Black Widow: Bad Bitch

 
Since I go to so many comic conventions, I've been wanting to start reading comics more so I can finally discover why people spend so much time flipping through those white boxes. I decided to start off with Black Widow comics, because I'm a big fan of her character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, and because she is a badass. After doing some research online, I came up with two titles I read were good places to start - Deadly Origin and The Name Of The Rose. Armed with that knowledge, I went to a local comic store, Pulp Fiction, and was able to find them both! 

Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanov, is a really great character, much more complicated and complex than the movies have let on. Though who knows if she will have the same background in the movies as in the comics; so far, nothing has lead me to believe that, but you never know! She was born in Russia, and her parents were killed when she was young. Some storylines say that Ivan Petrovich then raised her, some say that he briefly raised her before losing her to another guy that Wolverine ends up killing, and some say she was raised in the Black Widow Ops program. In any case, she ends up becoming a USSR spy/badass. Also! She is given a version of the super solider serum (the one that made Steve Rogers become superbuff Captain America), so she actually does have super strength, as well as some kind of immortality. That was some brand new information for me!

Black Widow hooks up with a lot of the Avengers and various other superheroes (get it, gurl): Hawkeye, Bucky/The Winter Soldier, Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Iron Man. She also becomes the leader of several superhero teams, including the Avengers, plus other ones I'd never heard of like The Champions (that's not as good a name as The Avengers), and the Secret Avengers.


Deadly Origin shows a lot of Black Widow's origin through flashbacks, and those flashbacks are in a different art style, which was really cool. She discovers a conspiracy that's been a thread through her entire life (mainly her romantic relationships), with her father figure behind the plot. It's kind of a crash course in her backstory, so I think it's definitely a good jumping off point if you're looking to start reading Black Widow comics.

The Name of the Rose was a more complex story. In it, Black Widow has a highly confidential thingy stolen from her, and it's release could completely destroy everything she's built in her life. She's sent clues as to who took it, and goes on a quest to find out who's out to get her, kicking all kinds of ass on the way. Also, the art in this one was really fantastic.

These two books were a really great start to my foray into Black Widow comics. I can't wait to read more! Up next, though - She-Hulk comics!!