Black Widow is the name of two superheroes who have appeared in various titles published by Marvel Comics: Natasha Romanova and Yelena Belova. Natasha Romanova first appeared as a villain for Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #52 (1964).[1] Over several appearances in The Avengers, she reformed and became a superhero.[2]: 54 She then underwent a redesign to her modern incarnation in The Amazing Spider-Man #86 (1970).[2]: 57 Yelena Belova first appeared in Inhumans #5 before her formal introduction as a rival for Natasha in the first Black Widow series.[1]
Titles
editTitles feature Natasha as a main character unless otherwise noted. Series that feature both Natasha and Yelena as main characters are denoted by an asterisk (*), and series that only feature Yelena as a main character are denoted by a dagger (†). Team books such as The Avengers and The Champions are not included.
| Title | Issues | Cover dates | Writer | Penciller | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazing Adventures | #1–8 | August 1970 – September 1971 | Various[a] | Various[b] | Amazing Adventures portrays Natasha as a jet setter who fought street crime and protected disaffected teenagers.[2]: 61 This was the first series of solo stories for a female Marvel character. Stories about the Inhumans were published in the same issues.[2]: 59 |
| Daredevil and the Black Widow | #92–107 | October 1972 – January 1974 | Various[c] | Various[d] | Natasha became a supporting character in Daredevil #81 (1971). Following criticism of her depiction as sexist, she was promoted to headlining character. Natasha was reverted to supporting character in Daredevil #108 (1974) and left the series in issue #124 (1975), occasionally returning for further periods as a supporting character of Daredevil.[2]: 62–64 |
| Marvel Fanfare | #10–13 | August 1983 – March 1984 | Ralph Macchio | George Pérez | Marvel Fanfare featured Natasha in a four-issue story arc titled "Web of Intrigue" in which she looks for her chauffeur Ivan after he goes missing.[3]: 24 |
| Black Widow: The Coldest War | N/A | April 1990 | Gerry Conway | George Freeman | The Coldest War is the 61st of the Marvel Graphic Novels.[2]: 66 |
| Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web | N/A | December 1992 | D. G. Chichester | Larry Stroman | A one-shot co-starring Natasha and the Punisher |
| Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir | #1 | July 1993 | Jim Starlin | Joe Chiodo | A one-shot co-starring Natasha and Daredevil as they hunt two serial killers |
| Fury/Black Widow: Death Duty | #1 | June 1995 | Cefn Ridout | Charlie Adlard | Natasha works with Night Raven to investigate a criminal organization in Death Duty. Nick Fury does not play a major role in the story despite being a titular character.[3]: 26 |
| Journey into Mystery | #517–519 | February 1998 – April 1998 | Scott Lobdell | Randall Green | A story arc in Journey into Mystery, "The Fire Next Time", featured Natasha. |
| Black Widow* | #1–3 | June 1999 – August 1999 | Devin Grayson | J. G. Jones | The Marvel Knights limited series, titled "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", has Natasha question her claim to the role of Black Widow when she is challenged by the younger spy Yelena as both track down a biotoxin. Grayson and Jones first introduced Yelena in Inhumans #5 to use her in this series.[1] |
| Black Widow* | #1–3 | January 2001 – March 2001 | Devin Grayson and Greg Rucka | Scott Hampton | The second volume of Black Widow features Natasha and Yelena. |
