Black Widow, Vol. 3: Die by the Blade

Black Widow (2020)

by Kelly Thompson, Adam Hughes (Cover Art), Rafael de Latorre (Artist)

With Apogee in her rear view mirror, Natasha pushes forward once again with her plans to become the hero that San Francisco needs. But when an old source sends Natasha and her team looking for an enigmatic pair known only as the Twins, the Black Widow has to confront the fact that Apogee may not be as far in the past as she had hoped. Are the Twins friends or foes? And can the Black Widow uncover the true agenda of the mysterious manipulator in time to ward off catastrophe?

COLLECTING: Black Widow (2020) 11-15

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

108 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 24, 2022

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

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

No it cannot end here. This is my only complaint of this book and series. I don't want it to finish. Ot says this is the best book Marvel is currently producing I agree. The action sequences are my faverite in any current comic. Ok the story is ok at best, but the action and side plots more than make up for this.

The Black Widow us still looking for answers on her last foe, but what she finds is a nightmare of her past. I really like the way the artwork changed to accommodate the flash back issue complete with the old school Black Widow look.

Everything about this is great, that is why I don't want it to end. Good character development, and great potential for all the characters including the supporting cast. Awesome action sequences. Whatever or whoever takes up the Black Widow series from here has huge shoes to fill.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great series Marvel cancelled just as it got going. Thompson was clearly building some interesting things. I would have loved to see where she would have taken Black Widow and the rest of the team next. I guess I should be thankful for what we got, because these 15 issues were great.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You understand, of course, that I cannot allow you to live this time." -- 'The Living Blade,' an assassin

"Yes." -- the verbose Black Widow, ready for the fierce combat sequence spanning multiple pages

All good things must come to an end, it is long been said, and this Black Widow miniseries arrives at its conclusion with Die by the Blade. At first it seemed like it would be the weakest part of the three volumes, but - sort of like the way the still very good Return of the Jedi is the least well-received of the original Star Wars trilogy - writer Thompson and company wisely throw some curveballs into the narrative to keep things fresh. (They also go for the unsettling, with the incestuous-seeming super-powered wealthy blonde twins Liv and Lars - who were disturbing with their physical closeness and the finishing of each other's sentences - as well as the main villain's squad of armed hired goons who bizarrely wear animal masks.) This time around Black Widow has the assistance of both the Winter Soldier and the original Hawkeye as she heads into battle - and I don't use that term loosely, as some serious blood is shed during the final chapters, with zero jokey dialogue or winks at the reading audience - and I very much appreciated this intelligently-written and action-heavy storyline.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues to be an exciting, artistically well executed series, even if the Big Bad kind of came out of nowhere the outlandish supporting characters like the twins Liv and Lars definitely made for an entertaining time.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Natasha shows amazing chemistry with the supporting cast, especially Yelena who provides some much needed humorous back and forth banter. There's just something incredibly wholesome about this group of characters and the relationship they have with each other. The Living Blade is the weakest element as he's a one note character that offers nothing when it comes to personality. However, he does contribute to some of the more entertaining fights and moments that help to build up Natasha's character. Action over story, it's a nicely wrapped up send off to Thompson's Black Widow run.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still grieving the loss of her partner and child, Natasha is challenged to face her own mortality as a foe who once came close to killing her, the Living Blade, comes back into her life for a very costly rematch.There's plenty of nice character interaction, fun action, and a shocking turn, but the Living Blade has as much personality as his sword and cheesy superhero convenience undercuts the twist. All good though.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time Marvel cancel a title this good, a comic fan dies from crying so hard. Kelly Thompson's Black Widow is the latest in a long line of gone-too-soon casualties.

This third and now final arc does a decent job of wrapping up all of the outstanding storylines, even if it's just in a page or two in the final issue, while introducing a new foil for Natasha even as she continues to reel from the events of the first two arcs.

It's nice to see Nat leaning into having help rather than trying to do everything on her own - Yelena Belova, Hawkeye, Winter Soldier, Arana, and her new friends that she saved from Apogee are all here and perform crucial parts of Nat's latest attempt to save lives and stop bad guys.

