The Not So Simple Life — Reviewing ‘White Widow’ #1

Born of the Red Room. Entangled with a Black Widow. Now is the time for the White Widow to live. Finally free from those that defined her path, can an assassin become something more?

Yelena Belova’s tale begins as White Widow #1 propels the character to all-new heights thanks to the team of Sarah Gailey, Alessandro Miracolo, Matt Milla, and Travis Lanham.

There was little doubt in my mind that I would be reading and reviewing this book when it was first announced. In fact, as soon as it was, I had an email in to my editors to snag this series alongside some others. Not only am I intrigued by the character and want to read more, but there is also no chance that I will miss a Gailey series. Then I saw preview pages of what Miracolo and Milla are doing, and I was sold even more, if that is even possible.

Gailey is not only a tremendous writer but a very kind person. Full disclosure, they reached out recently to feature some of my reviews through their newsletter. A truly generous move, and one that speaks to the relationship that creators and critics can have. Such a move does not interfere with my ability to look at this series objectively, though.

Some characters who have history are light enough to also be sort of a clean slate. Moldable to what a writer wants to do, but with plenty of background to build from. Yelena is one of those characters. A pretty decent-sized background, but a still somewhat recent addition to Marvel as a whole (1999 is considerably more recent compared to others). Exposure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has helped give her a bit of a push, and this creative team has pounced on that.

I really love what Miracolo is doing here artistically. I believe this would be the first time experiencing this artwork and I’m definitely keen to see plenty more. It’s that style that fits right into that sweet spot of being detailed and deep, but also light at the same time. Smooth and whimsical but with very sharp rough edges that make sure it has that overall rougher tone.

Panel choices are quite fun, doing one of the things I’m a big fan of, which is the utilization of the white/gutter space. Having panels floating around with that space as white borders, is a contrast to the elements being seen in the panels. Milla is offering up a color palette that is toned down/neutral in levels overall with plenty of darkness but also splashes of vibrancy. Yelena circles within the realm of costumed individuals but occupies a darker realm as a former assassin. A heavier hand with colorful fun splashes is exactly the right feeling for this character.

Especially with the route that Gailey is taking here, trying to build her own life and being pulled into things because of her vocational choices is fun. I love seeing spaces that are outside of NYC because it’s the space where basically everything goes down in Marvel. It allows Yelena far more room to grow and bounce around, as well as bring in this new threat and supporting cast.

I mentioned the paneling earlier and there are some really inspired choices happening here. One instance is a film reel-style border for flashbacks. I’m a real sucker for that sort of stuff. Same thing with the cutout section showing Yelena’s new home and the insets introducing the new characters, or the full page with the makeshift whiteboards full of loves, hates, and everything in between. Not only does it add some fun to stand alongside the serious, but it also showcases just how fun and varying comic books can and should be.

Much of this also allows for some variety in the lettering. Lanham hits all the right beats to allow personality and energy to flow through every single word. Bubble shapes and colors enhance moments and allow for tonal and volume changes to be quite clear. Not to mention captions and different box styles which give a bit of a pop. Especially dig the love/hate/dislike/like/neutral meters under some caption boxes, tying back to that whiteboard-style page I mentioned.

It’s such a smart inclusion of written Russian within some of the dialogue. Rather than just the usual brackets, it adds in more of the character’s background and origin with some visual spice.

Overall, everything here sets up a series that is not only fun and meaningful, adding some new pockets to the Marvel Universe, but character-rich. These are the types of stories that Marvel thrived on for decades, and it’s always a welcome sight to see more of these. Give me a solid intriguing supporting cast and space, and I’m sold on a series. The rest just take this treat and dress it up to be even sweeter and tastier.

White Widow #1 is now available from Marvel Comics.