| Black Widow: Pale Little Spider † | #1–3 | June 2002 – August 2002 | Greg Rucka | Igor Kordey | Pale Little Spider, published under the adults-only Max imprint, was the first solo series featuring Yelena. |
| Black Widow | #1–6 | November 2004 – April 2005 | Richard K. Morgan |
|
The third volume of Black Widow encompasses the "Homecoming" story arc. Natasha returns to Russia while tracking enemy spies, and she learns that her past is a false memory. Morgan portrays Natasha as more violent and more willing to kill than other writers have.[4] |
| Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her | #1–6 | November 2005 – April 2006 | Richard K. Morgan | Sean Phillips | The "Homecoming" story was followed by a direct sequel. In this series, Natasha goes into hiding as Nick Fury and Daredevil hunt her on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D.[4] Yelena appears as a supporting character in some issues. |
| Black Widow: Deadly Origin | #1–4 | January 2010 – April 2010 | Paul Cornell | Deadly Origin tells Natasha's history through flashbacks, using the framing device of revisiting people from her past because she had spread nanites to them.[2]: 38 | |
| Black Widow & the Marvel Girls | #1–4 | February 2010 – April 2010 | Paul Tobin | Various[e] | This series pairs Natasha with a different female character each issue: Enchantress, the Wasp, Ms. Marvel, and Storm, respectively. |
| Black Widow | #1–8 | June 2010 – January 2011 |
|
|
The fourth volume of Black Widow features two story arcs. The first five issues by Liu and Acuña were titled "Name of the Rose". This continued the espionage-focused storytelling following the release of Iron Man 2.[1] The latter three issues by Swierczynski and Garcia were titled "Kiss and Kill". |
| Widowmaker | #1–4 | February 2011 – April 2011 |
|
|
A continuation of both Black Widow and Hawkeye & Mockingbird, this series follows the three heroes as they search for a spy-killer using Hawkeye's old alias "Ronin".[5] |
| Fear Itself: Black Widow | #1 | August 2011 | Cullen Bunn | Peter Nguyen | A one-shot was published as part of the Fear Itself event, featuring Natasha as she works with Peregrine on a mission in France. Besides this issue, Natasha does not play a significant role in the event overall.[6] |
| Captain America and Black Widow | #636–640 | November 2012 – February 2013 | Cullen Bunn | Francesco Francavilla | Between Captain America #620 and #640, the series featured various heroes alongside Captain America and the title changed whenever a new character joined him. Captain America and Black Widow featured Captain America and Natasha as they encountered alternate universes. |
| Black Widow | #1–20 | March 2014 – September 2015 | Nathan Edmondson | Phil Noto | The fifth volume of Black Widow was published as part of the Marvel Now! branding. This series shifts away from the direct action back toward the character focus developed by Grayson in 1999.[1] |
| Black Widow | #1–12 | May 2016 – May 2017 | Chris Samnee | The sixth volume of Black Widow focuses on elements from the character's adaptation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, placing emphasis on two elements familiar to the movie audience: S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Red Room.[1] | |
| Secret Empire: Uprising | #1 | July 2017 | Derek Landy | Joshua Cassara | Published as part of the Secret Empire event, this issue features Natasha training the Champions to be spies.[7] |
| Infinity Countdown: Black Widow | #1 | August 2018 | Gary Duggan |
|
A one-shot featuring Natasha was published as part of the "Infinity Countdown" event. It features Natasha wielding the Space Stone. |
