What was your all-time favorite Black Widow series/solo story?

[mattbib]

Each week we'll have a poll to determine the forum's current feel on a topic. Feel free to submit a poll idea if you have one!


This week we want to know...
What was your all-time favorite Black Widow solo story?


Black Widow: The Coldest War (1990, OGN by Gerry Conway, George Freeman)
Black Widow: Web of Intrigue (1983, from Marvel Fanfare 10-13, by Ralph Macchio, George Pérez)
Black Widow (1999, 3-issue mini by Devin Grayson, J.G. Jones)
Black Widow: Breakdown (2000, 3-issue mini by Devin Grayson & Greg Rucka, Scott Hampton)
Black Widow: Pale Little Spider (2002, 3-issue mini by Greg Rucka & Igor Kordey)
Black Widow: Homecoming (2004, 6-issue mini by Richard K. Morgan, Goran Parlov & Bill Sienkiewicz)
Black Widow: The Things They Say about Her (2005, 6-issue mini by Richard K. Morgan, Sean Phillips & Bill Sienkiewicz)

[Dagger]

I'm becoming obsessed with the Black Widow recently, and I was wondering which of her four mini series that have come out in the last 10 years are your favorite?

P.S. I'm really hoping they do another mini with her in it really soon.

[Dagger]

Crap! I forgot the MAX mini that focused on Yelena's developmental years! Bib, can you fix that for me?

[mattbib]

Bib, can you fix that for me?Sure can. ;)

[Siddon]

You do know that Black Widow had a series in 1970 Amazing Adventures 1-8

[mattbib]

You do know that Black Widow had a series in 1970 Amazing Adventures 1-8
Nope, had no clue. Thanks for the heads up, though. I've added to the poll, and I'll need to track that story down.

Just looked up info on those issues...some good creators behind those Widow stories.

http://comics.org/series.lasso?SeriesID=1937

[Cayman]

Richard K Morgan's Black Widow was amazing!

[mgs]

Black Widow: Pale Little Spider</b> (2002, 3-issue mini by Greg Rucka & Igor Kordey)

Ya know, going through some old issues. I really lfind that this one was not that bad. Initally, I think I wrote it off as being incredibly mature for no reason, except being in the, then, New Max line, etc., but rereading the first 2 issues, I find that it's not as bad as I remembered it. Unless the last issue was really, really bad. I think Rucka and Igor's art matched very well.

[The Great Grape]

I enjoyed Itsy Bitsy Spider(the 1999 3 issue Garyson mini.) Nice combo of spy/military/rival writing and clean art.

Homecoming was one of the better ones as well.

[rogerio]

Black Widow is my favorite female character. I just collect everything about her.
My list of favs:
https://www.mycomicshop.com/res/images_products/import_from_office/largepics/BABGC011ST.JPG
Black Widow The Coldest War GN (1990)
Written by Gerry Conway. Art by George Freeman, Ernie Colon, Mark Farmer, Mike Harris, Val Mayerik, and Joe Rubinstein. Natalia Romanova was once the Soviet Union's greatest weapon - a super spy. She has been an enemy, ally, and lover to the heroes of the west. Now in the waning days of the Cold War, Black Widow's past has come back to haunt her. Can she deal with her former masters and still retain her freedom...her very soul? Featuring special guest-appearances by Daredevil and the Avengers.

https://www.mycomicshop.com/res/unprocessed/fullsize/B228P001.JPG
Black Widow Web of Intrigue (1999)
This one-shot is written by Ralph Macchio with art by George Perez. This classic reprint contains the Widow's origin in a full-length, self-contained story, originally appeared in Marvel Fanfare #10-13.

https://www.mycomicshop.com/res/unprocessed/fullsize/GXWO.jpg
Black Widow TP
by Grayson, Jones, Rucka, & Hampton Reprinting the first Marvel Knights Black Widow series, plus Black Widow: Breakdown.

...

