Black Widow: Widowmaker

Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1-4

by Paul Cornell

Thrilling adventures of Marvel's deadliest superspy! Natasha's shadowy past once again threatens all she holds dear in a globe-hopping thriller! As the Black Widow's house of cards comes crashing down around her, what will she do to keep her deepest secret buried? When a senator is seduced and assassinated, why does the trail followed by his journalist son lead back to Natasha? Meanwhile, espionage agents around the world are being assassinated by an all-new Ronin! The next two targets: Black Widow and Mockingbird! But Hawkeye is determined to unmask the killer! Let the spy games begin! COLLECTING: 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; MATERIAL FROM ENTER THE HEROIC AGE (2010) 1, IRON MAN: KISS AND KILL (2010) 1

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Superheroes, Science Fiction

464 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2026

About the author

Paul Cornell is a British writer of science fiction and fantasy prose, comics and television. He's been Hugo Award-nominated for all three media, and has won the BSFA Award for his short fiction, and the Eagle Award for his comics. He's the writer of Saucer Country for Vertigo, Demon Knights for DC, and has written for the Doctor Who TV series. His new urban fantasy novel is London Falling, out from Tor on December 6th.

via Wikipedia @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Cor...

Reviews

[James]

Deadly Origins - 2.75 stars
Black Widow 1-8 - first 5 issues 4 stars
Issues 6-8 - 3.25 stars
Widowmaker - 3 stars
Fear itself: Black Widow - 3 stars
Iron Man: Kiss and Kill - 3 stars
Enter The Heroic Age - 3 stars
Needless to say, Marjorie Liu’s stuff was the highlight of this book.

[Connie]

I read this book via Kindle Unlimited.

This is a collection of key stories surrounding the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff. This takes the works of different creators and compiles them into one place to give a good overview of Nat's character in a wider context. Firstly, can we just talk about Nat, Bucky and Logan's dynamic firstly? Secondly, can we talk about Bucky? We all know BuckyNat is my favourite Marvel relationship and I'm so happy I got so much of it in this collection. The art was great and although in some places, it dipped pace wise, overall I think I got a much better grasp and understanding of Nat as a character.

[Dakota Morgan]

I did not realize this was a collection of Black Widow comics from 2009-2011 when I put it on hold at the library. Upon receiving it and noticing the heft, I assumed the stories would all tie together, or at least tie in to the upcoming Black Widow movie.

Disappointment all around. Widowmaker is a grab bag of Black Widow tales from back in the day when she was still best known for being super sexy and having had relationships with most of the Avengers. Neat! There are a few four-issue arcs in Widowmaker, about half of which are satisfying from an action-adventure standpoint. The one-shots are universally bad. If you're interested in learning about Black Widow as a character or would like to witness any character growth, be prepared for a let-down. Some of the art was decent, but some of it was really quite bad.

Hunt down the original TPBs if you're interested in this era of Black Widow. As a collection, Widowmaker is incoherent and underwhelming.

[Mike Priestland]

A great journey through the many decades in her life from her time in 1940's to the modern day.

Highly recommended for fans of the character that want to see all the decisions, secrets and relationships that make up Ms Romonoff.

[Bree Zorrilla]

Thought it was a kinda fun limited series but it all felt so misogynistic and obvious it was written by a group of men. Also, the artwork was REALLY hard to get passed. Probably would have been better with a different style or more consistency :/

[FrontalNerdaty]

This collection of Widow stories is an ideal start for anyone looking to get to know more about Natasha. The mini series Deadly Origin is a basic retelling of her connections to various Marvel mainstays, an explanation of her powers and a somewhat successful way to bring back characters from older runs. It’s let down by a less than great ending but the flashbacks are fun. Another series is issues 1 - 8 of a run written by Majorie Liu and art by Daniel a Acuna. It’s an excellent start of a series with a story that doesn’t just rely on tropes with art that isn’t there for titillation. It’s a shame it’s cut short. The story from Iron Man is a neat way to have Widow team up with Tony but is by no means an essential read. Rounding out the collection is the Widowmaker mini series which sees Widow team up with Hawkeye and Mockingbird; it’s not a must read but it is enjoyable.

