Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Ties That Bind

Black Widow (2020)

by Kelly Thompson (Writer), Adam Hughes, Elena Casagrande (Illustrator)

Kelly Thompson. Black Widow. 'Nuff Said! The best-selling, Eisner-nominated writer of CAPTAIN MARVEL joins rising star artist Elena Casagrande to change everything for Natasha Romanoff! The Widow has been a spy almost as long as she's been alive. And she's never stopped running, whether she was working for the good guys or the bad. But now something is very wrong with Natasha: she's...happy?! Retirement definitely agrees with the world's deadliest woman, as she revels in the perfect life that she never dreamed she could have. But scratch the surface of that perfect life and you'll find something very wrong lurking beneath it...and a woman like Nat just can't help but scratch. Beyond San Francisco's Golden Gate lies a mystery that only the Marvel Universe's greatest spy can solve! Prepare for a heartbreaking, can't-miss thrill ride! COLLECTING: BLACK WIDOW (2020) 1-5

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2021

About the author

KELLY THOMPSON has a degree in Sequential Art from The Savannah College of Art & Design. Her love of comics and superheroes have compelled her since she first discovered them as a teenager. Currently living in Portland, Oregon with her boyfriend and the two brilliant cats that run their lives, you can find Kelly all over the Internet where she is generally well liked, except where she's detested.

Kelly has published two novels - THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING (2012) and STORYKILLER (2014) and the graphic novel HEART IN A BOX from Dark Horse Comics (2015). She's currently writing ROGUE & GAMBIT, HAWKEYE, and PHASMA for Marvel Comics and GHOSTBUSTERS for IDW. Other major credits include: A-Force, Captain Marvel & The Carol Corps, Jem and The Holograms, Misfits, Power Rangers Pink, and the creator-owned mini-series Mega Princess.

Kelly's ambitions are eclipsed only by her desire to exist entirely in pajamas. Fortunately pajamas and writers go hand in hand (most of the time). Please buy all her stuff so that she can buy (and wear) more pajamas.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this one but the dialogue and art sucked me in.



Kelly Thompson is becoming one of those authors that I watch for now, and she's really the only reason I decided to go ahead and check this one out.
I don't know what it is, but Black Widow just isn't a character that I actively seek to read about on a regular basis. I've read some good titles with her in it, so I think it's just BW's lack of superpowers or something.



Nat gets amnesia after getting tossed off a building and wakes up with the perfect husband and child. Her child. Like, for real.
How? Well, that's what Clint and Bucky are trying to figure out, because she hasn't been missing that long and she remembers nothing but her new perfect life.
Do they even want to 'wake' her up? Or would leaving her to her fairytale be the kinder thing?
Oh, you know those two aren't going to leave well enough alone.



I remember not entirely trusting Thompson's first volume of Aquaman, then thinking that she just nailed that entire run by the time it was over. So, I'm going to trust her to take this character in the right direction, too.
Edit: Wrong Kelly. That one is the Deconnick Kelly. But I guess that's a good thing because I never would have picked this up, otherwise.



Ok, and while I don't know how I feel about the idea that Black Widow secretly pines to be a wife and mother, I do know that the friendships (both male and female) were done so very well in The Ties That Bind. Clint, Bucky, & Yelena all had her back no matter what. It was nice to see.
I'm looking forward to reading more.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Who wants to finally #$@%ing kill the Black Widow?" -- Snapdragon, an assassin

Mere pages into The Ties That Bind the Black Widow, after completing a cloak-and-dagger mission along with Captain America and Hawkeye, is seen tumbling to a certain death from a Manhattan skyscraper . . . and then there is a sudden jump cut to 'San Francisco - three months later.' It seems that Natasha Romanoff is now a successful architect in the Bay Area with a handsome live-in boyfriend and an adorable toddler son, and she is unaware of her colorfully edgy past. Say wha-wha-what???!!! While it may not be the most original plot - with its old-school use of amnesia and/or brainwashing on our titular heroine - this graphic novel was a nicely lean suspense/adventure tale that was crafted with a sense of style by the sure hand of scribe Kelly Thomspon (possibly best known for her excellently humorous work on the series featuring the Kate Bishop incarnation of Hawkeye). It was amusing to observe the round table of grudge-holding villains and villainesses bickering over how to best eliminate Widow (see that opening quote), and it was heartwarming to watch a trio of her steadfast friends trying to safely extricate Widow from this situation. Then there were all the great vigor-infused two-page action sequences with our Widow confidently wiping the floor with a bunch of would-be killers and kidnappers while not even breaking a sweat.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Black Widow story I have read. The story is great. The artwork compliments the story perfectly, and the fights are cinematically perfect.

