White Widow # 2

 By Mark Rodriguez

Yelena Belova, the White Widow, moved to the small town of Idylhaven to leave her life as a spy and assassin behind. However, it's easier said that done as a company called Armament has their eyes on the town. They're buying everyone out and threatening those that refuse to leave. They are also sending Yelena's former protégés after her. 

The story opens with a flashback as Yelena is working with Wolverine. The person they're following overhears their banter but also steps on a tripwire, causing a loud explosion. Yelena says she used enough semtex to ensure the assassin will survive the blast. Wolverine's ears burst and he says she has no idea how bad his eardrums pop when they heal.

Yelena and Wolverine stand over the assassin. Yelena tells her that next time she shouldn't try to kill an X-Men when he isn't already being tailed by a better assassin. The woman says she isn't here to kill Yelena, but to kill Wolverine. Yelena says that she is here for the same thing as she pulls a knife on her. Wolverine asks if Yelena just called him 'an X-Men' and what she means by 'next time'. Yelena says they are letting her live, and she will most likely try to kill Wolverine again, so they might as well see if she learned something. Wolverine says Yelena would make a good teacher and asks if she considered a career change. Yelena is confused and Wolverine says she might like it more than she thinks.

In modern say, Yelena is shopping at a farmer's market for the very first time while giving one of her protégés financial advise via her headset. Stabichka tells her that she found an employer and Yelena hopes it's not a 'science nerd with a big flying secret base'. Stabichka tells that the company is hiring assassins that they have great dental. Yelena wants to hear more about this but has to end the call as she sees a small neighborhood gathering.

Yelena sees that a man named Rowan has led this gathering and asks if she should bring Zelda. Rowan says he is surprised that Zelda is still running her shop after it was recently attacked. Rowans tells the group that Armament is doing a lot of hiring, and says Griffin should sign up since she has an interest in robotics. Yelena asks if they get dental coverage. Rowan asks if she's looking for work and Yelena shuts it down. Sabine and Griffin seem interested and will talk to Rowan about it during dinner. Sabine and Griffin ask Yelena if she will join them as they go to say hi to Zelda on their way home. She agrees.

As the trio walk home, Yelena says she doesn't like the internship. She says to never trust a company that promises they will succeed with explaining what they will get out of that success. Griffin says it's not about trust but about opportunity. They say that every company is like a vampire, and if they had to choose one to drain their blood, they'll choose the one that till give them the coolest powers. Griffin says that Armament sounds like the best option. Sabine thinks Griffin should do more research before signing up and Griffin is tired of reading pamphlets. Yelena agrees that Sabine should learn more about Armament before signing up but also tells Griffin that reading a bunch of pamphlets won't be enough.

Yelena asks why they're so interested in Armament all of a sudden. Griffin says it's the most advanced level of research when it comes to cybernetics. Yelena asks Griffin if they can take apart a cybernetic eyeball. 

Later on, at Yelena's apartment, Griffin examines the eye and asks where she found it. Yelena says she found it at the 'Mind-Your-Own-Business' store. Griffin discovers a microchip within the eye that was manufactured at Armament and Sabine tells them to get away from that thing. Sabine explains that Idylhaven Academy is converting to Armament Charter the following week and they have a zero tolerance policy about tampering with their technology. Sabine would have to quit her job or pull Griffin out of school. Sabine and Griffin take their leave just as Diamondback and Black Mamba show up just as one asks the other if they're allowed to use lethal force.

Diamondback, Black Mamba and Yelena recognize each other as assassins and the White Widow tells Sabine and Griffin to get out of there. Yelena fights with Black Mamba as Diamondback does a backflip and grabs the microchip they came for. Yelena picks up one of her weights and smashes Black Mamba in the face with it. Diamondback shoots Yelena in the thigh with her staff.

Black Mamba knees Yelena in the face and pins her down. Diamondback grabs her staff and says she'll use lethal force even if its without permission. Just then Diamondback gets hit by electricity as a voice says she is not authorized to use lethal force and things will get worse if she continues to do so.

Black Mamba tells Diamondback that the chip they put in her is freaking out and they should leave since they got what they came for. Yelena asks why Armament sent them. Black Mamba said they came to get their equipment back, and if she wants to get some of their gear officially she could put in a good word at Armament. She hands her a business card and says she heard they're about to get dental.

After they leave, Griffin can't believe those women were assassins from Armament and they gave out a business card. Just then a delivery drone arrives with a note. Zelda shows up and asks what happened. The note is a message to Yelena to vacate the premises within 72 hours. 

Zelda says she has gotten one of those before, but it didn't work because she actually owns her candy shop. They're been doing this to scare off tenants all over town. Yelena says she now has a reason to fight them. Zelda says she has fought them before and it didn't work, as we see images of her staging protests against them. Yelena says she will fight them but not in the way they are used to. She says there are things about her that she kept from them in the interest of being a good neighbor. Yelena suits up and says it's time that Armament meets the White Widow.

My Thoughts-

The story continues as Armament continues to spread their influence across the town. It's an interesting network, they try to lure the younger people in with promises of cool stuff, while they force the older people out with intimidation. This issue pretty much serves to show what the people in the neighborhood think about Armament and how they're falling for it.

I'm not sure how the flashback with Wolverine tied to anything. In the last issue the flashback with Captain America showed us one of Yelena's protégés before she would return to attack her in current day. I'm guessing it's to show where Yelena got the idea to become a teacher?

We did get some action as Yelena fights against Diamondback and Black Mamba. It was a decent fight scene and Yelena was pretty much saved by Armament's restrictions on Diamondback. 

The art style is passable but odd in some places, but the panel that looked the worst was the 'big scene' where Yelena finally suits up.  I mean, she looked better in the Wolverine flashback. It just shows how much better she looks on all the covers than she does in the actual book. Sometimes I do wish some of the people that did these covers also did the interiors. 

I did like the running gag about Armament getting dental soon. Giving how much these assassins gets themselves roughed up (Black Mamba took a weight to the face), a good dental plan is a must.