Before she steals the world's heart in Iron Man II, get caught in the wicked web of Marvel's sexiest and deadliest super-spy! She's been everything from a Russian espionage agent to a Champion to an Avenger... now a skeleton from Natalia Romanova's past is reaching out for those she's loved and lost, and the Black Widow has many victims to choose from! From the frozen streets of Moscow to the upper stratosphere, writer Paul Cornell (Captain Britain and MI13) and artists Tom Raney (Dark Reign: Hawkeye) and John Paul Leon (The Winter Men) deliver a globe-hopping, bone-breaking, high-tech thriller that reveals how Natalia's shadowy past threatens all she now holds dear. Guest-starring the Winter Soldier and Wolverine! Collects Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1-4.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Less than the sum of its parts.,
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This review is from: Black Widow: Deadly Origin (Hardcover)
Black Widow (Natalia Romanova, aka Natasha Romanoff) has been a consistent supporting character in the Marvel Universe from the early 1960s to the present day. Starting out as a villain, she became a hero (though keeping the codename that in a lot of ways doesn't fit her personality or modus operandi anymore; "Black Widow" makes sense for a honey trap, but not really for the accomplished superspy), and, while rarely having enough support to sustain her own stories, has been a regular feature in many titles, including "The Avengers". But now that she has a major role in the upcoming "Iron Man 2" film, it's time to get some material starring her on the shelves (this is one of two contemporaneous miniseries released early this year, with an ongoing series soon to follow). Some spoilers follow.
For a creative team we have writer Paul Cornell (most known in comics for his sadly short-lived "Captain Britain and MI13" series) and artists Tom Raney and John Paul Leon. Each artist works on a different part of the story, with Raney doing segments set in the present day and Leon handling the past. The story aims to both present a modern-day story and cover various significant episodes in Natasha's lengthy backstory. The focal points tend to be her relationships, of which she's had several (consequence of being a frequent supporting character): love interests include Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier/Captain America; also her current boyfriend), the first Red Guardian, Tony Stark (Iron Man), Clint Barton (Hawkeye), Matt Murdock (Daredevil), and Hercules. Also cameoing are Wolverine and her old handler, Ivan. Somewhat oddly for a project presumably aimed at selling trades to movie fans, it presumes a certain pre-existing knowledge of her history. The resulting story is a bit scattershot. In terms of format, this is in a lot of ways trying to be a Jeph Loeb Batman story, an epic tour of a character's whole mythos ("Hush", for example), including both characters and storytelling types. "Hush" was twelve issues long; "Deadly Origin" is a third of that, and frankly doesn't have enough room to cover all this history in a satisfactory manner. The result is a lot of one- or two-page sequences of varying quality, though all beautifully illustrated by Leon. The present story is fairly straightforward, but Raney's art isn't as successful, and the transition near the end from spy drama to quasi-space opera is a bit of a stretch. Cornell does write a number of good scenes, but it never really comes together as a whole, remaining less than the sum of its parts. If you're a big fan of the character, check it out; if you aren't, I'm not sure this is the project to sell you on her.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
l knew nothing of the character , the book helped,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Black Widow: Deadly Origin (Hardcover)
l knew nothing of the black widow , the booked helped with all of the lnformation
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Many Lives of a Secret Agent...,
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This review is from: Black Widow: Deadly Origin (Hardcover)
Natalia Romanova, AKA Natasha Romanoff, AKA the Black Widow, has lived many lives in the pages of Marvel Comics. Physically and mentally trained and manipulated by the Soviets from a young age to become a highly capable secret agent, she has changed sides, loyalties, and lovers many times since her introduction in 1964. Scarlett Johansson's thrilling portrayal of Black Widow in 2010's "Iron Man 2", and the expectation that both Johansson and Black Widow will be included in a 2012 "Avengers" movie, have created a new generation of fans.
For Natalia Romanova's latest fans, the Cold War might not even be a distant memory; the Marvel Comics graphic novel "Black Widow: Deadly Origin" is designed to summarize her complicated life. Paul Cornell is the author; Tom Raney and John Paul Leon provide the unique artwork. "Black Widow: Deadly Origin" is told in fast forward and flashback. In the present, an abreviated phone call from her old Russian handler Ivan alerts Natalia Romanova to the implementation of the Icepick Protocol, a long-buried Soviet high-tech plot that now places at risk virtually everyone she has ever worked with or loved. On a rescue mission, Natalia will relive her past and confront her present while following a trail that leads to a shocking modern horror. Tony Stark, Captain America, Daredevil, and Nick Fury, among others, make cameo appearances. "Black Widow: Deadly Origin" cleverly employs shifting scenes and changing art styles to rapidly narrate Natalia's life. Readers fresh from "Iron Man 2" but without background may wish to skim the plot outline at the back of the book for a sense of direction. For old and new fans, "Black Widow: Deadly Origin" is highly recommended to help pass the time until 2012's "Avengers".
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