The artwork is still as impressive as ever. Elena Casagrande doesn't manage to pencil every issue completely, but Rafael De La Torre continues to provide assistance as necessary and the two positively sing across the page at times. Even the battle scenes are a beautiful ballet of violence.

Bye for now, Black Widow - until your next mission. Hopefully it can be even half as good as this short run was.

[bri 🧸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

i will die before bucky and nat get to enjoy life 😁

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This starts off a bit slow, but as Black Widow's team is dismantled, she comes face-to-face with an opponent that had almost killed her in the past. The battles with this opponent, both the flashback to the original encounter and the current encounter, are intense and the stakes are high. The series ends with a bang.

[Jaye Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking to learn this is the end of this run. 😭😭😭

Like the first two volumes this was super good and this time it has Winter Widow content so you bet your ass I was kicking my feet and screaming when they were dancing together at a party. Breaks my heart they still aren't back together though but I take anything I get. Clint showed up in here too and tbh love him. They call him a himbo and that really is what comic Hawkeye is like. I love how complicated their relationship is but still one of love. (This goes for both Winter Soldier and Hawkeye.)

I love the whole team and the action in this was wild. It was so violent at one point and I was like???? But it was good. The flashback issue with the different art was so cool, I loved that style. Also Natasha's costume at the party was gorgeous.

Everything kind of closes up nicely but there is still so much they could have done, especially with Bucky and her family. What crusty man is gonna take Natasha now? I'm scared.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I join the chorus of people upset that this is the last part of this run. One of the things I love about this is the sustained growth for Natasha that feels realistic. Natasha has always been very on her own, though usually the moral at the end of her comics is that she needs people/is not alone...only to have her next comic follow the same pattern. A lot of recent Widow comics have bucked this trend and Kelly Thompson's run develops Natasha in such great ways. Yes, Natasha still struggles to rely on others and ask for help, we don't just change overnight. However, she is trying and I love that other characters call her on it and she listens. These characters also don't want her to stop being herself. We see a variety of relationships and the complexities that get to be there without needing to be fixed.

Granted this volume has some things I'm not as big a fan of but I wonder if the abrupt cancelation contributed to that. The villain seems a bit thrown together, I wonder if this was going to be a transitional volume that got us to where we were going next. Loose ends feel tied up too quickly and neatly. However, I don't mind the "too neatly" overall because it gives me some peace to soothe my rage at the cancelation.

I've always really latched onto Natasha, the character has gotten me through some rough times in my life. I'm a school psychologist in a high school so I always love comics where Natasha is mentoring younger heroes. I can see her drive of "bad things happened to me that I don't want to have to happen to anyone else" which is often juxtaposed with villians who typify "hurt people hurt other people". I think we saw a bit more of that in Volume 2 compared to this volume but still, always love that theme.

Artwise, I continue to love everything. Before I read volume 1 I had asked "Wouldn't Natasha look awesome with a side shave?" (I have one and am a fangirl). Boom! The process of her growing it out also makes me smile because it's clear someone has grown out their hair from that short. There are clear stages in each comic that line up with the amount of time passed. Her suit and the costume she wears are purse cosplay heaven. I can't wait to drive myself nuts making them.

Sidenote: WinterWidow is one of my fave ships so this comic made me happy in my heart. Even in comics where they aren't overtly romantic, I love the clear emotional intimacy they have without huge speeches.

Overall, this comic has my heart and its cancelation is a shame. I hadn't read much of Kelly Thompson's work before this and now will read basically anything she writes/has written. Even if you're just getting into Black Widow, this run has been amazing and the third volume gives as high note an ending as it can under the circumstances. Natasha's faint smile at her table of friends/chosen family is pretty amazing.

[It's just Deano · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a real shame this Black Widow series ended at only 15 issues (3 Volumes). I can't say I've loved it as much as some appear to, but it has been unquestionably consistent and a good read throughout.

Die By The Blade sees Thompson and team ramping up the action for the final and bloody conclusion to the series and just as with previous volumes it hits all those right notes. That said, the same issues also remain - the villains have consistently appeared slightly droll in the face of Black Widow and her friends and I didn't feel there were any exceptions here.

