The Female Of The Species!

I don't exactly when my love affair with the Nathasha Romanoff began, but it was likely soon after she broke up with Clint (Hawkeye) Barton and headed out to redesign and redefine herself in the pages of the aptly named Amazing Adventures. This sleek sexy new Black Widow really captured my boyhood heart and libido to boot. Marvel had a few female characters, but sex appeal was often blunted in these good heroic women as they pined away silently for some shmuck hero who ignored them like as not. Only the Enchrantress and Karnilla the Norn Queen, two baddies seem to have a proper sense of their own value. But it wasn't until Natasha lost the fishnets and slipped into something more comfortable that she seemed to find hers. 

She never seemed to find full-blown success in the Marvel Universe, but she was always around and often playing key roles. She was a partner to Daredevil for a very long time and later led The Champions. When she was brought to the Marvel movie universe in the second Iron Man flicker, she stole the show and proceeded to do just that in every one of the movies she appeared in. Her tragic demise was in many ways the emotional highlight of the finale. Now I want to pay homage this month to one of the sexiest superheroines around -- The Black Widow. 

You see above just some of the nifty collections I hope to read and report on this month. Don't expect elaborate reprises of the adventures, but just my reflections on this most fascinating character as her life and times trundle along the many decades of the MU. I'll close it all out with a proper review of the most recent movie itself which was a tremendous last hurrah for the beguiling Natasha Romanoff. 

Also of interest this month is another of Marvel's spy girls -- Mockingbird. Bobbi Morse started out in the pages of Astonishing Tales attempting to lure Ka-Zar to help her with a little project concerning a certain Man-Thing. She went on to become a fighter in her right as "The Huntress" and later "Mockingbird". She really found her role when she fell in love and married on Clint Barton better known as Hawkeye. 

Created individually by Tony Isabella and Larry Hama, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing were crucial parts of the Iron Fist saga as the detective duo "Nightwing Restorations". Chris Claremont and Marshall Rogers took a swing at these deadly dames when they were dubbed "Daughters of the Dragon". Great stuff. 

One of the most successful of the creations of the Indy explosion in the early 80's Ms. Tree comes to the Dojo at last. Created by Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty, the saga of Ms, Michael Tree combined noir crime elements with a baseline sense of normalcy that made for a heady brew. The Dojo will feature Ms. Tree's adventures on Sundays this month by taking a look at the publications gathering up some of her best by Titans Books under its Hard Case Crime brand. 

From the recesses of the Dojo we'll be taking another look at the vivacious Diana Prince when she sought to lose all that Amazon baggage and become an ultra-cool crimefighter in the Emma Peel mode. This is a time (thanks to Mike Sekowsky) when the woman was indeed full of unexpected wonder. 

And speaking of Emma Peel, this seems an apt time to dig out those vintage Avengers episodes featuring the alluring Mrs. Peel as she partners with John Steed to allay all manner of threats to the wholesome goodness of merry old England.  These are always a hoot. 

A dame of a slightly different nature is the vivacious Anne Frances who portrays Honey West, a paperback private eye who landed on TV for one luscious season. These are snappy little episodes filled with action and wit and even a smidge of suspense from time to time. 

I don't think I've ever read a Modesty Blaise comic adventure, though I've seen the character online. I have though watched the movie, particularly wacky spy misadventure from the 60's when such things were hot. Truth is the movie reminds me more of Barbarella than a tough as nails adventure strip which I imagine Modesty Blaise to be. 

Femme Noir by Chris Mills and one of my all-time favorite artists Joe Staton holds its own in the genres it blends together. Imagine Will Eisner's Spirit was a dame and in a bad mood. 

The Domino Lady is an original 30's pulp crimefighter from the pages of Saucy Romantic Adventures. She was a sexy socialite who put on a domino mask and slipped into something more comfortable to fight mobsters and such when her District Attorney daddy is dispatched by criminals. She's found a niche in a few places over the decades, such as Eros Comix and more recently Moonstone where both new pulp and comic stories are produced. 

I'm dipping my fingers back into the  Wold Newton well one more time by reading the provocative The Evils of Pemberly House. She's the the daughter of the world's foremost super-science crimefighter, but Patricia Wildman has her hands full when she tries to check her latest inheritance. It's full of sexy ghosts and more. This is not a book for the squeamish as the steam rises often. 

There might be more stuff as well, if time permits!

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