Tales of Suspense: Red Ledger Review
When it comes to comics, one thing that has always been true is that if a popular character dies, they’ll be brought back not to far after. Such is the case with Black Widow’s death in Secret Empire, and now her return in Tales of Suspense. However, these stories are usually hated because the character’s return feels cheap or doesn’t make sense. But the writer of this arc, Matthew Rosenberg, clearly knows a thing or two about bringing a dead character back, seeing as he recently brought Jean Grey back to life in Phoenix Resurrection. So, does Black Widow’s return have both an interesting story as well as a believable way of bringing her back?
Story
This arc starts out as a mystery on if Black Widow is back, and we follow along with Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier, who have both dated Natasha. These two create a great dynamic duo, which I would leave to see more of. But the lead that they’re following is that many HYDRA agents are being killed, and Black Widow’s symbol is being left at the crimes. So, Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier decide to follow, seeing how Natasha could be alive, even though she so clearly died. How is she alive? Well, with the help of the Red Room and clones. How does that work? Well, go pick up Tales of Suspense and find out.
Presentation
The art in these five issues is great, and it shows off tons of different areas, and characters in a bunch of different outfits and scenarios. The art really accentuates every single thing, and you can almost feel the bad guys getting punched. It also indirectly talks about Hawkeye, Bucky, and Natasha, as we see them all acting and even standing differently even in similar scenarios.
Final Thoughts
This arc of Tales of Suspense is a perfect example of how to make something overdone, like bringing back dead characters, unique and interesting. The best thing by far is the chemistry between the two leads, Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier. They play off of each other so well, and all of their interactions leave you wanting another series with just them. The mystery of how Black Widow is back also helps add another engaging layer to the story, which keeps the readers guessing right up until the reveal. And the story only gets more interesting once Black Widow officially gets reintroduced. Plus, this arc had some of the funniest interactions, in both conversations and through the art.
