Characters: Black Widow & Nick Fury
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Artist: Daniel Krall
Reviewers: P:R Staff
(Larger Version)

Dean: This drawing is a big blast of awesome as far as I’m concerned. These dressed down versions Nick Fury and Black Widow would play perfectly in a comic, cartoon, or film. The red hourglass corset in inspired, and the spider-like mechanical sleeve holsters add a great Cold War element of spytime fun. Great job pairing up the U.S. and Soviet iconography, also. The familiar odd couple pairing works perfectly. I love Nick’s leather jacket and Natasha’s grey turtleneck.

Vito: I think that there is no better compliment to be paid…no review that can be written better…than to say that just looking at this, as a writer, I can write a year’s worth of stories. Black Widow alone is such a strong piece, that it can be a What If? story or an Ultimate story or just plain ol’ Marvel U. Nick Fury here reminds me of Darwyn Cooke‘s King Faraday…Cold War remnant in a modern world. Fantastic!

Rachel: Absolutely. It’s obvious that a lot of thought and attention have gone into designing these costumes, and behind that lies a wealth of contexts and stories. As Dean mentioned, too, the iconography’s there, but it’s subtle enough not to get in the way of the style. Instead, it’s worked seamlessly into the costume elements.

Chris: Daniel’s really done his homework here. Not just a visual update, but this has heavy context that fits with the character’s history and his wardrobe of the past. And I’d fight Vito to write this.

Vito: It’s really the streamlining of the characters to the essential elements that does it for me here. Cold War spy. World War 2 vet. If Marvel did something like The New Frontier, Daniel should very well be considered for the art.

Joel: I really like that this Nick Fury is showing his years. I think it’s very boring when an artist makes everyone in the comic look like a twenty-something hottie. And if there’s any hero that works as a faded warhorse who just doesn’t truck with .mp3s and arugula, it’s Nick Fury. And this is not the acrobatic Widow who flips off of flagpoles with Daredevil. This is a Cold War Mademoiselle Marie, ready to slog through the mud and storm the compound of her choice. I agree with Dean that the corset is a fun way to bring in the widow’s mark, but it might not translate into a less graphic style. I love her hair, her palette of grays, and that jaunty hat.