[rogerio]

and...
https://www.mycomicshop.com/res/images_products/import_from_office/largepics/BAIAP011ST.JPG
Black Widow Homecoming TPB (2005)
Collects Black Widow (2004-3rd Series) #1-6. Written by RICHARD K. MORGAN. Art by GORAN PARLOV & BILL SIENKIEWICZ. Cover by GREG LAND. Acclaimed science-fiction novelist Richard K. Morgan (Altered Carbon and Broken Angels) and comics legend Bill Sienkiewicz (ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN, Stray Toasters) bring you old ghosts and new revelations about the original Black Widow – Natasha Romanova – in this hardboiled noir tale. The deadliest agent in the Marvel Universe has finally gotten out of the spy game, and she's not asking for much, just a life of her own. When a sudden assassination attempt provides a harsh reality check, the former Soviet agent tracks a string of international killings that will lead her back to a Russia she can barely recognize.

https://www.mycomicshop.com/res/unprocessed/fullsize/BA6PA001.JPG
Black Widow Pale Little Spider (2002) 1 2 & 3
Master crime writer Greg Rucka and CABLE's Igor Kordey present a gritty, uncompromising tale of Russian international espionage agent Yelena Belova ? the new Black Widow! ? THE STORY: When her former mentor is found brutally murdered in a Moscow bondage club, Belova must go deep undercover to find the killer. Torn by self-doubt and divided loyalties, she descends into a world of deadly games and deadlier predators! With sensual covers by Greg Horn (ELEKTRA), BLACK WIDOW: PALE LITTLE SPIDER is a smart and sexy adventure that could only be told under the freedom of the MAX imprint! ? GREG RUCKA SPEAKS: "Yelena has pretty much been dominated ever since she began her training to be the Black Widow. That's the nature of that sort of training: 'You will learn these things, you will go this way ? you did it well, you will be rewarded. You did it bad, you will be punished.' Now, she's in the bondage scene where all of her skills are applicable, but not readily so.You can't walk into a bondage club, grab somebody around the throat, throw them to the floor and say, 'Tell me what I want to know!' and expect them to cough it up. If they don't what are you going to do? What if they don't tell you just so you do hit them again, but harder, because they're getting turned on? When that does happen, Yelena is going to give an 'Ewww!' that will be a combination of her being repulsed and perhaps a little turned on herself."


man, I really would like to see Ed Brubaker or Greg Rucka writing a Black Widow/Silver Sable team-up someday. There’s some interesting things that could be done with these two tough women...:)

[carabas]

I always liked Yelena. It's really a shame that Bendis unceremonially just killed of a relatively new character that had still had a lot of potential. It's not as if Marvel has got a lot of new characters to spare.

[Beamish]

I always liked Yelena. It's really a shame that Bendis unceremonially just killed of a relatively new character that had still had a lot of potential. It's not as if Marvel has got a lot of new characters to spare.

He's got to kill off the interesting new characters he didn't create in favor of the uninteresting ones he did (White Tiger, Jessica Jones). I'm hoping the Yelena Adaptiod was a clone or a skrull, and that the real one is in deep freeze somewhere, waiting to return and challenge Natasha again.

[rogerio]

I'm hoping the Yelena Adaptiod was a clone or a skrull, and that the real one is in deep freeze somewhere, waiting to return and challenge Natasha again.
thanks Beamish, I dont have to talk alone anymore...:)

two points:
- I just dont understand why Yelena was working with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents...She was a russian agent (very loyal, btw.)
- I am very curious to see Natalia's reaction.
is she ignoring Yelena's death...or what?

Skrulls?:eek:

[Dagger]

He's got to kill off the interesting new characters he didn't create in favor of the uninteresting ones he did (White Tiger, Jessica Jones). I'm hoping the Yelena Adaptiod was a clone or a skrull, and that the real one is in deep freeze somewhere, waiting to return and challenge Natasha again.
OMG, I soo agree...even though I do like White Tiger, and have her mini. I was really interested in what was happening with Yelena, and then we got that lame adaptoid story with the really pretty art.

I can't believe that people dug this thread out of oblivion, it's been a while since I made it.

[mrc1214]

I feel ashamed i havent read any of those.

[Will.S]

I was THIS close to buying the Rucka/Grayson trade with the J.G. & Hampton art so maybe I will over the next few days. I'm also thinking about getting the Richard K. Morgan stuff but other than those, the other older books are much harder to get a hold of.

BTW I would also include the Black Widow stories done in Wolverine Origins matt (I'll get you hard issue #'s soon).

[Don Quixote]

The only ones I've read are the Richard Morgan ones. And that was because I'm a big fan of his novels. They were pretty good, but I didn't like the art too much.

I'd recommend them to people, though. The first one was the better of the two.

