Natasha Romanov: Black Widow Appreciation 2018

[The Dying Detective]

The slow trickle of info about the potential Black Widow movie project is gradually getting me excited, which is probably a bad idea since it hasn't been acknowledged yet, and it could get dropped like the Lionsgate movie or Inhumans.

And, just like when people were suggesting a movie all those other times (read: after every other movie she was in), naysayers are crawling out of the woodwork with a lot of the same arguments. I think the worst one that I keep seeing in the comments sections is that Scarlett Johansson is "too old" now. Aside from being a hilarious example of public misogyny that we could possibly think of a 33-year-old actress as "too old" (never mind all of the older actors in the MCU who are in the middle of continuing franchises), it's not even a downside to have an aged Natasha in a movie. Her age was central to the plot of Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and formed part of the contrast with Yelena. I think Devin Grayson even said that she wished J.G. Jones had drawn Natasha to look older.



Yeah, the books themselves don't fit into the 616 at all, and the tie-in comics seem just to function as extensions of the books. It's not out of the question at all to see elements of them adapted into Natasha's stories, but the obstacle is to find a writer that would have an angle where Ava would fit. The addition of Red Widow as a POV character makes sense if you're trying to write a Young Adult novel about Natasha, who isn't the type of character with a lot of typical YA storylines. But the comics are a different story. It might be more likely that a teen team like the Champions would introduce her, since she fits into that space more easily.

Why would the comics be a whole other story in finding a place for Ava to fit in though?

[responsarbre]

Why would the comics be a whole other story in finding a place for Ava to fit in though?

I don't think it's really out of the question at all, since the spirit of the Red Widow story is pulled from a lot of Natasha's existing stuff: her interactions with people like Rikki Barnes and Sally Anne Carter and Laura Kinney, and her sense of duty when it comes to saving children.

But like I said, Red Widow was fashioned to be a YA entry-point into Natasha's world. The comics don't really need to bother with creating a YA entry-point; they can just go straight into James Bond spy-fi or the gritty black-ops stuff or even street-level superhero work without having to worry about finding the angle that makes it work in the Young Adult genre. Moreover, I don't think a teen legacy character fits in with the tone of story that a lot of writers seem to want to write for Natasha. Sally Anne Carter from Homecoming is probably the closest antecedent to the Ava Orlova thing (a young woman who was saved by Natasha who looks up to her and kind of follows her around), and I think that making Sally into some kind of legacy superhero taking after Natasha is probably the last thing that Richard K. Morgan ever had on his mind.

But I'm not opposed to a story direction that would allow for it. I just think it's inherently a little tricky.

[responsarbre]

A less auspicious Natasha appearance?

[The Dying Detective]

I don't think it's really out of the question at all, since I the spirit of the Red Widow story is pulled from a lot of Natasha's existing stuff: her interactions with people like Rikki Barnes and Sally Anne Carter and Laura Kinney, and her sense of duty when it comes to saving children.

But like I said, Red Widow was fashioned to be a YA entry-point into Natasha's world. The comics don't really need to bother with creating a YA entry-point; they can just go straight into James Bond spy-fi or the gritty black-ops stuff or even street-level superhero work without having to worry about finding the angle that makes it work in the Young Adult genre. Moreover, I don't think a teen legacy character fits in with the tone of story that a lot of writers seem to want to write for Natasha. Sally Anne Carter from Homecoming is probably the closest antecedent to the Ava Orlova thing (a young woman who was saved by Natasha who looks up to her and kind of follows her around), and I think that making Sally into some kind of legacy superhero taking after Natasha is probably the last thing that Richard K. Morgan ever had on his mind.

But I'm not opposed to a story direction that would allow for it. I just think it's inherently a little tricky.

I think it's possible to fit Ava in with the typical spy stuff Natasha is known for just as Laura Kinney can appear in the gritty stuff and in fact is more suited for that sort of thing. You just need to be very smart about it. One could see it like Natasha saving Ava and then bringing her to S.H.I.E.L.D where they train her to be a child soldier.

[Ghostwise]

I need to redo some illustrations from digital reissues of Tales of Suspense for the writeups.org Black Widow character profiles, but in the meantime here's a bit of decoration for the thread from this era.

[Winterboy]

Gorgeous Black Widow by Steve Epting.

epting BW.jpg

[Witchfan]

I need to redo some illustrations from digital reissues of Tales of Suspense for the writeups.org Black Widow character profiles, but in the meantime here's a bit of decoration for the thread from this era.

I think that this is one of the ugliest image of Black Widow ever created, and every image created of her ever after has been sexier.

[Matternativ]

I need to redo some illustrations from digital reissues of Tales of Suspense for the writeups.org Black Widow character profiles, but in the meantime here's a bit of decoration for the thread from this era.

It's always fun to see oldschool stuff like that.

Gorgeous Black Widow by Steve Epting.

epting BW.jpg

That truelly is gorgeous.

[Sneakronicity]

I think that this is one of the ugliest image of Black Widow ever created, and every image created of her ever after has been sexier.

Aw, I love the classic art! Though didn't she have black hair at this time?

Classic Clintasha melodrama.jpg

[Captain Craig]

Aw, I love the classic art! Though didn't she have black hair at this time?

Classic Clintasha melodrama.jpg

Since she is a spy I account that black hair as a wig perhaps.

[klynn]

Gorgeous Black Widow by Steve Epting.

epting BW.jpg

Fantastic, thanks

[responsarbre]

Since she is a spy I account that black hair as a wig perhaps.

In the letters for Amazing Adventures, editorial explained it as Natasha dying her hair black:


As for that panel from Tales of Suspense #52, though, as best as I can tell, she really did have reddish hair in the interiors of that issue (even though it was black on the cover). I think there was a slight bit of color confusion in her first couple of appearances that led to some back-and-forth. Here's what I've been able to piece together:
Tales of Suspense #52 cover: Black
Tales of Suspense #52 interior: Red
Tales of Suspense #53 cover: Red
Tales of Suspense #53 interior: Black
Tales of Suspense #57-Avengers #76: Black
Amazing Spider-Man #86-now: Red

[Sneakronicity]

In the letters for Amazing Adventures, editorial explained it as Natasha dying her hair black:


As for that panel from Tales of Suspense #52, though, as best as I can tell, she really did have reddish hair in the interiors of that issue (even though it was black on the cover). I think there was a slight bit of color confusion in her first couple of appearances that led to some back-and-forth. Here's what I've been able to piece together:
Tales of Suspense #52 cover: Black
Tales of Suspense #52 interior: Red
Tales of Suspense #53 cover: Red
Tales of Suspense #53 interior: Black
Tales of Suspense #57-Avengers #76: Black
Amazing Spider-Man #86-now: Red

You're right! I just remembered her hair being black in the classic run, but I dug out my trusty Marvel Masterworks Invincible Iron Man vol. 2 and despite the cover her hair is red in that first issue, I just completely forgot since it's black in all the rest. I did remember reading that the black hair was dye, though, which absolutely makes sense. It's cool to read the old letters, though. Thanks!

[Winterboy]

Some of my favorite hair styles.


short hair.jpg

[Gambit, King of Thieves]

Does anybody know if Black Widow still has her cat? I loved her whole thing with Liho in the 2014 run.
Also love Phil’s Noto in general.