the weekly Marvel Comics Presents. The first is from issue eighty-three and has the Widow and Silve Sable on the prowl for the same culprit. The only thing to recommened about this blip of a story is the surprisingly attractive Rob Liefeld artwork. Fabian Nicieza supplies what little script there is. 

Form the seventieth issue we get a somewhat more substantive story in which the Widow has a small reunion with Darkstar, who now works for her Russian homeland. The madman The Presence sends his slave/mate Starlight (also called Red Guardian in this story) to collect these two for his impromptu harem of the flower of Russian womanhood. This despite the fact that  Darkstar might be his daughter. The story ends with Starlight failing her mission and thank goodness. The art for this one is a neat but uninspiring effort by Larry Alexander. 

This small but entertaining collection wraps up with a small story from Marvel Comics Presents issue ninety-three in a story written by Dan Slott and drawn by the late Dwayne Turner, in which the Widow teams up again with Daredevil and the two bring down some Hydra terrorists and defuse their bomb. They seem intent on doing the hard way. This story and the other MCP is less than impressive. Dwayne Turner's art always left me a bit disinterested I'm sad to say. I know he has his fans. 

The highlight of this collection is the four-part Marvel Team-Up tale with some of Sal Buscema's best work as inked by Steve Lehiloa. It was a highlight of the MTU run and for the Widow as well. More Black Widow tomorrow. 

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