[mel]

Black Widow 2010 really stole the show in this one, especially the Name of the Rose part. It was everything I could ever want from a Black Widow run, that is definitely a 5 stars read. Kiss or Kill 4 stars. The deadly origins was an enjoyable 3.5. Widowmaker was a 4. Over all a really fun read and good insight on Natasha Romanova!! Would 100% recommend!!

[Lily Keller]

Can’t really rate this collection since it was such a mixed bag. Deadly origin was a 1/10, it was definitely my least favorite comic I’ve encountered so far, holy cats, I am so salty about it. But name of the rose was a solid 8/10 (see what happens when we let women write??) Widowmaker was like 6/10 and the rest was kinda forgettable.

[alibraryofalana ☾]

the name of the rose 10/10, absolutely stunning, phenomenal, brilliant, why was it only 5 issues ???😫😫

enjoyed the collection either way, lol

[Glyn]

Why are comics like this.

Okay so I first was trying to track down “Deadly Origin” for a book club I’m in where we read comics. This included one of the other potential picks (I forget which), so I picked up the whole collection. It wasn’t until after that, that I realized this collection *also* included “The Name of the Rose”. God, comics are confusing.

Breakdown by the different stories below;

Deadly Origin: 3/5 - cool art in flashbacks. A bit immature. Only shows Natasha’s male paramours - no (female) friends. Ivan, father figure, wanting to bang her is gross. Dislike Natalia as a super soldier but her as an immortal is cool. Some great moments too.

The Name of the Rose - 5/5. Awesome art, awesome writing, awesome story. Just overall fantastic.

Enter the Heroic Age, “Coppelia”: 1/5 — What the fuck was this, what’s the point. Seems like a one-off one shot??

Iron Man: Kiss and Kill, “Iron Widow”: 1/5 — Again, what is happening. What’s the point.

Kiss or Kill: 2/5 (so far). Art is super male gaze-y. Story is meh but Natasha is cool in it.

Widowmaker: 3/5 — OH NO douchey clint design, total jar head. Looks like Fred from Scooby Doo. Natasha and Bobbi being jealous of each other, seriously?? Dominic Fortune - ANOTHER super soldier?? How many ppl got the serum, lmao. Aw racist Clint no. Woo Fantasma redemption! Overall, fun to finally see Clint show up and interact with Nat! I need more of those two interacting. ):

Fear Itself: Black Widow: 2/5 — Idk, seems cool but it starts in the middle of a storyline, what the fuck is going on?? Also wow seems like Nat’s more bloodthirsty here.

I can kinda see how the stories fit together, but idk. Still rly confusing. I especially wanna know what’s up with the Fear Itself one, what happened before and what happened after.

[Linnea]

3.5 stars for the overall compilation -- Unlike other Omnibuses which have an overarching plot, Widowmaker is a fairly scattered mix of Widow stories which makes it so that the pretty good (Deadly Origin) and the really great (The Name of the Rose) is mixed in with the decently good (Widowmaker, Kiss or Kill) and everything is brought down entirely by the random, just plain bad one-shots that serve as unnecessary fluff (everything else).

I read The Name of the Rose and Kiss or Kill separately so in my mind they aren't connected to anything else in this Omnibus which is fortunate for the former which I loved on its own, and therefore wasn't overshadowed by the lesser stories in this compilation; but was unfortunate for the latter since it should never have been published as a stand-alone since it really needs to be read with Widowmaker to be worthwhile... especially since it was padded with not one but two mediocre stories, one of which didn't even feature Black Widow.

I absolutely adored the art for The Name of the Rose (up there with my favorites) but other than the backstory art in Deadly Origin, I didn't really like any of the other styles, making already lackluster comics just that much worse. As other reviewers mentioned, many of these comics were clearly written and drawn by men for men...

[Susan]

Black Widow in "Kiss and Kill": I don't believe in torture.
Black Widow from "Deadly Origin" and "Name of the Rose": laughs herself sick.