[agrich]

When I was a kid (teenager, just the right age to be fascinated by the Black Widow), I loved the Black Widow solo story in this issue of Bizarre Adventures....

http://www.comicsvf.com/scans/vocanc/bizarreadventures/25.jpg

I really think she's always worked best as a supporting character in Daredevil....

[Dagger]

I feel ashamed i havent read any of those.
And you should be! *swats nose with rolled up newspaper*

[tangentman]

Personally, I thought Chris Claremont's 4-parter in Marvel Team-Up was one of the best Black Widow stories ever put out by Marvel. The premise was basically Spider-Man rescuing who he thought was the standard helpless woman from obnoxious would-be mugger/rapists. Until Spidey sees her take out the last assailant with deadly efficiency. Then, Peter recognizes her as the Black Widow, although she claims to be just a simple school teacher named "Nancy Rushman".

Obviously, a case of amnesia. But how did the Black Widow end up wandering the streets of NYC in a fugue state?

The story explores that question, while bringing in a conspiracy within SHIELD. Enter Nick Fury and Shang Chi along the way, both making neat contributions to the arc. The villains are Viper, Silver Samurai, and Boomerang, not mention a few hundred mind-controlled SHIELD agents! While all this happens, Peter begins developing feelings for the "Nancy" persona...and the Black Widow undergoes a harrowing psychological struggle to regain her true identity.

I loved so many things about this story--the Peter/Nancy/Natasha interactions, the conspiracy, Viper & Silver Samurai, Shang Chi's internal monologues, the action sequences, Black Widow shifting back-and-forth between "Nancy" and her true self, not to mention some GORGEOUS Steve Leiloha work! If y'all haven't picked up these issues, you should be able to find them in back-issue bins fairly cheap.

I'll dig up the issue numbers later, but for now, I can't vote because the MTU isn't listed as an option.

[Sandy Hausler]

Each week we'll have a poll to determine the forum's current feel on a topic. Feel free to submit a poll idea if you have one!


This week we want to know...
What was your all-time favorite Black Widow solo story?


Black Widow: The Coldest War (1990, OGN by Gerry Conway, George Freeman)
Black Widow: Web of Intrigue (1983, from Marvel Fanfare 10-13, by Ralph Macchio, George Pérez)
Black Widow (1999, 3-issue mini by Devin Grayson, J.G. Jones)
Black Widow: Breakdown (2000, 3-issue mini by Devin Grayson & Greg Rucka, Scott Hampton)
Black Widow: Pale Little Spider (2002, 3-issue mini by Greg Rucka & Igor Kordey)
Black Widow: Homecoming (2004, 6-issue mini by Richard K. Morgan, Goran Parlov & Bill Sienkiewicz)
Black Widow: The Things They Say about Her (2005, 6-issue mini by Richard K. Morgan, Sean Phillips & Bill Sienkiewicz)

What about the one she shared with Daredevil?

Sandy Hausler

[Sandy Hausler]

When I was a kid (teenager, just the right age to be fascinated by the Black Widow), I loved the Black Widow solo story in this issue of Bizarre Adventures....

http://www.comicsvf.com/scans/vocanc/bizarreadventures/25.jpg

I really think she's always worked best as a supporting character in Daredevil....


She was more than a supporting character. The book was called Daredevil and the Black Widow for a while.

Sandy Hausler

[agrich]

I knew that, but I actually wasn't thinking about that stretch of Daredevil. I was more thinking about when she showed up in the book as a guest star, during Miller's run (notably 187-190), and then very memorably in a Bendis-Maleev arc (somewhere in the 60s). Guess I should have said guest star rather than supporting character.

[rogerio]

I must confess I really would like to see Natasha wearing that "fishnet suit" again...:)

[Pixie_Solanas]

Black Widow is my favorite female character. I just collect everything about her.

https://www.mycomicshop.com/res/images_products/import_from_office/largepics/BABGC011ST.JPG.

...

That just might be the worst depiction of BW I have ever seen. Egads, that's just boner-killing on every level. Natasha my arse.

[Pixie_Solanas]

And you should be! *swats nose with rolled up newspaper*

Stay far, far away from "The Things They Say About Her"

Horrendously bad. Morgan and Sienkiewicz (shockingly enough - who I think just did breakdowns leaving the rest to Sean Phillips) were both on autopilot for this one and it completely shows.

