Black Widow: Natasha Romanoff Contains Multitudes and Can Kill in a Multitude of Methods

You should check out this comic if: 

• You like spy stories and heist stories
• You’d prefer a short, contained read without too much knowledge of the Marvel comic universe
• You want a good balance between action and character development
• You want to see Natasha be competence 

You should avoid this comic if: 

• You want to know more about Natasha’s relationship to the rest of the Avengers
• You’re really not all that interested in action
• You find that comic fight scenes always end up being too confusing 
• You’re not a big fan of violence, or children committing violence

A character-driven spy thriller, the 2016-2017 Black Widow comic book is a must-read for both veteran fans of Natasha Romanoff and those looking to fall in love with her. Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s mini-series is compact, action-packed, and intelligent, while never flinching from Natasha’s past.

Ex-KGB, ex-assassin, and ex-victim of the brainwashing facility the Red Room, Natasha Romanoff has a blood-soaked, checkered past. It’s a past that could make her a villain instead of hero in the eyes of many, even though she’s spent most of her life as an Avenger and working with SHIELD. That’s why Natasha is stuck in a tight spot when someone threatens to leak certain information about her past — information that she cannot afford to let be leaked.

The Weeping Lion, a very man with a very wide network, blackmails Natasha into stealing files from SHIELD. Unwilling to fight her allies yet unwilling to give up her secrets, Natasha ends up acquiescing to the Weeping Lion. She becomes a wanted fugitive from SHIELD as she figures out her next move.

But the Weeping Lion isn’t the only villain working against the Black Widow. In helping him, she discovers that the Red Room is back — the brainwashing facility that took young girls like her and turned them into killers.

The Red Room is still headed by its former headmistress, but this time she is joined by her daughter — a trained assassin herself who is jealous of Natasha’s skill. Utterly undeterred by the mother-daughter duo, Natasha will do everything in her power to shut down the organization that took a child and made her into a weapon.

Natasha meets with friend and foe, friends who turn foe, and foes who turn…well, not quite friends, but perhaps allies. However, if you were looking for Natasha’s relationship with the well-known figures of the wider Marvel universe, you won’t get much. Natasha only meets with Tony Stark — in his more play-boy persona — and Bucky Barnes — as Natasha’s old flame.

But in the end, Natasha prefers to rely on herself. She is very reliable, after all.

With a similar version of the super-soldier serum that made Steve Rogers into Captain America, Natasha is in her own class of assassin. But Natasha doesn’t just count on her expert fighting skills. She thinks fast and plans ahead, using her quick wit, tricks, and creative applications of her gadgets and the environment. Like an Ocean’s 8 plot, she pulls off one ingenious caper after the next…though it’s more like Ocean’s 1 or 2. She is one step ahead of most, only a half-step behind the rest, and soon catching up.

The series doesn’t flinch away from her bloody past with the Red Room, nor the atrocities she committed as their child assassin turned grown-woman assassin. But neither does the series paint her as purely cold-hearted. She has a depth of kindness, in addition to a sharp edge of cruelty. She has a drive to do the right thing — and yet occasionally she will go to not-right lengths to do that right thing.

Natasha is a woman of few words. Instead of her dialogue, the comic book relies on the art to carry forward the story and the artistry of Natasha’s battles. We are almost outsiders, looking in at, much like the henchmen, SHIELD Agents, and even the occasional Avenger trying to pin her down and understand who she is. 

Chris Samnee’s art does a stellar job portraying the action — rarely is it confusing. But it does require paying close attention to ensure you follow Natasha’s movements without the narration. The panels also have a neat trick of cutting off dialogue in the corners to convey Natasha’s focus, giving us a glimpse into what she’s thinking.

Waid’s and Samnee’s Black Widow is a solid, exciting snapshot into Natasha Romanoff’s strengths and her backstory. If you want to know where to start reading Black Widow comics, you’ll have a captivating, nail-biter of a time with this one.

Continuity Corner:

Natasha Romanoff started out her comic book life as a Russian femme fatale villain in the Iron Man comics back in 1964. Since then, her backstory expanded significantly. Now, she’s more widely known as the Russian assassin, brainwashed since birth in the Red Room. She went from child assassin to KGB agent, until, in the Avengers early years, she finally broke from the Russian government to join SHIELD, and occasionally the Avengers.

Natasha’s main comic book history — and her less than stellar deeds — are brought up throughout the comic with enough depth for new readers to understand what’s going on. Those that are only mentioned on a surface-level don’t interfere with your understanding of the plot, themes, or character.

However, there are two aspects of the story’s second half that might confuse new Marvel comics readers. The first is that Natasha and Bucky Barnes were past lovers; the two met while Natasha was still with the KGB and Bucky was still the Winter Soldier. Despite both being brainwashed tools of an oppressive government when their romance began, there is still a spark between them.

The second is a much newer  occurrence in comic continuity: the original Nick Fury became a being known as The Unseen. The Unseen is related to an alien race called Watchers, who — as their name implies — watch events in the multiverse. Basically, they’re comic book readers themselves (and you might have caught a glimpse of them in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 if you were paying attention).

Overall, even if the second volume might throw some new readers, the series is an excellent starting point for those looking to start with the Black Widow, or Marvel comics in general.

My Two Cents:

Black Widow has never really caught my eye, so this is pretty much the first Natasha-centric comics that I picked up. I don’t think I could have picked a better one — it gives me all of Natasha’s skills and complexity as she completes daring heist after brilliant venture. I absolutely recommend it to people who are just fans of good stories in general, not only fans of Natasha Romanoff.

How Can I Find It?

Since it’s a miniseries, it’s pretty easy to collect. You can find the whole collection from Marvel.com.

Comixology also offers the whole collection, as well the mini-series in two volumes: “Black Widow: S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Most Wanted” and “Black Widow: No More Secrets”

But see if your library has a copy first to save yourself a pretty penny (or a few hundred of them) and read the comic for free.

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Images Cites From: Samnee, Chris and Matthew Wilson. Cover Artist for Black Widow, Marvel, Vol. 1, 2016.

Waid, Mark, Chris Samnee and Matthew Wilson. Black Widow, Marvel, Vol. 1, Issue 1, 2016.

Waid, Mark, Chris Samnee and Matthew Wilson. Black Widow, Marvel, Vol. 1, Issue 3, 2016.

Waid, Mark, Chris Samnee and Matthew Wilson. Black Widow, Marvel, Vol. 2, Issue 7, 2016.