Web of Black Widow #1 Review: The Perfect Spy Thriller

Black Widow has been a member of the Avengers for just as long as many and, with her own movie on the horizon, it was but a matter of time before the House of Ideas started pushing the character hard in their publishing initiatives. Oftentimes these stories are pumped out at a rapid pace to ensure that enough content is in the market and fresh for audiences spinning out of the movie, sometimes without a strong commitment to quality.

Thankfully, for fans of the former KGB spy, Web of Black Widow far exceeds those expectations. Actually, it downright shatters the norm on its way to being one of the most exciting new issues out this week.

When you read a story featuring Black Widow, you almost expect a certain mischievous undertone to it all, right? It’s like if Loki actually had a backbone and a pair of guns—and Web of Black Widow does an excellent job of laying that all out without becoming overbearing or annoying. Natasha is up to something and, of course, we don’t know what it is. The secrecy is there and that’s what makes the comic so much more exciting.

About halfway through, the comic features one of the coolest two-page spreads of Natasha dodging bullet fire while weaving from one side of the page to the next delivered by the team of artist Stephen Mooney and colorist Trîona Farrell. Another thing that makes the character great is—even though many readers require witty banter and dialogue—that Black Widow is somebody who can tell a story by her actions from panel to panel.

That said, the biggest plus of the book is having the delightful Jody Houser on hand to set up an interesting premise, one that’s comfortable not overhauling the character, yet fresh enough to keep the story interesting for old fans.

Web of Black Widow is an incredibly fun, action-packed read. The story is exciting and, if you’re a fan of all things James Bond or Jason Bourne, this will be right up your alley. Natasha Romanoff puts both of those super-spies to shame in these pages. Equal parts sexy-spy-thriller and blood-pumping-action-blockbuster, Web of Black Widow is peak Romanoff, there’s no denying it.

Published by Marvel Comics

On September 4, 2019

Written by Jody Houser

Art by Stephen Mooney

Colors by Trîona Farrell

Letters by Cory Petit

Cover by Junggeun Yoon