Natalia is living her perfect life with her perfect family. Who is the voice in her head telling her things are wrong? What happened, and who are there "old friends" lurking in the background. Where does she get these amazing skills to fight and protect. Thrills for speed and danger.

This is an awesome start to what I hope is going to be a long series. I can't wait to see next for Natasha. Can things ever be the same? What is the new direction?

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Kelly Thompson and co., for giving this lifelong Black Widow fan his favourite Nat story ever! This book was amazing. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, the writing is top drawer and the story broke my heart. It really got me where I live.

My only minor grumble is that they pulled the whole 'different artist for the flashbacks' thing, which I'm not a fan of, but the rest of the book was so damned good I'm going to let it go this time.

I really couldn't ask for a better BW book and I eagerly await volume two.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Widow goes missing for three months. She's seen three months later living her best life with a husband and young child. Is she in deep cover? Does she remember who she is? If not, should her friends wake her up from this existence or is she truly happy? This was really well done. Elena Casagrande's art is invoking some Adam Hughes vibes for me. It's crisp and clear with great action sequences. Along with Jordie Bellaire's colors, this book looks terrific. Kelly Thompson is quickly becoming the next sure bet when it comes to great comics.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed with familiar faces and new additions, this is an emotional rollercoaster of a story. There's a wonderful element of mystery which drives the narrative and keeps the reader hooked from start to finish. That paired with neat action sequences, great dialogue, and amazing art makes this one of the most engaging and well rounded Black Widow stories.

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was just a delight (albeit somewhat of a downer). Awesome story and art. I'm in.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Black Widow is missing. But in San Francisco, a strangely familiar redheaded woman, with a new husband and baby, has appeared as if from nowhere. What is their connection, and where is the real Black Widow?

Okay, this was brilliant. Absolutely superb from start to finish. Kelly Thompson tackles another character from the Marvel stable and makes them entirely her own. The plotline here is something that I've not seen before, and it fits Natasha and her history very well; there aren't many other characters that this story would work with at all. You almost don't want it all to fall apart, but when it does, it's somehow both satisfying and heartbreaking all at once. With some great guest stars, including some unexpected faces, I can't fault the storytelling here at all.

The artwork's also phenomenal. Elena Casagrande seems to have leveled up, because her work here is leagues ahead of what I've seen of hers before. The flow of the fight scenes, the emotions on display, and the beautiful colouring from Jordie Bellaire make every page a delight. Adam Hughes' covers are also great, without leaning too hard into the cheesecake like he can sometimes.

Black Widow's had many ongoing series over the years, all with very different approaches. Kelly Thompson and Elena Casagrande's first arc stands up against the very best of them, and I cannot wait to see what they do with/to poor Natasha next.

[Tiag⊗ the Mutant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elena Casagrande is the selling point of this book, she illustrates action quite well, with stunning cinematic panels beautifully colored in shades of black and red, unfortunately I didn't care for the story, three stars.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

So with a big splash film out, I thought I should read one of my first Black Widow comics in a very long time, and this one came up as one of the best. And I liked it quite a bit, though there are no real surprises here on what needs to happen to ensure Black Widow returns. Natasha is in a rare place--happy--as she has had her memories erased and is living in the suburbs with a perfect husband, a baby, a dog, a cool bike, and so on. One night she sees a woman being attacked by 6 or 7 guys and she takes care of them. Just like riding a bike, you say, doing the superhero thing, you never lose it, but she doesn't remember being on this particular superhero bike. How did I get these skills?!

Then Clint (Hawkeye) and Bucky plot to rescue her, as she begins to see that Hydra has done this to her and well, no surprises here, she has to leave that scene to once again be Black Widow. So the set up is not all that original or mind-shattering, but the art is very good and the dialogue, too.

So kudos to Kelly Thompson, the writer, illustrator Elena Casagrande and colorist jordie Bellaire, a cool women-centric team, obviously. With some cool enough action and pathos to boot.

Speaking of color, I was reminded when looking at this of Richard Thompson's song, "52 Vincent Black Lightning": "Red hair and black leather, my favourite colour scheme." That's Black Widow, all right.