[tangentman]

That just might be the worst depiction of BW I have ever seen. Egads, that's just boner-killing on every level. Natasha my arse.

Is that the Black Widow, or a pre-operative Russian transsexual?

[rogerio]

Is that the Black Widow, or a pre-operative Russian transsexual?

guys, dont be cruel.:)
the artwork really sucks but the story is decent.
there are some interesting facts of Black Widow's history...

[Sandy Hausler]

I have some questions about the Black Widow:

There is an X-Men story in which she teamed up with Logan and Captain America. Who was that?

She was a Soviet spy? Well, that can't be part of her history anymore, can it?

She's now called Natlia. What happened to Natasha?

Sandy Hausler

[rogerio]

it is part of BW's history, unfortunately:mad: . Just take a look in Wolverine: Origins # 9...ugh...an awlful story by Daniel Way.
http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/96787054891.9.VARIANT.gif

Black Widow's birth name is Natalia Alianovna Romanova but she is also known in america as Natasha Romanoff.

[Sandy Hausler]

it is part of BW's history, unfortunately:mad: . Just take a look in Wolverine: Origins # 9...ugh...an awlful story by Daniel Way.
http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/96787054891.9.VARIANT.gif

Black Widow's birth name is Natalia Alianovna Romanova but she is also known in america as Natasha Romanoff.

So was she a Soviet spy? Even though the Soviet Union ended its existence in the late 1980s?

Sandy Hausler

[Will.S]

it is part of BW's history, unfortunately:mad: . Just take a look in Wolverine: Origins # 9...ugh...an awlful story by Daniel Way.
http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/96787054891.9.VARIANT.gif

Black Widow's birth name is Natalia Alianovna Romanova but she is also known in america as Natasha Romanoff.
I actually thought that was a pretty good Black Widow story.

[Ventura]

I have some questions about the Black Widow:

There is an X-Men story in which she teamed up with Logan and Captain America. Who was that?

Sandy Hausler
You may be referring to X-Men #268; it was Natasha/Natalia.

http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/97792366288.268.JIM.SIGNED.gif

[Sandy Hausler]

You may be referring to X-Men #268; it was Natasha/Natalia.

http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/97792366288.268.JIM.SIGNED.gif

Uh, what does that mean? Is it the same BW who is bouncing around the MU now? Or someone else?

And yes, that was the issue of X-Men that I was speaking about.

Sandy Hausler

[Ventura]

Uh, what does that mean? Is it the same BW who is bouncing around the MU now?
Yes.

I mentioned her name(s) in order to distinguish her from another Black Widow- -Yelena- -who died a couple of years ago.

[Sandy Hausler]

So Natasha was around in World War II, the Cold War and now. Wow, she's been robbing the cradle.

Sandy Hausler

[It Is Inevitable]

Personally, I thought Chris Claremont's 4-parter in Marvel Team-Up was one of the best Black Widow stories ever put out by Marvel. The premise was basically Spider-Man rescuing who he thought was the standard helpless woman from obnoxious would-be mugger/rapists. Until Spidey sees her take out the last assailant with deadly efficiency. Then, Peter recognizes her as the Black Widow, although she claims to be just a simple school teacher named "Nancy Rushman".

Obviously, a case of amnesia. But how did the Black Widow end up wandering the streets of NYC in a fugue state?

The story explores that question, while bringing in a conspiracy within SHIELD. Enter Nick Fury and Shang Chi along the way, both making neat contributions to the arc. The villains are Viper, Silver Samurai, and Boomerang, not mention a few hundred mind-controlled SHIELD agents! While all this happens, Peter begins developing feelings for the "Nancy" persona...and the Black Widow undergoes a harrowing psychological struggle to regain her true identity.

I loved so many things about this story--the Peter/Nancy/Natasha interactions, the conspiracy, Viper & Silver Samurai, Shang Chi's internal monologues, the action sequences, Black Widow shifting back-and-forth between "Nancy" and her true self, not to mention some GORGEOUS Steve Leiloha work! If y'all haven't picked up these issues, you should be able to find them in back-issue bins fairly cheap.

I'll dig up the issue numbers later, but for now, I can't vote because the MTU isn't listed as an option.

Ahh I remember those.

Marvel Team Up Issues 82-85.

Really really good stuff.