| Black Widow | #1–5 | March 2019 – July 2019 | Jen and Sylvia Soska | Flaviano Armentaro | The seventh volume of Black Widow features Natasha working with Tyger Tiger to shut down a live streamed torture facility in Madripoor. |
| Web of Black Widow | #1–5 | November 2019 – March 2020 | Jody Houser | Stephen Mooney | A five part limited series featuring Natasha |
| Black Widow* | #1–15 | November 2020 – May 2022 | Kelly Thompson | Various[f] | The eighth volume of Black Widow consists of three major story arcs. "The Ties That Bind" in issues #1–5 has Natasha brainwashed into thinking she is an architect with a fiancé and son while her allies try to rescue her. "I Am the Black Widow" in issues #7–10 has her working alongside Yelena (as the White Widow), Anya Corazon, and Lucy Nguyen. "Die By the Blade" in #12–15 has the same team work with Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier to fight the Living Blade. |
| Black Widow: Widow's Sting | #1 | December 2020 | Ralph Macchio | Simone Buonfantino | The Widow's Sting one-shot features Natasha in a story with more traditional espionage tropes.[8] It follows her as she fights against Silvermane. |
| Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova † | #1 | January 2021 | Devin Grayson | Michele Bandini | A one-shot featuring Yelena and Red Guardian |
| Black Widow Infinity Comic | #1 | September 2021 | Mark Russell | Ann Maulina | A one-shot featuring Natasha and Hawkeye |
| Wastelanders: Black Widow † | #1 | March 2022 | Steven S. DeKnight | Well-Bee | Five one-shot comics were published as an adaptation of the Marvel's Wastelanders podcast set in the post-apocalypse world of Old Man Logan. Wastelanders: Black Widow features an older version of Yelena.[9] |
| White Widow † | #1–4 | January 2024 – April 2024 | Sarah Gailey | Alessandro Miracolo | A four part limited series featuring Yelena |
| Black Widow & Hawkeye | #1–4 | May 2024 – August 2024 | Stephanie Phillips | Paolo Villanelli | The "Broken Arrow" story arc features Natasha bonded with a symbiote alongside Hawkeye as they fight Damon Dran. |
| Black Widow: Venomous | #1 | September 2024 | Erica Schultz | Luciano Vecchio | A one-shot featuring Natasha bonded with a symbiote as a prologue to the Venom War story arc |
| Venom War: Venomous | Ongoing | October 2024 – present | Erica Schultz | Luciano Vecchio | Features Natasha and Anti-Venom (Flash Thompson) |
Tie-ins
editMultiple tie-in comic books based on Black Widow adaptations have been published.
| Title | Issues | Cover dates | Writer | Penciller | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Man 2 - Black Widow: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. | #1 | May 2010 | Joe Casey | Matt Camp | Tie-in to the film Iron Man 2 |
| Marvel's The Avengers: Black Widow Strikes | #1–3 | July 2012 – August 2012 | Fred Van Lente | Various[g] | Tie-in to the film The Avengers |
| Marvel's Black Widow Prelude | #1–2 | March 2020 – April 2020 | Peter David | Carlos Villa | Tie-in to the film Black Widow |
| Marvel's Avengers: Black Widow | #1 | May 2020 | Christos Gage | Michele Bandini | Tie-in to the video game Marvel's Avengers |
Collected editions
edit| # | Title | Material Collected | Pages | Publication Date | ISBN |
| Black Widow: The Sting of the Widow | Tales of Suspense #52, The Amazing Spider-Man #86, Amazing Adventures vol. 2 #1–8, and Daredevil #81 | September 2, 2009 | 0-7851-3794-7 | ||
| Black Widow: Deadly Origin | Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1–4 | March 17, 2010 | 0-7851-4301-7 | ||
| Black Widow: Web of Intrigue | Marvel Fanfare #10–13, Bizarre Adventures #25, and Black Widow: The Coldest War | April 7, 2010 | 0-7851-4474-9 | ||
