Natasha Romanov: Black Widow Appreciation 2020

[Matternativ]

I just read issue #1and it's one of those that makes you wish you could turn the clock a month forward.
Very intrigued by all this but I have a feeling it's not for everyone.

[tliscord]

I really hope this whole "Natasha calls Bucky 'Bucky' instead of 'James' now" thing is leading up to a big payoff. Otherwise, what, every single person at Marvel collectively forgot one very specific piece of canon all at once? It's already been established (in the Houser/Mooney miniseries) that she remembers their history again.

Never actually thought of it as a plot point with a payoff but I’ll take it. Anything but “James” seems inauthentic. Maybe it is simply inattentive writers. This first issue felt off to me, can’t put my finger on why.

[Godlike13]

#1 was a bit slower then i was expecting for a #1, but not bad. I am definitely intrigued. My one ridiculous nit pit is she referred to Bucky as Bucky and not James.

[Winterboy]

I just read issue #1and it's one of those that makes you wish you could turn the clock a month forward.
Very intrigued by all this but I have a feeling it's not for everyone.

Another series to read in tpb format. That conversation with Cap was....

a waste of time.

I'm getting bored of this.

[bossofbam]

Did Black Widow come back from the dead or is this a clone?

[Matternativ]

Another series to read in tpb format. That conversation with Cap was....

a waste of time.

I'm getting bored of this.

Hence why I mentioned it's not for everyone

[Will Evans]

Did Black Widow come back from the dead or is this a clone?

Yes.........

[Frontier]

#1 was a bit slower then i was expecting for a #1, but not bad. I am definitely intrigued. My one ridiculous nit pit is she referred to Bucky as Bucky and not James.

At least the author's been consistent about it.

[tliscord]

Look, no one has figured out how to portray James or Clint since Fraction’s epic Hawkeye, and Brubaker’s take on the Winter Soldier. That’s so important when writing them in a Black Widow series. The best Clint I ever read was someone who agonized over everything, would never take a life, and who stumbled through life as a wannabe hero never thinking he actually made the grade. James epitomizes the tragic hero, one requiring his own salvation. Nat closely parallels James. Liu’s Black Widow series actually highlights their shared tragedy and it was compelling. The elephant in the room for any Black Widuw series isn’t Clint but her time with James. Until that next iteration this series won’t move forward.

[Matternativ]

Look, no one has figured out how to portray James or Clint since Fraction’s epic Hawkeye, and Brubaker’s take on the Winter Soldier. That’s so important when writing them in a Black Widow series. The best Clint I ever read was someone who agonized over everything, would never take a life, and who stumbled through life as a wannabe hero never thinking he actually made the grade. James epitomizes the tragic hero, one requiring his own salvation. Nat closely parallels James. Liu’s Black Widow series actually highlights their shared tragedy and it was compelling. The elephant in the room for any Black Widuw series isn’t Clint but her time with James. Until that next iteration this series won’t move forward.

That's uhm... A no from me.
Natasha has been a character in her own right long long before Bucky came back as the Winter Soldier and whether you liked their retcon flashbacks or their relationship or whatever it is you are talking about specifically, she and her stories do in no way, shape or form depend on anyone. Not Bucky, not Clint, not Steve, not anyone.
These are relationships you can build upon for whatever story you are telling at the time but that doesn't mean you have to and it certainly doesn't mean it's the only way to move hers forward.
If you are the author and you want to tell a story about how she goes to space as a new sword agent you can do that too and it can be compelling too. You can move her story forward to wherever you want to go with it, the possibilities are endless.
A real way to move her story forward however is giving her something new that hasn't been done before which this run aims to provide, just like the Edmondson/Not run did.

You don't have to like these specific examples, you don't even have to like the direction her story takes but it's neither you nor my call.
And if it was mine, tying her specifically to Bucks again, romantically or otherwise wouldn't rank high on my list of ideas of compelling narratives but that's besides the point.

[Spidey5640]

Thought it was a bit slow and the dialogue of Cap, Clint and Bucky was definitely off. One question, in the opening pages does Nat lose her boots so she can stick to walls? It sure looks like it to me.

[Darthfury78]

Thought it was a bit slow and the dialogue of Cap, Clint and Bucky was definitely off. One question, in the opening pages does Nat lose her boots so she can stick to walls? It sure looks like it to me.

There definitely needs to be a Black Widow and Spider-Man team-up adventure. I can't believe that the Spider-Office never considered using Natasha in a story arc with Spider-Man. It creates a whole new dynamic that you'll never find with Black Cat...

[Frontier]

Thought it was a bit slow and the dialogue of Cap, Clint and Bucky was definitely off. One question, in the opening pages does Nat lose her boots so she can stick to walls? It sure looks like it to me.

She lost or tossed her boots at the beginning of the fight and then ran across the wall.

I'm kind of surprised to see her unironically sporting high heels in this book.

[Matternativ]

She lost or tossed her boots at the beginning of the fight and then ran across the wall.

I'm kind of surprised to see her unironically sporting high heels in this book.

That did surprise me too. I wouldn't be surprised if it was just never specified and Elena just went for it given that her art has a glamorous style to it.
Though that's just wild speculation on my part.

[Frontier]

That did surprise me too. I wouldn't be surprised if it was just never specified and Elena just went for it given that her art has a glamorous style to it.
Though that's just wild speculation on my part.

I think she gave Catwoman heels too when she was drawing her book, although artists have been kind of inconsistent as to whether Selina's current look has heels or not.

I guess they really went "full classic" with the costume here .