In my opinion it's the clever and sharp dialogue from Thompson that has driven and carried this series, along with the consistently fabulous artwork and Jordie Bellaire's ultra vivid colours.

Overall, if you've read the previous two volumes, I'm sure you'll undoubtedly find this a fitting conclusion to the series. It's a quick read and it does seem to whizz by at moments, but there is no doubt it's been a worthy read from Marvel.
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My Score: 7/10
My Goodreads: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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[Katie Florida · Rating 5 out of 5]

*read issue by issue*
It would seem that is the series end with issue #15. I'll be sad to see this one go. I was never a huge Black Widow fan, but this has been one of my favorite series over the last year.

[Delphine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so mad at Marvel for cancelling this run. It really was getting better and better with each arc. And the art was out of this world good, Elena Casagrande's one of the best. Not to mention the covers! I'm glad I collected all the issues.

[Parker J · Rating 4 out of 5]

MANNN IM SO UPSET MARVEL CANCELLED THIS SERIES!!!

Congrats to Kelly Thompson and rest of the creative team for this fantastic run though. Such a great series, each arc was thoroughly entertaining and had gorgeous art (and rad covers). Thompson's characterization of Natasha was great, and the cast of side characters was excellent. I would've loved to see Black Widow and gang go on more adventures, but alas, Marvel loves cancelling every title they have so they can reboot them in a few months. The only shining light is that Thompson said she is working on trying to do more work on this title (or spin off?).

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Widow's most recent run comes to a somewhat abrupt conclusion in Die by the Blade. The series featured generally stellar artwork and banter, but was marred by sub-D-level villains, and that's the case in Die by the Blade as well. We get twins who share mass, a mysterious rich person (who is unceremoniously killed off?!), and The Living Blade, who has a cool name but is otherwise just a guy who is very skilled with a sword.

The action in Die by the Blade is terrific, but the plotting is bland as Black Widow and her crew attempt to infiltrate a gala for...reasons. Black Widow's feelings about her lost son get a brief reference - more emotions would have been better. One scene caught me surprise (Black Widow gets her arm sliced off!), though, in true Marvel fashion, it is quickly retconned.

This series started strong and ended "fine," which is more than can be said for most Black Widow runs.

[Tris · Rating 5 out of 5]

i cried a lil bit ngl why why why did marvel cancel her best series yet??? this volume gave me a heart attack but now it's over i'm just going to assume she's living happily

[Nicko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great volume. Bittersweet knowing this was Kelly Thompson’s last.

This might’ve been the best volume in her run, neck and neck with the first volume. There’s lots of good stuff in here. Lots of good dialogue, plotting, and action. I wasn’t really crazy about Apogee as a villain so I loved how they sorta swapped him out for The Living Blade. I absolutely loved the flashback issue in Madripoor — I thought Rafael Pimentel absolutely smashed it. Idk whether or not De La Torre couldn’t make this issue or if putting Pimentel on here was by choice, but it was a great choice. His incorporation of ben day dots and all his use of flashy colors made for such a wild ride for what is basically a non-stop issue. I also thought, given, this volume was basically about The Living Blade, Thompson did a good job of showing us new readers (not sure if he’s a previous villain in canon up until this point) what he was about and how serious of an adversary he was to Widow. It made for their reunion that much more intense.

And of course, I almost teared up when we see Natasha talking to Bucky about wanting to see her family again. I thought that was well written by Kelly and she even still made sure to check up on Nat here, just slightly. The last page of this run is the icing on the cake. Hopefully this isn’t the last we see of Kelly Thompson’s BLACK WIDOW!

[fer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amei DEMAIS essa serie. É uma historia bem contida nela mesma, a dinamica do grupinho interno ali da viuva negra é muito legal de se ler. Ela e a Yelena juntas tem varios momentos meio comicos, tem varias cenas de luta das duas muito legais também. E sempre o Clint e o Bucky correndo atras dela. É muito legal ver a dinamica dela com os dois, o jeito que ela trata do Clint e o Bucky é muito diferente. E a arte é um espetaculo a parte. A Natasha tem um dos designs de personagem mais legais que eu ja vi ela tendo aqui, com o cabelo longo BEM VERMELHO e meio raspado do lado, muito fodaaaa. E é um quadrinho inteiramente feito por mulheres, nada de sexualizaçao nem nada do tipo. Amei demais!!

[Tanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wunderbare Geschichte, es tat so gut in die Welt von Natasha Romanoff noch einmal einzutauchen. Der finale Band war jetzt wirklich spannend und actiongeladen, ich liebe den Zeichenstil auch ziemlich!
Die ganze Geschichte hat mir wirklich gut gefallen, vor allem auch die Begegnungen mit bekannten und neuen Helden war interessant und ich bin gespannt, wer mir noch irgendwo begegnet. 🥰
Das Ende war total zufriedenstellend aber auch etwas traurig, weil auch diese Geschichte vorbei ist und das Ende einfach 🥺 war.

[Rosaria Battiloro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elena Casagrande art = 5 stars as always
Story= 2,5 stars at this point, sad they had to wrap it up in such a hurry.



this is me waiting for Marvel to have Bucky and Nat kissing and getting back together.

(nota all'edizione italiana: ma chi traduce "Because we always come back to one anoter. Always" con "perchè noi ci copriamo le spalle a vicenda. Sempre" ? Qualcuno che conosce l'inglese meglio di me, forse, ma anche qualcuno che vuole togliermi le gioie, hah!)

[Lenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a shame this series was cancelled, but Thompson puts together a strong finish with a mix of strong artists. Like the last two volumes, Natasha’s banter with Yelena and the supporting cast were the most compelling part of the book. The twins who share body mass was a cool idea, and the Living Blade villain was neat, but all his setup was rushed and then unfinished - perhaps Thompson’s plans for a future book we’ll never see. Like Thompson’s Hawkeye, Black Widow and her ragtag crew deserved more than she got - but hopefully Thompson will return to Natasha or Yelena sometime soon.

[Antonia (antoniaslonelybookclub) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Wow! I love it! This volume was amazing, I love Black Widow and I love Elena Casagrande's illustrations, Hawkeye (Clint) appears in this volume, I really didn't expect that, but I love it, like in the previous volume, when Kate Bishop appears and I was like * screaming at 2am* So that's it, i... dont feel like it's a good ending and I don't know if there will be a future volume... and I need to know more about Stevie and his dad. I feel like it's a good story and Natasha. .. I LOVE YOU GIRL YOU ARE AMAZING YOU CAN DO ANYTHING

[Sarah !! ( weaving mythos ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*~ 4 stars ~*

I do think this felt rushed, but as this series was cancelled by no fault of the creators, I can't put any blame on them nor rate it harshly for that. I still loved the characters, and the found family dynamics. Natasha will always be my comfort comic character and I can't wait to see her next run

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
A shame to see this title end. Thompson is a rock star, and does really great female superhero books. They should have given it more of a chance. Black Widow is not always so interesting, but this was great. A makeover of the character is ways.

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly fantastic end to a fantastic comic run. I’ve never read a Black Widow comic before and thankfully this isn’t a bad place to start. These 3 volumes have been a lot of fun and have taken the character through some interesting emotions. The first fight she has with The Living Blade is one of the best comic fights I’ve seen and I hope we get a really good fight between him and a Widow in the movies some day, sadly it can’t be Nat but Yelena could take him on. Please read this series.

[3r1nette · Rating 5 out of 5]

ce serait mentir de dire que je n’ai pas pleuré durant ma lecture- j’ai adoré la façon dont natasha était représentée dans cette trilogie. il y avait réellement de tout : émotions, actions, caractère bien placé. le groupe qu’il l’a suit était très comfy aussi, j’ai adoré découvrir les personnages ! et puis les graphismes sont toujours aussi beaux !

[Myah · Rating 5 out of 5]

some really stellar stand-out issues in this series! i love love loved the art style. and i enjoyed this ending immensely! if i hadn’t loved black widow already, this series would have made me a convert.

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series. Very well-rounded. Such a shame it ends here. Felt like it was just getting started.

[Fabienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

ich glaube ich werde eher nicht so der comic fan aber war giga geil gezeichnet und liebe black widow und yelena 🚬