By now, we thought the world would have long-since been introduced to Natasha Romanoff’s first solo outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, that is not the case as Marvel Studios’ Black Widow has been delayed on multiple occasions and willnow hit theaters next year.
Marvel Comics however, keeps the Widow stories coming, even the ones that were likely planned to be released in conjunction with the movie. “Black Widow: Widow’s Sting” is the perfect one-shot issue for fans of the big screen version of the character who want to start picking up comics.
While this is very much an introductory comic, it doesn’t at all get into the long, complicated past of Natasha Romanoff like many previous series have. Trust me, that is not a topic that can be handled in a one-shot. Instead, this issue trusts that the reader is aware of the Widow’s skillset and her role with S.H.I.E.L.D. as a spy.
Natasha’s mission is to infiltrate a gathering behind hosted by the notorious crime boss known as Silvermane, after the last S.H.I.E.L.D. agents failed to check in for some time. While she assumes Silvermane is up to his usual brand of no good, she discovers that he has somehow acquired a very powerful weapon and the situation is much worse than she imagined.
With this weapon, Silvermane can become more powerful than ever before. Luckily for S.H.I.E.L.D. and the rest of the world, the Black Widow is on the job. Her particular set of skills makes her the perfect agent for the job and to get this dangerous weapon away from the crime boss before he can use it.
“Black Widow: Widow’s Sting” is the perfect issue to give to someone who is thinking about getting into comics. It’s not a complex story and doesn’t require the reader to know very much at all about the character. Plus, with it being a one-shot comic, it doesn’t require any commitment to enjoy the entire story.
This issue also feels like it is very much in the same voice as some of the older Marvel animated series. Rather than letting the action speak for itself, Widow explains everything she is about to do before she does it. While this makes it a good comic for a younger audience and those who are just getting into comics, it might strike avid readers as a bit unnecessary.
With that being said, “Black Widow: Widow’s Sting” still provides a great deal of that familiar style of action that only Black Widow can deliver. It’s a fun spy story with plenty of kicks, flips and gadgets as the Black Widow encounters all kinds of unique death traps.
It’s not exactly a groundbreaking new story, but it’s always fun to join one of Marvel’s most fascinating characters on another adventure.
“Black Widow: Widow’s Sting” is available now.