So we had another Bucky/Winter Soldier book recently, and I mentioned he had a stint in the Thunderbolts as well, but I don't know if that was before or after this one...maybe before? From 2018, Tales of Suspense #104, "The Cure for Pain" Written by Matthew Rosenberg, art by Travel Foreman, color art by Rachelle Rosenberg. Shoot, this was the last issue of this series, so I have to schedule it for the end of the year, even though I'm writing this mid-June in 80 degree weather! Well, everything is terrible now, so hopefully when this posts...Also, everybody knows the cure for pain is Morphine.
As is often the case, we're coming in late: the cover lists this as "Red Ledger, part 5 of 5." The Black Widow is dead, but not: the Red Room had backup bodies waiting for her, intent on bringing her back into the fold. But, the recap mentions, "a bear gave her back her memories." While working with the bear to bring down the Red Room from the inside, her "exes" Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier keep getting in her way, so she blows them up, taking Hawkeye's bow and Bucky's metal arm as trophies! The Red Room bosses couldn't be more pleased with her--hey, they were operating out of Westchester, NY? You'd think someone would notice...
While the Widow works her way into the training of deadly little ballerina girls, Hawkeye and Bucky are trapped in the basement of a Red Room safehouse: they figure this is part of Natasha's plan somehow, but they're so far behind. Following a tracer in Hawkeye's bow, it leads them to another safehouse, with Boom Boom--or is it Skids? Is Hawkeye just giving her crap? Still, weird to see a mutant get to come out and play in a book like this. Also weird: a bear leaving the bathroom! Stupid Charmin ads...no, it's Russian superhero Ursa Major!
The guys force Ursa to take him to the Widow and the Red Room, which forces the irritated Natasha to step up her timetable and start murdering the crap out of them now. After a terrifying encounter with the ballerinas, Hawkeye and Bucky find more horror as Natasha fights a roomful of clones of her and possibly Yelena. Although Hawkeye balks at all the murder, Nat, Bucky, Ursa, and the ballerinas kill all the Red Room operatives and bosses. Nat asks a psychic to resurrect Yelena and Anya, then 'frees' him with a bullet in the head. Nat has everyone out of the building, then stalls the feds: she knew the building was going to blow, but she's not concerned with their safety; there were secrets in there she didn't want them to get.
Natasha disappears, leaving Bucky and Clint to get chewed out by Sally, a lady-fed who seemed familiar but I can't place. The fire department finds notes for them stuck to a tree: Nat's note for Clint says where she's going, he can't follow. Bucky's note says, she might have a suicide mission going, come with! It'll be fun. Don't tell Clint.
I forget where, or how, Black Widow died. Secret Empire maybe? I'm not sure they even pretended that one was gonna stick.
Yup, Secret Empire. The less said, the better. She's back though so that's all that matters and currently starring in a new mini-series even as we speak.
ReplyDeleteSuddenly I want a one-shot about Ursa Major in bear form drunk-driving and cursing out motorists. Why not.
Also, thanks for again introducing me to 90's acts and songs I wouldn't normally know about. One day, you and me and are going to have to devote an entire phone call to all the 90's music trivia and bands/acts you know that I don't.