Black Widow

Black Widow #15

Closing out both the arc and the series, Black Widow #15 wraps up the “Die By the Blade” storyline as Natasha survives the Living Blade, thanks to some old friends, and gets her arm back, thanks to a new one. There’s plenty of action here even if the larger arc of the Living Blade feels cut short.

While not the run’s best issue, Black Widow #15 does offer a little bit of everything we’ve come to expect from the creative team including several of our heroes kicking ass while supporting their friend and more of Spider-Girl‘s wisecracking along the way (I’m pretty sure it’s Anya who I’ll miss most here). There are also a couple of surprises including the return of a recent foe whose own story looks far from finished. As for what’s next for Widow and the various members of her motley crew, well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

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Black Widow #14

After discovering the auction is for meta-humans, and that Lucy and Anya have been captured and are not part of the menu, Black Widow orders Yelena to finish the mission and get everyone out safely while she deals with the Living Blade. The parts of the issue not focused on Lucy and Anya making use of the twins to find their own escape, and Yelena scaring the shit out of all the guests to force them to leave, has Nat on the run learning what she can about the situation. 

In a somewhat surprising turn, after it appears everyone is on their way to safety and the Living Blade poses no current threat, Black Widow reengages the assassin when she could flee to fight another day (with back-up, like say the Avengers) rather than pick a fight she knows she can’t win. The early results in their latest encounter don’t look good for our girl.

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Black Widow #13

Taking an opportunity to offer context to the final panel of the previous issue, Black Widow #13 offers a flashback issue to Black Widow‘s time in Madripoor and her first meeting with the Living Blade, featuring limited dialogue (but plenty of narration from Natasha) we watch our heroine do her best to survive someone who appears more force of nature than man.

Even after their encounter comes to an end, Widow isn’t sure what she did to get on the legend’s radar but she is sure that she hasn’t seen the last of him. Recreating the character’s older costume and look, along with a retro feel to the art, Black Widow #13 is a fun single issue that still serves a larger arc. Whatever the Living Blade wanted from Natasha all those years ago, he’s back. Can she survive him a second time?

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