RETRO REVIEW: Black Widow: No Restraints Play

Categories: Off the Presses|Published On: September 15, 2022|Views: 4|

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Marvel; $15.99

Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, was trained to kill. She was programed to do it. And for years she has been fighting that programing and those instincts as a heroine and member of SHIELD and the Avengers. But self-control becomes more challenging when she discovers something horrendous happening in the underworld of Madripoor. Specifically, that people – adults and children alike – are being kidnapped and tortured for the entertainment of rich viewers in an event called No Restraints Play.

This is a straightforward good versus evil narrative, with no ambiguity or sympathy for the antagonists, but that doesn’t mean it’s an uncomplicated story. The five-issue miniseries depicts Natasha’s struggle with violence and shows just how scary she can be through some unrelenting illustrations by Flaviano.

Black Widow: No Restraints Play was written by Jen and Sylvia Soska, the sister act horror movie writers-directors-producers known as the Twisted Twins. It definitely has their signatures with a shocking premise and their biting wit, however, given how graphic some of their movies are, the Soskas were probably given limitations. This keeps the book from pushing beyond the threshold for most comic readers, though some may still find it a bit extreme.

Speaking as a horror fan, it’d be interesting to see what the Twisted Twins would do with a Black Widow series designated for a mature audience.

Amanda Sheriff

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