It is super f*cking creepy that Ivan is obsessed with getting it on with a woman he has known since infancy. Apparently we can blame the editor for that, but his name is only in a general group in the table of contents. So there's a 1/5 chance of any particular editor being that specific pervert.

Putting all these together really emphasizes how Marvel has messed with Natasha's continuity and character over the years. She is sometimes so different that this could practically read as a bunch of alternate universes.

[Ally Fesmire]

Deadly Origin: 2 stars
Black Widow 1-5: 5 stars
Enter the Heroic Age: 5 stars
Iron Man: Kiss and Kill: 3 stars
Black Widow 6-8: 3.5 stars
Widowmaker: 4 stars
Fear Itself: 4 stars

Which gives the book an average of 3.7 rounded up to 4. Marjorie Liu's work stands out. Her story was good, and her Black Widow was most believably a real woman (even wearing clothes that real women wear, like ballet flats, pea coats, and hats).

[DOUGLAS J BERRY]

Not the definitive black widow library, just several hundred pages.

Prime and marvel freebie. Suitable for teens and adults. Good color artwork. So many spy on spy stories hard to describe them all. Black Widow vs Ivan or Alexis are the most personel? Though the black rose arc is revealing as well. Just in time for July 9 2021 movie release.

[Jason Scott]

I didn't make it through this, but holy shit was it awful. The deadly origins storyline was the kind of soap opera multiple writers tying things together without a plot.

I hate how misogynistic the Black Widow back story is. I hope they retcon a lot of that for the solo movie.

[liya :)]

what if your FATHER FIGURE who lowkey ADOPTED YOU and RAISED YOU and made you into an ASSASSIN actually wanted to KISS YOU and be with you ROMANTICALLY and when you said you saw him as your FATHER he decided to KILL EVERYBODY YOU'VE EVER LOVED and when you wouldn't let him he BLAMED YOU for ruining HIS life and tried to get you to KISS HIM when he called himself your "UNCLE IVAN" and when you wouldn't he tried to KILL YOU

[Brannigan]

This is a fun collection of different Black Widow limited series and one off issues. I really liked it. There’s a variety of writers and artists so if you’re a fan or want to try the character out this is for you. If you’re a completist double check to make sure you don’t already have these stories.

[luciddreamer99]

Mostly good stories, though a few of them seem to end too quickly. More of a super spy saga than a gritty realistic spy thriller. Fans of the movie version of Black Widow may like this. The art is a mixed bag, but it's mostly good. Some neat extra features, including a variant cover section I enjoyed.

[Alexandre]

Nothing groundbreaking but fun stories and art is excellent throughout. The story flows well, the character is just not super interesting outside the usual stuff. It's like a nice sheet of paper, clean and flat and you get the writing but dept ... Yeah no.

[Christine]

If you love Black Widow's story arc, definitely check out these comics. They're a great starting point, and I personally enjoyed her background stories involving Russia. Just don't expect it to be the same as the film adaptions.

[James]

You said I pick sides. I pick good guys. I pick winners. I pick regret and kindness and mercy.

It's not the length of a life that matters just the depth of it.

A good retelling of the origin of Black Widow. They use her talents well in the current story lines.

[Craig]

Kind of an incoherent collection of a bunch of unrelated Black Widow stories. The art isn't the greatest, either. I was actually kind of liking this at first, until the hunt for the new Ronin went on and on and on and..........on...

[Meg]

This is a fantastic collection of some of Black Widow's greatest stories. I highly recommend for any Marvel fan

[Xroldx]

A mixed bag of Black Widow stories. Some worked well others didn't. Marvel could do so much more with Black Widow than they do.

[Debra Cook]

A large anthology of the adventures of Black widow.

[Dav]

I tried but couldn’t get into it. Didn’t care for the art and couldn’t get into the story.

[bri 🧸]

invented murder <3

[Chad Jordahl]

Too much stereotypical super-people for my preference. Some of the stories were ok, some of the writing pretty good, some of the art not bad. But a lot was meh to bleh.

[Patrick Book]

Low-stakes comics are way better than what they stuff into their movies, as far as I can tell.

[Yuri]

It was good, however Black Widow stories usually are very tiresome because they’re essentially the same plot with minor changes.