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The Web of Black Widow #1-5
The Web of Black Widow
Black Widow: Year one! One of Marvel Comics' longest-running female heroes finally gets her due! Natasha Romanoff is the deadliest spy in the Marvel Universe and the beating heart of the Avengers. But when a mysterious figure starts exploiting her past, the Widow may have to go back to Black - and off the grid. Who can she trust in this web of deceit? And more importantly - can her friends trust her? Don't miss the spy tale of the century! COLLECTING: THE WEB OF BLACK WIDOW 1-5
112 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2020
17 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
March 9, 2022
A great comic, a great short read the artwork compliments the story and action perfectly. Even though it is 5 issues it feel like a quick read. Good story and great action and artwork.
Natasha Romanoff has been fighting her own memories. The sins of her past are being taken out on the heirs of her former employer. Has she thirst for vengeance taken her over the line? Will her former teammates have to stop her?
A great spy thriller, gritty and action packed. Black Widow is becoming my favourite Disney/Marvel series. Only complaint I have is it finished too quickly because I was enjoying it so much.the book finishes with a cover gallery a couple of full page spreads of the varient covers to issue 1, then 1/4 page thumbnails of the other covers.
Natasha Romanoff has been fighting her own memories. The sins of her past are being taken out on the heirs of her former employer. Has she thirst for vengeance taken her over the line? Will her former teammates have to stop her?
A great spy thriller, gritty and action packed. Black Widow is becoming my favourite Disney/Marvel series. Only complaint I have is it finished too quickly because I was enjoying it so much.the book finishes with a cover gallery a couple of full page spreads of the varient covers to issue 1, then 1/4 page thumbnails of the other covers.
May 10, 2021
2.5 stars
"Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. THE BLACK WIDOW, is an ex-KGB assassin trained in the notorious Red Room. She turned her back on Russia and joined the Avengers years ago, but the path to atonement is long, and there's still red in her ledger. Recently she was killed and resurrected as a clone with implanted memories. Now the past is coming back to her . . . and it's out for vengeance." -- the opening 'narration' crawl
With The Web of Black Widow it would seem as if Marvel writing staffers got together and placed bets on who could write the most generically streamlined story for said title character. Oh, the energy and illustrations in the sporadic fight scenes were good - there's not a hired goon / mook / bodyguard in sight that doesn't catch a foot or fist to the face from this one-woman wrecking ball. It's just that the narrative falls into semi-predictable lockstep, with the requisite flashbacks to her unusual childhood, the notion that she is 'going rogue' from her Avenger colleagues (a few have nice cameo moments interspersed throughout), and then a twist or two by the ending. It was just okay, but could've been better . . . and certainly this character (who will be getting her own solo movie) deserves better. And what in the world is going on with that weird cover art?! It looks like they were trying to make her appear like she's starring in some cheap horror paperback from the 70's!
"Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. THE BLACK WIDOW, is an ex-KGB assassin trained in the notorious Red Room. She turned her back on Russia and joined the Avengers years ago, but the path to atonement is long, and there's still red in her ledger. Recently she was killed and resurrected as a clone with implanted memories. Now the past is coming back to her . . . and it's out for vengeance." -- the opening 'narration' crawl
With The Web of Black Widow it would seem as if Marvel writing staffers got together and placed bets on who could write the most generically streamlined story for said title character. Oh, the energy and illustrations in the sporadic fight scenes were good - there's not a hired goon / mook / bodyguard in sight that doesn't catch a foot or fist to the face from this one-woman wrecking ball. It's just that the narrative falls into semi-predictable lockstep, with the requisite flashbacks to her unusual childhood, the notion that she is 'going rogue' from her Avenger colleagues (a few have nice cameo moments interspersed throughout), and then a twist or two by the ending. It was just okay, but could've been better . . . and certainly this character (who will be getting her own solo movie) deserves better. And what in the world is going on with that weird cover art?! It looks like they were trying to make her appear like she's starring in some cheap horror paperback from the 70's!
July 7, 2020
This was one was quite good; an entertaining enough spy story. I think I’m just a little disappointed it didn’t cover any new ground. We’ve seen the ‘dark secret from the Widow’s past’ storyline how many times now? Let’s see the Widow tackle some 100% modern threats without all the baggage. Enough is enough, already.
Aside: At some point, I’m going to sit down and work out how many Marvel heroes are actually still the original hero and not a clone with implanted memories or some such nonsense. I’m betting there’s only about five...
Aside: At some point, I’m going to sit down and work out how many Marvel heroes are actually still the original hero and not a clone with implanted memories or some such nonsense. I’m betting there’s only about five...