| Black Widow & The Marvel Girls | Black Widow & The Marvel Girls #1-4 | April 21, 2010 | 978-0785146995 | ||
| Hawkeye & Mockingbird / Black Widow: Widowmaker | Solo Avengers #16–18, Widowmaker #1–4 | April 20, 2011 | 0-7851-5205-9 | ||
| Marvel's the Avengers: Black Widow Strikes | Marvel's the Avengers: Black Widow Strikes #1-3 | September 19, 2012 | 978-0785165682 | ||
| Captain America and Black Widow | Captain America and Black Widow 636-640 | February 26, 2013 | 978-0785165286 | ||
| Black Widow: Marvel Team-Up | Marvel Two-In-One (1974) 10; Marvel Team-Up (1972) 57, 82-85, 98, 140-141; and material from Marvel Comics Presents (1988) 53, 70, 93 | 208 | March 24, 2020 | 978-1302922788 | |
| 1 | Black Widow Epic Collection: Beware the Black Widow | Tales Of Suspense (1959) 52-53, 57, 60, 64; Avengers (1963) 29-30, 36-37, 43-44; Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 86; Amazing Adventures (1970) 1-8; Daredevil (1964) 81; and material from Avengers (1963) 16, 32-33, 38-39, 41-42, 45-47, 57, 63-64, 76 | 408 | February 25, 2020 | 978-1302921262 |
| 2 | Black Widow Epic Collection: The Coldest War | Black Widow: The Coldest War (1990), Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web (1992), Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir (1993), Fury/Black Widow: Death Duty (1995) and Journey Into Mystery (1996) 517-519 and material from Bizarre Adventures (1981) 25, Marvel Fanfare (1982) 10-13, Solo Avengers (1987) 7, Marvel Comics Presents (1988) 135 & Daredevil Annual (1967) 10 | 480 | October 20, 2020 | 978-1302921309 |
| 3 | Black Widow Modern Era Epic Collection: Chaos | All-New Marvel NOW! Point One #1; Black Widow Vol. 5 (2014) #1-20; Punisher (2004) #9 | March 2024 | ||
| The Black Widow Strikes Omnibus | Tales of Suspense (1959) 52-53, 57, 60, 64; Avengers (1963) 29-30, 36-37, 43-44; Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 86; Amazing Adventures (1970) 1-8; Daredevil (1964) 81; Bizarre Adventures (1981) 25; Marvel Fanfare (1982) 10-13; Solo Avengers (1987) 7; Black Widow: Coldest War (1990); Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web (1992); Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir (1993); Marvel Comics Presents (1988) 135; Daredevil Annual (1967) 10; Fury/Black Widow: Death Duty (1995); Journey into Mystery (1951) 517-519; material from Avengers (1963) 16, 32- 33, 38-39, 41-42, 45-47, 57, 63-64, 76 | 896 | September 15, 2020 | 978-1302921279 | |
| Volume 1 & 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Widow: The Itsy-Bitsy Spider | Black Widow vol. 1, #1–3; Black Widow vol. 2, #1–3 | November 16, 2011 | 0-7851-5827-8 | ||
| Marvel Knights Black Widow by Grayson & Rucka: The Complete Collection | Black Widow vol. 1, #1–3; Black Widow vol. 2, #1–3; Black Widow: Pale Little Spider #1-3 | October 23, 2018 | 978-1302914004 | ||
| Volume 3 | |||||
| 1 | Black Widow: Homecoming | Black Widow vol. 3, #1–6 | May 11, 2005 | 0-7851-1493-9 | |
| 2 | Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her | Black Widow 2 vol. 3, #1–6 | June 7, 2006 | 0-7851-1768-7 | |
| Black Widow: Welcome to the Game | Black Widow vol. 3, #1–6; Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her #1-6 | 288 | January 21, 2020 | 978-1302921255 | |
| Volume 4 | |||||
| 1 | Black Widow: The Name of the Rose | Black Widow vol. 4 #1–5 and material from Enter the Heroic Age one-shot | 140 | January 5, 2011 | 0-7851-4354-8 |
| 2 | Black Widow: Kiss or Kill | Black Widow vol. 4 #6–8 and material from Iron Man: Kiss and Kill one-shot | 124 | August 10, 2011 | 0-7851-4701-2 |