Thinking of a suburban woman/action hero, I saw touches of Lady killer, by Joëlle Jones. And it reminded me of stuff such as Tom King's The Vision.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa a Black Widow comic I enjoyed?

First let us talk about the art. It is fantastic. Some of the clearest and best fight scenes in comics in some time for me. It also helps Thompson gives a great script with lots of funny moments and a ton of heart to Natasha. On top of all that we get some emotional payoff with some shockingly sad moments yet some major growth for Black Widow as a character.

I'd say the weakest part of this whole story was we know it would almost restart despite giving us a new status quo for a few issues. Which made me sad because I'd love to see how Natasha would of had to deal with the major changes. However, Natasha has changed completely changed by the end in one major way and I want to see where Kelly Thompson takes her next.

A 4 out of 5.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good! We pick up with Natalia and find that she has the perfect life and a husband and a son and a good job but she has moments where she lapses and old memories surface that leads to some questionable actions and we have Hawkeye and Winter Soldier on the lookout as to whats happening but then we find that not everything is perfect in paradise. A cabal of villains had brainwashed her and now want to destroy it to take the perfect revenge and then what happens to the family after and how Natasha fights back along with her allies and is she able to save her family or not is the main story of the volume. I like how this changes Widow and even in the end when she says "Revenge is never ending and useless" and decides to become a hero! Just wow, a welcome change and probably one of the best Widow stories ever! And then the art is just next level, the choreography and the action sequences just wow! A great start and the future volumes look super promising!

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Long Kiss Goodnight homage? That was my first thought, but Kelly Thompson works some magic to grow that seed into the best Black Widow story I've read (or seen -- sorry, ScarJo). Stellar art too!

I've been picking up some more of Thompson's work since enjoying Heart in a Box so much, and this is the first that comes close to the creativity I saw there. I hope the series lasts long enough for another volume or two. (Black Widow series come and go so fast . . . )

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Black Widow story has a bit action, a bit of intrigue, and a bit of mystery. Plus the art is fantastic. The only thing that I didn't care for is that Black Widow is taken out of action for a large part of this book. Those parts of the story feel a bit slow. However, the parts of the story where she plays an active role are top class.

[Karla · Rating 1 out of 5]

it baffles me the lack of creativity writers now have with natasha and the only thing they can do is inject more unnecessary trauma and pain in her stories and the character itself.
this was one of the worst runs and you could’ve saved me 4 issues of just messiness and suffering. that fake family thing is lazy and so stupid, seriously? giving her a child and taking it away from her? seriously? A MESS.
the art is very good tho.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spectacular art, but the story is not for me. Natasha only really being happy when she's a normal suburban wife and mother with a normal job didn't hit me well, nor did the fact that she's apparently not at all traumatized by being kidnapped, having her memories stolen, and being forced to conceive a child. Her trauma is entirely about losing the fake husband, kid, and life. It's uncomfortably close to outright stating that women need to be mothers to be happy, especially because the characters from her normal life go on and on and on about how happy she is and how they can't disrupt her shiny new life.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelly Thompson spendiert Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow also ein "neues Glück": Natasha findet sich plötzlich in einem Leben als erfolgreiche Architektin wieder, glücklich verheiratet und mit einem wunderbaren einjährigen Sohn. Dass da etwas nicht stimmen kann ist natürlich klar, zumal Natasha wenige Monate zuvor weder schwanger noch verheiratet noch überhaupt familientauglich war. Die Erinnerung an ihr früheres Leben ist allerdings komplett ausgelöscht, und auch wenn es sich um eine Intrige ihrer kriminellen Widersacher handelt, möchte man Natasha durchaus ihr Glück gönnen; genug durchgemacht hat sie ja definitiv, selbst nach Marvelhelden=Maßstäben.

Die Story ist nun wenig überraschend die, wie Natasha wieder zur Black Widow wird, ohne die das MCU um einiges ärmer wäre (nicht zuletzt auch finanziell).
Das alles mag angehen und sogar für eine gute Story taugen, aber wie Kelly Thompson damit umgeht, fand ich dann doch enttäuschend.
In Sachen psychologische Glaubwürdigkeit muss der Leser von Superhelden-Comics zu Abstrichen bereit sein, aber hier wird Natasha wirklich Gewalt angetan. Und ohne spoilern zu wollen darf der Leser sich fragen, was wohl aus Ehemann und Kind in späteren Abenteuern werden sollte ... (richtig, die sind natürlich über und entsprechend lässt Kelly Thompsen sie ohne mit der Wimper zu zucken über die Klinge springen)

Aufgewertet wird der Band durch die Artwork, die ihre Momente hat.