August 17, 2022
This was really good!
We get to see Nat fighting the Avengers and I love the cameos and short fight before we find who the real enemy and the return of Anya which was a cool twist and how she has been manipulating the events surrounding Nat and then even bigger twist in the end, the short and simple being its a kickass story which delves into the after-revival of Nat in "Tales of suspense" and gives her a solid footing yet again in MU and teams her with her Avengers mates again and I love the ending plus the art was too good, each page literally a marvel to look at! I highly recommend this one!
We get to see Nat fighting the Avengers and I love the cameos and short fight before we find who the real enemy and the return of Anya which was a cool twist and how she has been manipulating the events surrounding Nat and then even bigger twist in the end, the short and simple being its a kickass story which delves into the after-revival of Nat in "Tales of suspense" and gives her a solid footing yet again in MU and teams her with her Avengers mates again and I love the ending plus the art was too good, each page literally a marvel to look at! I highly recommend this one!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2020
I... didn't really enjoy any of this.
In a weird way, it felt like a prequel to a book that doesn't exist. Black Widow, much like Winter Solider and Logan, have comics that often just "reveal" parts of the character's mysterious past. Often, the past is left in the dark so that they can create new stories and add to canon. So, a lot of this is just flashbacks and using those experiences to shape the way the character relates to whatever current story the writer is telling.
Except, I don't really feel as if this story added anything. The flashbacks were really drawn out and seemed to vaguely infer who was coming after Natasha throughout the book.
I hovered between liking and kind of hating the artwork - it just wasn't to my tastes. It seemed a bit harsh in several places.
The story wasn't all that entertaining to me and Black Widow is one of my favorite characters.
Once again, this felt like a short series that could've been a single issue story. I personally didn't get anything out of this.
In a weird way, it felt like a prequel to a book that doesn't exist. Black Widow, much like Winter Solider and Logan, have comics that often just "reveal" parts of the character's mysterious past. Often, the past is left in the dark so that they can create new stories and add to canon. So, a lot of this is just flashbacks and using those experiences to shape the way the character relates to whatever current story the writer is telling.
Except, I don't really feel as if this story added anything. The flashbacks were really drawn out and seemed to vaguely infer who was coming after Natasha throughout the book.
I hovered between liking and kind of hating the artwork - it just wasn't to my tastes. It seemed a bit harsh in several places.
The story wasn't all that entertaining to me and Black Widow is one of my favorite characters.
Once again, this felt like a short series that could've been a single issue story. I personally didn't get anything out of this.
January 11, 2020
Pretty fun Black Widow story! So The Web of Black Widow, has Natasha be framed by someone who looks just like her and is committing crimes. Natasha must then dig into her past to find who is trying to ruin her name.
I myself was a big fan of Black Widow: No Restraints Play, which came out not too long before this series. I liked it for its R-rated violence and very dark subject matters; basically what a Rated-R Black Widow movie would be like. I was a bit disappointed that this series scaled back on that and told a bit more of a conventional story. It's still well-told by Jody Houser, who also wrote the Mother Panic series which was fantastic as well! But despite that, it's still a fun spy thriller story with some fun cameos from other Marvel characters. I also enjoyed what they did with Black Widow's past, kind of filling in the blanks which I loved. The art as well is great with covers by Jung-Geun Yoon which were great and the interiors by Stephen Mooney, who has an art style that I wasn't entirely into at first but it grew on me over time!
Overall, this was a good Black Widow series. If you're looking for a good Black Widow comic I could recommend this one after No Restraints Play!
I myself was a big fan of Black Widow: No Restraints Play, which came out not too long before this series. I liked it for its R-rated violence and very dark subject matters; basically what a Rated-R Black Widow movie would be like. I was a bit disappointed that this series scaled back on that and told a bit more of a conventional story. It's still well-told by Jody Houser, who also wrote the Mother Panic series which was fantastic as well! But despite that, it's still a fun spy thriller story with some fun cameos from other Marvel characters. I also enjoyed what they did with Black Widow's past, kind of filling in the blanks which I loved. The art as well is great with covers by Jung-Geun Yoon which were great and the interiors by Stephen Mooney, who has an art style that I wasn't entirely into at first but it grew on me over time!
Overall, this was a good Black Widow series. If you're looking for a good Black Widow comic I could recommend this one after No Restraints Play!
November 27, 2021
3.5 stars
A lot has been going on with the character of Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff prior to this series. I haven't read the volumes leading up to this, but I had no trouble following the story (thanks to the introduction included in my german edition).
(I kinda want to read the previous volumes now, though.)
