Black Widow: 3 comics to read if you want more Yelena Belova
By Scott Brown
2. Black Widow: Breakdown
What do you get if you throw two different Black Widows into the film Face/Off? You get Breakdown, that’s what you get. The direct follow-up to The Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and the second of three arcs in the Marvel Knights: Black Widow stories, this arc is co-written by Devin Grayson and Greg Rucka with art by Scott Hampton and it acts as yet another fun, yet incredibly dark at times, Black Widow series and, like The Itsy-Bitsy Spider, it is also three issues which makes it a quick, yet very engaging read throughout.
As already mentioned, this is basically a story where Yelena and Natasha switch identities, which ends up being just as great as it sounds. The painted art creates a great, mysterious aura that just draws you into the story and brings about just the right tone that the story needs. It’s a ridiculous story that is grounded within reality and this is something that the art conveys incredibly well. In all reality, this story might not work without Hampton’s art, so thankfully it’s present.
And, for fans of Daredevil, he, through his relationship with Natasha, is used very well in this story as well. He’s very much a supporting character, but he’s a nice addition to the cast that helps provide a moral footing in a world completely painted in grays.