[Ludwig Aczel · Rating 1 out of 5]

4/10
Gradient coloured soulless puppets, that talk and every now and then jump around.
Soulless look in their digitally inked eyes. There is more life in the lifeless pin-up girls that Adam Hughes draws on the covers of the series that in any close-up's by the main artist. Soulless environments. Gratuitous tilted perspectives. The plot, meh. The way it is told, even more meh.
The book has a couple of nice double page spreads featuring choreographic fights. But the question arises as to why in five issues, 100 round pages, there was never a real opponent in these fight scenes. Where is the tension of the fight, when the enemies are nothing but slow dummies to be butchered for the heroes to perform their stunt. What is the appeal to that, beside vaguely dynamic drawings? Fight scenes should be the speciality of this genre, ninety (90) years into its history. Yet, those scenes look more like circus than anything in this book. Why so? Can someone explain this to me?

[maddie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like Kelly but this was not it... an amnesia storyline? Really? 2020/2021?

[Filip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally published over at my blog, The Grimoire Reliquary!

Black Widow comics don’t often click with me. I’ve tried a few of her short-lived ongoing series and none appealed until this one. Written by Kelly Thompson and illustrated by Elena Casagrande, this is a story of Natasha Romanoff as I hadn’t seen her before, vulnerable and lost to herself but also happy. The first issue in this volume introduces us to the Black Widow as we know her – lethal, the most capable spy out there, a veritable force of nature, here giving her best Batman impression to Cap:



It’s not long until she makes her way home, only to find someone in her apartment. She’s too smart to be caught unawares…and yet, even as she dodges one trap, she falls into another. What follows is a four-month time skip and a change in scenery: a very civilian-looking Nat goes by Natalie, works as an architect, has uncanny reflexes, catching litter off a mile-high construction site. It freaks people out:



That’s right, Nat is no longer Natasha but Natalie, a lifetime of spycraft, assassination and superheroics forgotten. Instead, we get family Nat and mom Nat and it the most delightful metamorphosis. There’s a mysterious blue-haired nanny, a pair of creeps stalking the family and altogether too many cute scenes between Nat, husband James, and kid Steve:



Of course, this is a Black Widow comic book, not some slice of life–sinister forces are at work, some of them with different aims, all of them wishing Nat ill. Many questions demand answers, too – how did this kid get so big in four months? Have we finally found Nat’s superpower? How much like a child is Clint Barton, and what-sized?



Let’s move along from the horrific jokes. There is a powerful narrative drive at the heart of Ties that Bind, a throughline whose aim is to give Natasha Romanoff purpose. By the time you close this five-issue trade paperback, you’ll know for yourself whether it succeeds; for myself, I consider this Romanoff’s finest venture yet. Kelly Thompson has done remarkable work scripting this series and I am, for the first time ever, excited to see what comes next for the Black Widow.

The art itself is leagues better than so much Marvel work out there. I don’t say this to be disparaging, but simply because it’s true. Elena Casagrande imbues every panel with so much personality; whenever action is rendered, it is done with a sense of kinetics, of motion, like little else I’ve read by Marvel in recent memory. I can’t wait to see more of that.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A particularly ludicrous plot but that art! those colours! An absolute visual feast, and fun spending time with Nat and “Helen”.

[Drew Canole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another superhero comic that got lots of positive reviews that failed to connect with me. Certainly better than the Black Widow movie, for all that says.

Fans of the character, or people wanting to know more - there's lots to enjoy here. It's just a bit lightweight and forgettable.

[Matěj Komiksumec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Další nominant(ka) na Eisnera, další solidní překvapení. Z Kelly Thompson se postupně stává moje oblíbená scenáristka protože její příběhy mě vážně baví a líbí se mi co v Marvelu předvádí. Její Widow, je jiná. Ono ten příběh není opět revoluční ale u Widow je velmi povedený i díky naprosto boží partě sekundujících postav. I tím, že Černá Vdova není OP postava tak je potřeba, aby kresba v jejích sériích byla dynamická a akční což se daří na jedničku, samozřejmě tomu vévodí barvičky Jordie Bellaire. Když k tomu člověk připočte hezké covery, jsem spokojený, těším se co bude dál.

[K A Y L A · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star. If it weren't for the (STUNNING) art, it'd likely get a 0 out of 5 from me. Since I suck at reviews, I'll simply quote Alexandra Iciek who so perfectly described my issue with this entire arc:
SPOILERS AHEAD!!

