While the long-awaited Black Widow solo Marvel Cinematic Universe film has had its theatrical release delayed by a full year, Marvel Entertainment is continuing to unveil a whole line of comic books starring Natasha Romanoff and her extensive supporting cast slated to appear prominently in the upcoming Marvel Studios film. The latest in this line is Widowmakers: Red Guardian & Yelena Belova #1, putting the two Russian superheroes in the spotlight as they embark on an impromptu team-up while Yelena attempts to discover who she really is. And while it's good to see co-creator Devin Grayson back to crafting new adventures for Yelena, the issue falls flat whenever it strays its focus from its clandestine protagonist.

This oversized one-shot special opens with Yelena Belova going through an identity crisis, trying to emerge from Natasha's shadow and her Red Room training to become her own woman. Accepting a secret mission to the antarctic, Yelena finds herself outnumber and outgunned as she ventures right into an apparent trap before the Red Guardian resurfaces to remind the lethal intelligence operative exactly what kind of woman she truly is as she contemplates if she was ever worthy enough to inherit the mantle of Black Widow.

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Grayson co-created Yelena with J.G. Jones in 1999, and the spy was trained to become Natasha's eventual successor by the Russian Red Room. As such, there is perhaps no greater authority on capturing the character's voice than Grayson and the writer takes the helm like no time has passed at all, especially pertinent since so much of the issue is spent in Yelena's head as she navigates her own existential crisis. The drawback is that means whenever the perspective shifts to the Red Guardian, the narrative stumbles. Fortunately, even though the Red Guardian gets top billing over Yelena in the title, this special really is a showcase Yelena, with the Red Guardian appearing in a more supporting capacity relatively late in the game. Fans of Alexei Shoshtakov will walk away disappointed but this issue is well worth the price of admission for those coming for Yelena.

Delivering the special's artwork is Michele Bandini, joined by Elisabetta D'Amico on ink assists and Erick Arciniega on colors. The art team does a great job on the issue's action set pieces and, fortunately, this special is packed with them and doesn't take too long to get to the first action sequence. The facial work is a little awkward and lacking definition in mid-range and distance panels but perfectly serviceable the panels feature close-ups. Just as Grayson knows to keep the narrative on the move with her scripting, the art team wisely follows this cue to make sure Yelena is always on the move and help draw readers in by hitting the ground running.

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While billed as a team-up between the Black Widow supporting characters, Widowmakers is really a not so secret character study of Yelena Belova as she examines her own role in the wider Marvel Universe. With that in mind, it works a hell of a lot better when that narrative and visual focus is squarely on the one-time Black Widow and is especially elevated once it kicks into high gear with its action set pieces. Devin Grayson's return to the character that she co-created is a welcome one but for readers hoping for something with more substantial, far-reaching impact than an introspective adventure, this special may not be the story they're quite looking for.

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