The story itself wasn't groundbreaking, but it's actionpacked and entertaining and a very quick read. The art complements the story nicely, although I didn't like all of it - it sometimes was a little blurry, especially faces. Not outstanding, but good enough.
What I loved though were the characters. I enjoyed all the cameos - hell, there's one page that has literally all my favorite Marvel characters in one picture! Also the hints at Bucky and Nat's shared past - I'm so here for it! And Yelena, my dearest beloved and new favorite character since the long awaited Black Widow movie!
Despite some minor issues I still enjoyed reading this series. Would recommend for Black Widow fans.
A lot has been going on with the character of Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff prior to this series. I haven't read the volumes leading up to this, but I had no trouble following the story (thanks to the introduction included in my german edition).
(I kinda want to read the previous volumes now, though.)
The story itself wasn't groundbreaking, but it's actionpacked and entertaining and a very quick read. The art complements the story nicely, although I didn't like all of it - it sometimes was a little blurry, especially faces. Not outstanding, but good enough.
What I loved though were the characters. I enjoyed all the cameos - hell, there's one page that has literally all my favorite Marvel characters in one picture! Also the hints at Bucky and Nat's shared past - I'm so here for it! And Yelena, my dearest beloved and new favorite character since the long awaited Black Widow movie!
Despite some minor issues I still enjoyed reading this series. Would recommend for Black Widow fans.
July 28, 2020
A Black Widow tale seems to inevitably involve her being framed, dissing her friends, and going rogue in order to clear her name. Houser's ending almost manages to redeem her indulging in such a cliched framework for most of the book, but ultimately it is too little too late. Also, nothing is really provided to explain who the villain is once that person is revealed. I had to search the internet to find out that it was some nobody who had a history with our heroine. Big whoop. Who cares?
September 10, 2020
Ehhhh. I feel like we’re getting a lot of these minis to try to keep us excited about the film.
January 10, 2020
3.5 stars but I guess I’ll round up because I like Black Widow getting some comics put in rotation. The story was rolling along quite nicely with some nice twists and turns. Just the end didn’t hold up to the rest of the story.
July 28, 2021
I own this book.
I bought this book after seeing my friend haul it and I was not disappointed. In this story, we follow Nat as she deals with somebody using her face and going after her targets list. This is obviously making our somewhat reformed Natasha Romanoff look quite bad to her fellow Avengers. We see her meeting various of them as this other person acts as her; we see Tony, Bucky, Clint, Steve. I just loved this book. We get to see Nat trust in her own instincts and finally in the end, we see her trust her friends to help her with her cause. I loved the art in this collection and the storyline was great.
I bought this book after seeing my friend haul it and I was not disappointed. In this story, we follow Nat as she deals with somebody using her face and going after her targets list. This is obviously making our somewhat reformed Natasha Romanoff look quite bad to her fellow Avengers. We see her meeting various of them as this other person acts as her; we see Tony, Bucky, Clint, Steve. I just loved this book. We get to see Nat trust in her own instincts and finally in the end, we see her trust her friends to help her with her cause. I loved the art in this collection and the storyline was great.
October 23, 2020
Natasha Romanoff, a Viúva Negra é uma personagem que pode render ótimas histórias - e ela tem uma certa tradição nisso - se você entender a pesonagem e souber como usá-la. Nesta minissérie A Teia da Viúva Negra, Jody Hauser traz uma trama de espionagem sobre a espiã. Alguém está observando os passos de Natasha por aí e isso envolve a Viúva Negra trair diversos de seus amigos próximos como o Homem de Ferro, o Gavião Arqueiro, o Soldado Invernal e Yelena Belova. Entendi que o motivo pelo qual Natasha está sendo perseguida tem a ver com um personagem que também estará no filme dela, por isso, olhos abertos quando a ameaça se revelar. Mas mais do que isso é interessante que Jody Hauser e o desenhista Stephen Mooney souberam trabalhar uma característica da Viúva Negra que poucos artífices trabalham: ela foi treinada em ballet na Sala Vermelha, na antiga União Soviética, por isso, todos os seus movimentos de luta relembram passos de ballet. Assim temos ótimas sequencias sem diálogos tanto de espionagem quanto de movimentos de luta, pois parece que Natasha está dançando com os inimigos que enfrenta, tão leves e pensados são seus atos de combate. Este é o ponto mais interessante do quadrinhos e que me encantou por essa sábia decisão em usar este aspecto do passado da Viúva Negra.
June 29, 2024
Not really bad, but once again we get presented with the "mysterious repercussions" of a character's past, here complicated by her NOT EVEN BEING THAT CHARACTER as the Black Widow was killed two years earlier and then not resurrected but cloned.
