#please read black widow people!! she's so fun and interesting and sometimes very unwell!!

[bestangelofall]

HI hope you are well! sorry if you’ve already done something like this and i’ve missed it, but i was wondering if you had any recommendations for people who want to get into black widow comics? i have very little marvel comic knowledge but your posts have made me want to read about black widow and i’m not sure where to start

Hi @strangesickness!! I am great :D and I hope you are well too :)

Also, hi anon who asked the same thing! I hope you're well too! I'll answer everything here.

Sorry for taking so long to reply to this... I was doing some reading and rereading of my own before making this post.

For a completionist reading list, I will refer to this link, which was recommended by someone here (I don't remember who, and I can't find my own post now 😭).

Note: I haven't read everything in that list, but I am randomly making my way through it. Also, I can speak more about Natasha's solos, so my rec list is mostly based on those.

In terms of personal preference and what I also consider important, I'd highlight the following: The Name of the Rose, Black Widow (2014) and Black Widow (2004).

The Name of the Rose

I think the last time I answered this question here, I recommended The Name of the Rose (Black Widow (2010) - #1-5, by Marjorie Liu) as a starting point, and I mostly still stand by that, in that if it's the only BW comic you'll ever read, read that one. I started with that one coming from the MCU, and I think it has everything that I like about Natasha: her protectiveness, ruthlessness, competence, and how much she *cares* about people and how that guides her actions. The art by Daniel Acuña is good too (though not my favorite, it serves the story well), but apart from the good characterization, what really shines is the prose itself. Some parts are very poetic, and I simply love the way Liu arranges words, I suppose.

This is my favorite comic book ever, and my only complaint is that Liu only wrote 5 issues of Black Widow and then never again... please bring her back!!!!

Note: BW2010 has another three issues and they are completely mid. Read them if you want, but I just want to make it clear that it's jarring to go from issues #1-5 to the rest of it lol, and i personally wouldn't recommend xD

Black Widow (2014)

If my complaint about The Name of the Rose is that it's too short, with Black Widow (2014) by Nathan Edmondson that is not an issue. This run is 20 issues long, and all of them are excellent! The characterization is spot-on, and once again, everything I love about Natasha is present here. Personally I think this is the run that goes deeper into her ethics, and the way Edmondson approaches the tragedy of her character and all the heartbreak and fucked-up-ness is very tasteful. Also, Liho (her cat) is in this run, and in a way that adds to her lore and characterization in a way that may be unexpected. Phil Noto's art is simply stunning (he's my favorite Natasha artist *by far*).

Personally, I consider The Name of the Rose and BW2014 *the* Black Widow comics, in terms of them being important and also good, but in a close third place comes Black Widow (2004).

Black Widow (2004)

Black Widow (2004) by Richard K. Morgan has some pretty important things of her lore appearing for the first time (I believe, anyone reading this please feel free to correct me) (like mind manipulation, more details about the Red Room, and interestingly, the pheromone thing from the BW movie comes from this comic too). I love the art style of Bill Sienkiewicz which is more artsy. Characterization-wise, what really shines here is the discussion of sexism. Defense of women is a huge thing for Natasha (you'll see that in The Name of the Rose and BW2014), but it's never as deeply discussed as it is here.

Now, there are other books that I liked, and that are solid, but that I simply don't find as good as the top tier books discussed above.

Black Widow (2016)

Black Widow (2016), by Chris Samnee and Mark Waid, is a fun run that has decent characterization but a somewhat repetitive plot (Natasha is on the run and all that, which I think both The Name of the Rose and BW2014 just do better... but then again, that's like, more than half her comics so it's not a completely fair complaint, I suppose). It has some Red Room lore, and I always love that. Samnee's art is really pretty to look at, too (some of the prettiest Nat is in this book, ngl). I definitely recommend it, because it's a solid run.

No Restraints Play (Black Widow 2019)

I recently read No Restraints Play, by Jen and Sylvia Soska, and I liked it a lot. I'd say it has a lot about what I love about Natasha that I already mentioned previously, but she's mentally less stable in this one, so compared to the rest of the recs here, she does more unhinged shit in this book (but not by much tbh... I think it's just the tone that gives that impression). I read it before reading Secret Empire and Tales of Suspense (discussed in more detail below), and I think that I didn't miss that much context that technically would be needed from those books.

Now, there's the section of "I like it because I ship Buckynat".

Captain America (2005)

Captain America (2005), by Ed Brubaker, is the book where Bucky comes back™. Natasha only appears from issue #27 onwards, so this is definitely a rec if are interested in the ship (although it is a very good run on its own, and obviously essential if you are interested in Bucky at all).

Winter Soldier (2012)

Winter Soldier (2012), by Ed Brubaker, features Natasha heavily, and while I don't love some of thing it does to her, I enjoy it for the ship and for the angst (it is also somewhat relevant for Natasha going forward, for example, the thing™ that happens here is referenced in Natasha's solos such as BW2014, but it isn't anything that you will be lost if you just google what happened if you want to skip this).

Moreover, books already mentioned previously, such as The Name of the Rose, BW2014 and BW2016 also have Buckynat content, but it's minor.

Apart from the three recs above, there are other comics that I really liked, though I can't say that all of them are exactly good.

Black Widow (1999) and Black Widow (2001)

So, are BW1999 and BW2001, by Devin Grayson, good? Ehhh. No. Specially in the case of BW1999 (the art of this one is also atrocious). Do they compel me? Immensely. I like these two because there's content of Natasha and Yelena being weird about each other. That's it. When I read them years ago I thought they were really mid *at best* (though I like the art style of BW2001 a lot), but on a reread a few months ago I got bitten by the Yelenat bug and developed a new appreciation for these minis.

Note: BW1999 is also Natasha's first solo, but in terms of characterization and lore it doesn't really establish a lot...

Secret Empire and Tales of Suspense

The gist is: Natasha dies in Secret Empire and then gets revived in tales of Suspense #103-104

I know most people hate Secret Empire. To be honest, I don't know a lot of Marvel beyond Natasha and some Bucky and Steve to hate on this properly, but the common complaint appears to be that everyone is OoC... except for Natasha.

I'm not gonna lie, I blorbo-read this one, asking "where is she" whenever Natasha wasn't in the panels xD (and I also read it because I want to write a meta-post and it seemed important for the theme I have in mind). All that being said, I think it has some *fantastic* Natasha moments... so make of that what you will.

Tales of Suspense #103-104 are incredibly fun, and I think it drops some incredibly fucked up bits of lore (that will likely never be explored to their full potential 😭), but it's not essential or anything...

And lastly, thing that I don't like but that might be important:

Black Widow: Deadly Origin

I personally don't like Black Widow: Deadly Origin, by Paul Cornell, but some people consider it to be important, as it does go into more detail about the Red Room and her backstory. It's not even that I dislike *what* happens in this book, but more that I don't think it was tastefully done (it's the misogyny). I think it all could have been handled better by another writer without even changing the events themselves. The art also doesn't help tbh. I would still recommend reading it for those Red Room bits and pieces, just maybe not as a priority.

Aaand that's all I have to recommend for now! I hope this is helpful and can make you take the dive into Black Widow comics, because Natasha is a fascinating character!