| Black Widow: Widowmaker | Black Widow: Deadly Origin (2009) 1-4, Black Widow (2010) 1-8, Widowmaker (2010) 1-4, Fear Itself: Black Widow (2011) 1, Black Widow Saga (2010) 1; and material from Enter The Heroic Age (2010) 1, Iron Man: Kiss And Kill (2010) 1 | 464 | February 11, 2020 | 978-1302921446 | |
| Volume 5 | |||||
| 1 | The Finely Woven Thread | Black Widow Vol. 5 #1-6, All-New Marvel Now! Point One | 144 | July 29, 2014 | 978-0785188193 |
| 2 | The Tightly Tangled Web | Black Widow Vol. 5 #7-12, The Punisher (2014) #9 | 160 | February 3, 2015 | 978-0785188209 |
| 3 | Last Days | Black Widow Vol. 5 #13-20 | 176 | October 13, 2015 | 0785192530 |
| Volume 6 | |||||
| 1 | SHIELD's Most Wanted | Black Widow Vol. 6 #1-6 | 136 | November 8, 2016 | 978-0785199755 |
| 2 | No More Secrets | Black Widow Vol. 6 #7-12 | 136 | May 9, 2017 | 978-0785199762 |
| Black Widow by Waid & Samnee: The Complete Collection | Black Widow Vol. 6 #1-12 | 272 | March 17, 2020 | 978-1302921293 | |
| Volume 7 | |||||
| Black Widow: No Restraints Play | Black Widow Vol. 7 #1-5 | 112 | July 30, 2019 | 978-1302916732 | |
| Web of Black Widow | |||||
| Black Widow: The Web of Black Widow | The Web of Black Widow #1-5 | 112 | March 3, 2020 | 978-1302920074 | |
| Volume 8 | |||||
| 1 | The Ties That Bind | Black Widow Vol. 8 #1-5 | 112 | May 4, 2021 | 978-1302924836 |
| 2 | I Am The Black Widow | Black Widow Vol. 8 #6-10 | 112 | October 26, 2021 | 978-1302930134 |
| 3 | Die By The Blade | Black Widow Vol. 8 #11-15 | 112 | May 22, 2022 | 978-1302932541 |
| Black Widow by Kelly Thompson | Black Widow Vol. 8 #1-15 | 336 | June 11, 2024 | 978-1302952662 | |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^
- Gary Friedrich (#1–3)
- Mimi Gold (#4)
- Roy Thomas (#5–6, 8)
- Gerry Conway (#7)
- ^
- John Buscema (#1–2)
- Gene Colan (#3–5)
- Don Heck (#6–8)
- ^
- Gerry Conway (#92–96)
- Steve Gerber (#97–101, 103–107)
- Chris Claremont (#102)
- ^
- Gene Colan (#92–98, 100)
- Sam Kweskin (#99)
- Rich Buckler (#101)
- Syd Shores (#102)
- Don Heck (#103–106)
- William Robert Brown (#107)
- ^
- Salva Espin (#1, 3)
- Jacopo Camagni (#2)
- Takeshi Miyazawa (#4)
- ^
- Elena Casagrande (#1–5, 7–10, 12, 14–15)
- Carlos Gómez (#4)
- Rafael De Latorre (#5–6, 8, 10–11)
- Rafael Pimentel (#13, 15)
- ^
- Neil Edwards and Steve Kurth (#1)
- Ron Lim and Agustin Padilla (#2)
- Wellington Alves and Renato Arlem (#3)
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Towers, Andrea (July 8, 2021). "How Marvel Reinvented Black Widow". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Frankel, Valerie Estelle (2017). "'Eyes front, Ivan!' The Comic Books' Journey through Fashions and Men". In Ginn, Sherry (ed.). Marvel's Black Widow from Spy to Superhero: Essays on an Avenger with a Very Specific Skill Set. McFarland & Company. pp. 52–71. ISBN 978-0-7864-9819-2.
- ^ a b Weiner, Robert G. (2008). Marvel Graphic Novels and Related Publications: An Annotated Guide to Comics, Prose Novels, Children's Books, Articles, Criticism and Reference Works, 1965–2005. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5115-9.
- ^ a b Brooke, David (January 9, 2020). "Black Widow: Welcome To The Game Review". AIPT.
- ^ Meylikhov, Matthew (December 9, 2010). "Review: Widowmaker #1". Multiversity Comics.
- ^ Schedeen, Jesse (June 30, 2011). "Fear Itself: Black Widow #1 Review". IGN.
- ^ Brooke, David (May 31, 2017). "Secret Empire: Uprising #1 Review". AIPT. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ Brooke, David (October 27, 2020). "'Black Widow: Widow's Sting' #1 review". AIPT.
- ^ Christiansen, Connor (September 6, 2022). "Wastelanders review". AIPT.