Black Widow By Waid & Samnee: The Complete Collection

Mark Waid is taking a lot of credit here, but this book is mostly Samnee as both illustrator and writer.They were trying to push the medium, be as visual as possible and tell a story via the medium. The artwork can do the talking for you. And I agree, to an extent.This book isn't paced correctly to not have narration. To do espionage you need to get into nitty-gritty details and minutia. This book moves at breakneck speed and doesn't spend enough time explaining who is who, why it matters, how they got there, where everyone is and why. The art, while nice, isn't enough to convey all of it.While the writing had a nice pep to it and there were a couple nice turns, overall, the whole plot seem rushed and ham-fisted. Strangely, I felt as though this was an 18 issue espionage arc that was shoe-horned into 12 action-packed issues, and it still felt rushed at the end.The antagonist, "Recluse", has got to be one of the weakest and woebegone villains I've come across in a long time. No idea what the thought process was on that character. Very weak characterization. It's tough to have an engaging story when your protagonist doesn't even respect your antagonist as a real threat or a worthy adversary.Essentially, they turned an espionage story into an an action film with no narration with a main villain that our heroine has basically zero professional-respect for. It kinda worked.All in all, It was ok, doesn't hold a treasured spot on my shelf. Wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it, but also, wouldn't be surprised if it's turned into a movie.If you're a BW, Samnee or Waid fan or it's on sale or inexpensive, rock on. Otherwise, nah.

Mark Waid is a great writer and does create a unique and outstanding story involving Natascha and her past. He notes her Marvel origin and her contemporary origin is incorporated into a whole. The art is also very commendable and lends more realism to the story.

Bien, en lo que cabe la palabra "bien", llegó con la portada frontera dañada y pegajosa... Las hojas están bien, pero la condición de la portada deja mucho que desear.

The greatest Black Widow spy thriller comic!Writers Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s Marvel comic book Black Widow by Waid & Samnee: The Complete Collection (2020) is a fantastic trade comic that combines all of their Black Widow story issues from 2016 to 2020. This is easily the best Black Widow comic by far!You get Natasha Romanoff’s superheroine spy Black Widow saving abused girls caught up in a new Red Room called Dark Room. She carries out covert espionage as she must fend herself from fearsome villains like Weeping Lion and Recluse. I have never read about these Black Widow nemesis villains before and they’re really cool with brutal and intelligent operations. Waid writes Weeping Lion and Recluse as formidable and sympathetic in their own regard. Black Widow gets to be a smart spy in the darkness of data gathering, infiltration, subterfuge, and espionage of the most intelligent and sly nature.This is the comic you want to read about Black Widow. I enjoyed Deadly Origin and No Restraints Play as an introduction to Black Widow’s character. For Natasha Romanoff’s bloody beginnings as Black Widow and her later action heroics, but Black Widow by Waid & Samnee: The Complete Collection is brilliant espionage of the highest order. You get to read how creative, underhanded, prepared, and inventive Natasha can be as a realistic spy character in Marvel’s comic universe.Writer Mark Waid’s espionage narrative with Black Widow as a rogue agent outside of S.H.I.E.L.D’s jurisdiction has this moody atmosphere of old film noir spy thrillers that I loved. Mark Waid wrote my favorite Superman comic Kingdom Come, so I was pleasantly impressed with his mature and thoughtful character driven and highly detailed world of spies across the globe. Waid understands Natasha’s conflicted feelings for Russia’s cruel Red Room and America’s tenuous organization S.H.I.E.L.D. after all the betrayal and shadowplay she deals with daily. I simply loved this story as Waid layers Weeping Lion and Recluse’s intriguing stories alongside Natasha’s flashbacks to her brutal childhood and present superheroine heroics.Chris Samnee’s throwback style illustrations are gorgeous. His comic art is sleek with a refreshing simplicity in designs that are classic looking. Matthew Wilson’s bright reds pop out against the grim blacks and shadowy winters in Russia. Black Widow has never looked so clean and stylish.In all, I highly recommend you find a copy of this phenomenal, intelligent Black Widow comic. Mark Waid’s storytelling is not to be missed.

best black widow story I've read. The art is spectacular and the storytelling is just as great.