The X-Axis by Paul O'Brien
(paul@esoterica.demon.co.uk)
Black Widow #3
The Russian villains are defeated, and an explanation is given for the Face/Off routine that just about makes sense. The book works, but I can't help being reminded of Peter Milligan's Human Target series for Vertigo, which explored rather similar questions of identity and did so much better than this series. I also have a bit of difficulty with Natasha using what amounts to a superhero plot device of face- swapping to illustrate her point that she's an espionage character rather than a superhero. Even so, the book hangs together on its own terms.Grade: B+