"Natasha is not enraged that her bodily autonomy was taken away from her. She does not feel conflicted that most of the memories and emotional history of her fake family were entirely fabricated. There is no sense of injustice over how she was taken out the hero game and forced to become a mother against her will. In fact, she seems to long for all these things. I know Thompson wants me to long for them too, but as a female reader, I feel nothing but dissonance for this narrative."

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good first volume for this new series! I'm a big Kelly Thompson fan and I was excited to see what she would do with Black Widow. The story was a bit disappointing in the first few issues, as it just felt a bit underwhelming but the last two issues stuck the landing well! Interested to see where it goes next. Also the artwork is phenomenal!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start to a new Black Widow run. Excited to see Natasha "coming out of retirement" and how she is going to handle what exactly Madame Hydra and her team tried to do.

[Valentin Derevlean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cum spuneam, aflând că Elena Casagrande e lăudată mai ales pentru seria aceasta, am zis să îi dau o șansă și chiar nu regret. Storyul lui Kelly Thompson e atractiv, scenele dinamice, desenul și culorile de cea mai bună calitate în majoritatea timpului. Pentru cei care vor să vadă despre ce e vorba, pe scurt, Natasha trăiește de câteva luni o viață de cuplu perfectă, cu un job ideal și un copil pe măsură. Dar cumva știe că ceva nu e în regulă. Pe de altă parte, undeva în background, aflăm detalii despre ce se întâmplă cu adevărat. Și nu departe de cuplul perfect se află Hawkeye, Winter Soldier și Yelena Belova pentru dușul rece necesar, dar și Hydra, care pare să fie implicată până la coate în toată afacerea.

Poveste bună, arta excelentă: scenele de luptă sunt o adevărată încântare. Culorile fabuloase pentru a scoate ce e mai bun din fiecare scenă. Recomand.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nat is abducted and resurfaces with no memory of her previous self, but already deep into a new life with the perfect fiance, the perfect son, in the perfect house. Soon her closest friends, Bucky and Clint, will start investigating what has happened to the russian spy and untangle the truth behind the paradise she is living.
The story, it's not unheard of and far from unpredictable, but definitely not an expected one for Black Widow. Seeing her so happy is certainly news.
Right from the first panel I felt like the art was incredibly well-suited for the mood of the narration. It's riddled with red and black, just like Natasha, and depicts the darkness of the story with great reality. Even the design of other well-known characcters like Hawkeye and Winter Soldier was perfect. I especially appreciated the way the action scenes were drawn, with greater dynamicity than I've ever seen on paper, managing with only a few panels to portray complex fights with great detail to the small attacks. Go find out for yourself what I'm taking about, it looks great.
This is my first experience with Kelly Thompson and am glad to say the story and dialogues were remarkable, I am going to look for more of her works. My absolute favorite was dear chatty Clint, whose stories I want to delve into more now.
Coincidentally Thompson also has a Hawkeye series... I may be off to read that next.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ties That Bind is a real humdinger: crisply paced, beautifully illustrated, and absolutely brimming with heart. Some of the twists and turns towards the end might even bring a tear to your eye! Excelsior indeed.

Right off the bat, a Black Widow mission goes awry and we abruptly find our hero living a life of domestic tranquility in San Francisco. Hawkeye and Winter Soldier uncover the presumed-dead Widow and are just as confused by the situation as we are. Mercifully, the ruse is revealed and the villains make a foolish move that allows Black Widow to once again kick butt as herself. The villains making an obvious gaffe for plot reasons was the only real disappointment in this read.

Kelly Thompson really digs in to how Black Widow feels about her sweet new life - it's lovely and tragic and I'm eager to see it explored further. Elena Casagrande draws some of the finest action scenes I've seen in a Marvel comic. Pure bliss. Put her on every series.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot reminded me of that Geena Davis movie The Long Kiss Goodnight to a degree, but it has a more twisted twist; and I liked this story better than that movie.
There are believable emotions here and good presentation of the good 'guys.' I don't know (or don't recall) most of the villains, who have less depth.
While I agree that the majority of people want some combination of a life with a romantic partner and/or child, that isn't wanted by everyone or in the cards for everyone; and I bristle a bit at the implication that only motherhood would make Natasha better person and/or complete. Maybe that's just me.
The art is quite good but a bit chaotic in places.