Absolute Comics 2019
Created by Jamie Tyndall & Benny Powell
Written & Lettered by Benny R. Powell
Illustrated by Iwan Nazif
Coloured by James Brown
White Widow must infiltrate The Group, the organization responsible for her father's death and mother's disappearance, to find answers. But will she survive the deadly masquerade ball she will attend to do so? Special appearance by Duel Identity's Andromeda!
I keep getting more and more impressed with each issue that comes out. Benny is doing a phenomenal job with the writing of this book and I like how we see all of this progressing. The fact that we seem to be taking our time with how all this is going is absolutely fantastic! There really is no need to rush here at all and I like how we are seeing Gabrielle needing the time to adjust to her new life. Her natural instincts take her so far and with the DNA splice she gains a few things that she shares with an arachnid. Add in the nanotechnology and well you've got something else altogether so it's no wonder why The Group wants her and wants to know what makes her so special.
The story & plot development here with how the book is structured and how we see the sequence of events unfold is extremely well done. How information is being released is great to see and there are times I like that we know more than Gabby does but then again I would like to find out alongside her at times as well. This leads into the character development we see here. I like how we know kind of who they are and who they are becoming because of the situations they find themselves in. the way people react is what really influences who they are from moment to moment and we see that happening here beautifully. With the pacing in play we see the twists & turns coming about and maybe a revelation or two of which conspire to create this ebb & flow to the story that's amazingly fun to see.
Honestly I was a bit sceptical about this when I first saw it but it's proving way beyond a shadow of a doubt to be one of the most legitimate super-heroine books currently being written. Yes there is violence and death but ya know that's what makes it all that much real. This isn't a world where dying means nothing and that actions of someone in a costume have consequences so yeah I am totally into what this is becoming.
The interiors here are so utterly gorgeous. The linework is so clean sharp and tight and how we see the varying weights being utilised in bringing out the attention to detail is amazingly well done. I love how we see the characters, the different body types and ethnicity of the characters is sensational and make it again more realistic. The composition inside the panels oh my god is so strongly done and it shows us not only the importance of backgrounds but also it shows depth perception and scale as well as enhancing the moments. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such an amazing eye for storytelling. The colour work here is just as impressive. The way we see the base colour and the hues and tones within that utilised to create the shading and shadows.
I have one observation regarding Sloan. She's a cold hearted snake that's easy to see but she's built like a man and I wonder if that's on purpose. She registers feminine but seeing her at the gala that was a man's face and shoulders. It is just something I noticed and I'm all for her being trans if that's the case but it is just something I saw. The storytelling combined with the interiors here are bloody brilliant to see on the pages. If you want a misunderstood heroine learning to be comfortable with who she is than you need this in your life!