Not a bad issue. I've always liked this early incarnation of Black Widow, torn between the Communist brainwashing (I mean, it must be brainwashing, right?!?) and her love for Hawkeye. Those two misfits were a good match!

What I like in this issue is the drama. Drama of Hank being trapped in this giant body, Jan's desperation, Clint's feelings for Natasha... And the fact that it is Jan who is able to free everyone else! We also get the old lesson: Superhero teams fail when everyone just acts on their own. They succeed through teamwork. And hey, again Clint notices how much of a better man Cap is!

The plot itself feels quite confused. For example, how did the Black Widow recruit the Power Man? Did I miss something in earlier issues? He just appears there at her (and Swordman's) side. Huh?

I love it how Natasha's Soviet handler looks like a Chinese general, and he has a guy named Dr. Yen working for him! Who would name themselves after the Japanese currency?!?


Art by Heck and Giacoia is generally OK, but there are some really odd panels that make me scratch my head. Somebody in the Bullpen doing some alterations? Something else? Look at this splash, and especially the ladies and their waists!! Jan looks very weird, and Wanda's body is all twisted (to better show her boobs?).



There is something wonky with this panel. The bow looks very impressive, but also HUGE!




But it really is not all bad. Look at this super-dynamic panel, for example. Wow!


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Comicsdad