It’s rare to find a movie that is seemingly as self-aware of being awful as Sony’s Madame Web. I can’t confirm that cast and crew deliberately set out to make a bad B-movie but that’s really the only way that this film’s existence makes any sense. Its mind-blowing faults in every aspect of filmmaking presents an unapologetic dumpster fire to keep you guessing what bad decision, in front or behind the camera, will be made next.
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Closing out both the arc and the series, Black Widow #15 wraps up the “Die By the Blade” storyline as Natasha survives the Living Blade, thanks to some old friends, and gets her arm back, thanks to a new one. There’s plenty of action here even if the larger arc of the Living Blade feels cut short.
While not the run’s best issue, Black Widow #15 does offer a little bit of everything we’ve come to expect from the creative team including several of our heroes kicking ass while supporting their friend and more of Spider-Girl‘s wisecracking along the way (I’m pretty sure it’s Anya who I’ll miss most here). There are also a couple of surprises including the return of a recent foe whose own story looks far from finished. As for what’s next for Widow and the various members of her motley crew, well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
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After discovering the auction is for meta-humans, and that Lucy and Anya have been captured and are not part of the menu, Black Widow orders Yelena to finish the mission and get everyone out safely while she deals with the Living Blade. The parts of the issue not focused on Lucy and Anya making use of the twins to find their own escape, and Yelena scaring the shit out of all the guests to force them to leave, has Nat on the run learning what she can about the situation.
In a somewhat surprising turn, after it appears everyone is on their way to safety and the Living Blade poses no current threat, Black Widow reengages the assassin when she could flee to fight another day (with back-up, like say the Avengers) rather than pick a fight she knows she can’t win. The early results in their latest encounter don’t look good for our girl.
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Calling in a couple of friends in Bucky Barnes and Clint Baton, Natalie rounds up the girls and hits the Golden Gate Gala where she’s been told there’s information to be found and something far more nefarious underneath the upscale atmosphere. Ditching the party early, Lucy and Anya uncover a bizarre secret auction in the basement of the building before going silent leading to the Widows going to Plan B and taking a more direct approach to uncover just what the hell is going on.
There’s a lot of slow building set-up here, but eventually things get interesting. Although her Spidey-sense (so to speak) is aroused the entire evening, Black Widow is unprepared for what, or more precisely who, she finds. Whoever the Living Blade is, Natasha has tangled with him before (and he’s certainly made an impression).
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“I Am the Black Widow” concludes as Black Widow, Yelena, and Anya Corazon take on the super-powered Apogee and The Olio. Lucy, refusing to sit on the sidelines even knowing her powers could kill her at any moment, also jumps into the fray allowing the cure to be released (and leaving a whole bunch of ticked off individuals who aren’t too keen on suddenly loosing their super-powers). It’s a win, but not necessarily a clean with for our heroes leaving resentment and distrust in their wake.
As has been the trend with the comic, we also get another addition to Natasha’s team with the unexpected arrival of Kate Bishop providing some much-needed back-up.
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