Been there, read that.
The art is serviceable.
Been there, read that.
The art is serviceable.
April 11, 2021
when she grabbed the shield je tremble 🧎🏻♂️
March 3, 2024
The artwork looks amazing. Natasha has rarely been sexier, more graceful, while just as deadly. Her fighting style stands out, thanks to her using ballet moves. The other Avengers are around too, but mostly stand in her way. Ultimately, the story is centered on the idea of trust, but not in the way you might expect.
Natasha is hunting down the ones who employed her skills many years before. This is not an Avengers-sanctioned job, so she can't rely on backup. Not that she needs it. Her Avenger teammates try to stop her from doing something she might regret. She is also followed by a mysterious woman from the shadows.
Natasha is hunting down the ones who employed her skills many years before. This is not an Avengers-sanctioned job, so she can't rely on backup. Not that she needs it. Her Avenger teammates try to stop her from doing something she might regret. She is also followed by a mysterious woman from the shadows.
October 9, 2022
This was a very well written Natasha story. Nothing particularly groundbreaking, but it had my favorite marvel couple featured again (Winterwidow, Black Widow x Winter Soldier), Yelena Belova, and also my favorite Black Widow villain. Nothing was particularly new, and I felt like I have read this story before, but I really enjoyed the cast of characters featured.
October 27, 2023
2 1/2 stars. I liked the twist about Nat trusting her friends to help. The art is inconsistent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2020
I definitely missed something in the comics universe but what else is new? As long as I'm willing to go along with the fact that a character has died and come back as a clone, which I am, because comics, this was fun. Great to see Nat trusting her teammates :')
November 18, 2021
My first 'Black Widow' comic.
'The Web of Black Widow' was one of the two only 'Black Widow' comics I could find locally - physically in shops - and it's one of the more recent titles (and the shortest, making it a reason for me to choose it over the second one, to play it safe for newbie me). So probably not the best starting point in getting to know the Russian superspy and assassin outside of the MCU.
I never really cared for Natasha Romanoff/Romanova before, because of how stoic, underdeveloped, underutilised, sidelined, uncared for, and just how much a part of the Smurfette Principle problem she is, and how sexist her portrayal is overall (she's a "monster" because she's infertile - what the fuck, Joss Whedon?Though I shouldn't be surprised that that's how his mind works, the hypocritical, fraudulent bastard and abuser, and one of the straight white male privilege parasites of our dire times). But I enjoyed her solo movie that came out this year - which everyone can agree is far overdue; see sexism in superhero movies and in marketing - and I only now wanted to try my hand at reading her Marvel comic titles. These go back decades.
But a comic book reader has got to start somewhere, and with 'The Web of Black Widow', if I simply go with the spiderweb silk flow and be impressed by how kickass, smart and complex Natasha is when she's allowed the spotlight, I can enjoy it as its own thing. Even if I don't know who certain characters are, and no explanation is given to help out inexperienced readers; not even a mini dossier is added in a narration box or something. And what's this about Natasha being hundreds of years old? And a clone? Are her memories blocked or not? Is it just some of her memories? Is this linked to a feature/theme of her being a mystery even to herself?
I guess I've become highly accustomed to the way superhero comics are, as these elements actually don't bother me enough to hinder my enjoyment of the story.
I mean really, at this point, who isn't a clone in Marvel comics?
'The Web of Black Widow' is a short, violent mystery spy thriller, where nothing is as it seems. Here, Black Widows bite and kill as well as plot and pounce.
Natasha Romanoff is not to be dismissed as some sexy spy cliché and femme fatale. She is not an object of the straight male fantasy. She has many, many unaccountable layers, and she is a force to be reckoned with. Her tragic past, her tragic present, her redemption arc, her extraordinary, almost unnatural skills, her determination, her love life (minimal compared to everything else about her), her trust issues, her warming up to her friends, including the Avengers - she is an even better James Bond.
I'm glad I finally gave Black Widow a chance. In comics, it seems like her potential is fully realised, no holds barred. Decades of development helps, but so does good writing, and legitimately really liking a female character.
I will continue to read more about this superheroine and antiheroine soon.
Final Score: 3.5/5
'The Web of Black Widow' was one of the two only 'Black Widow' comics I could find locally - physically in shops - and it's one of the more recent titles (and the shortest, making it a reason for me to choose it over the second one, to play it safe for newbie me). So probably not the best starting point in getting to know the Russian superspy and assassin outside of the MCU.
I never really cared for Natasha Romanoff/Romanova before, because of how stoic, underdeveloped, underutilised, sidelined, uncared for, and just how much a part of the Smurfette Principle problem she is, and how sexist her portrayal is overall (she's a "monster" because she's infertile - what the fuck, Joss Whedon?
But a comic book reader has got to start somewhere, and with 'The Web of Black Widow', if I simply go with the spiderweb silk flow and be impressed by how kickass, smart and complex Natasha is when she's allowed the spotlight, I can enjoy it as its own thing. Even if I don't know who certain characters are, and no explanation is given to help out inexperienced readers; not even a mini dossier is added in a narration box or something. And what's this about Natasha being hundreds of years old? And a clone? Are her memories blocked or not? Is it just some of her memories? Is this linked to a feature/theme of her being a mystery even to herself?
I guess I've become highly accustomed to the way superhero comics are, as these elements actually don't bother me enough to hinder my enjoyment of the story.
I mean really, at this point, who isn't a clone in Marvel comics?
'The Web of Black Widow' is a short, violent mystery spy thriller, where nothing is as it seems. Here, Black Widows bite and kill as well as plot and pounce.
Natasha Romanoff is not to be dismissed as some sexy spy cliché and femme fatale. She is not an object of the straight male fantasy. She has many, many unaccountable layers, and she is a force to be reckoned with. Her tragic past, her tragic present, her redemption arc, her extraordinary, almost unnatural skills, her determination, her love life (minimal compared to everything else about her), her trust issues, her warming up to her friends, including the Avengers - she is an even better James Bond.
I'm glad I finally gave Black Widow a chance. In comics, it seems like her potential is fully realised, no holds barred. Decades of development helps, but so does good writing, and legitimately really liking a female character.
I will continue to read more about this superheroine and antiheroine soon.
Final Score: 3.5/5
February 21, 2022
I don't know why the ratings for this are so low lol I thought this was solid? I get that it doesn't do anything particularly new or groundbreaking but it was very entertaining.
Any Black Widow comic that makes her an actual badass person instead of a sexy sex object has my vote. While Natasha was drawn sexy, it didn't feel overdone like some other comics I've had the displeasure to read. She was built as fuck in here and she just looked so powerful.
I love when Natasha is just going off doing her spy / revenge shit and her Avengers pals are like whoa!! and then try to stop her from killing / other things that don't live up to their morality standards. It was nice seeing some of them in here, especially the Winter Soldier. 😍 Natasha and him interacting always has me acting uP.
You could literally just recycle the same kind of Black Widow spy thriller / mystery and I would still eat it right up. And I'd do it again!!
Any Black Widow comic that makes her an actual badass person instead of a sexy sex object has my vote. While Natasha was drawn sexy, it didn't feel overdone like some other comics I've had the displeasure to read. She was built as fuck in here and she just looked so powerful.
I love when Natasha is just going off doing her spy / revenge shit and her Avengers pals are like whoa!! and then try to stop her from killing / other things that don't live up to their morality standards. It was nice seeing some of them in here, especially the Winter Soldier. 😍 Natasha and him interacting always has me acting uP.
You could literally just recycle the same kind of Black Widow spy thriller / mystery and I would still eat it right up. And I'd do it again!!
January 12, 2022
Man, I feel like I read the first issue of this somewhere, but dang it, I can’t remember where. Anyway. It was okay?? I hated the art, tho the action looked good, and I enjoyed the characters and I really need to figure out what preceded this run tho. And track down some of the variant covers cos they’re gorgeous.
March 7, 2020
Safe Marvel
May 17, 2021
Um roteiro bem amarrado e uma arte com cenas de ação e narrativa gráfica realmente boas.
July 29, 2022
This was a big fat YES! I liked this a lot.
October 7, 2021
this "red on her ledger" type stories are getting old, but what can i say? i'm a sucker for team-ups.
February 29, 2024
this was my first marvel comic ever, it was okay? kind of disappointing tbh, I'm sorry but webtoon beats this with its hands tied
October 27, 2020
This was... ok. The art was moody and had interesting montage-y layouts. The plot, well, it was relatively incomprehensible. Or rather, I was following it well enough but then by the end I had no idea what was going on. This is because I had no idea who "Anya" was. When her name was revealed I went back through the whole book looking for a reference to her, to no avail. I suspect this is a character who showed up in Secret Empire, which is apparently the catalyst for this whole story. It's deeply unsatisfying to read a spy story with a mystery antagonist only to not know who they are once it's revealed. On the other hand, I did really enjoy the "twist" that Nat was secretly keeping the avengers/her friends in the loop, but making it look like they all weren't trusting her. That was good, and satisfying. So a bit of a mixed bag. I think I need to try to find the abridged version of Nat's story from Secret Empire and read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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