Writer: Jody Houser

Artist: Stephen Mooney

Color Artist: Triona Farrell

Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit

Natasha has been doing the trademark, “Do I have a soul if I’m a clone?” kind of searching that a hero goes through every once in awhile in the Marvel Universe. The last two issues she has been kind of retracing some life choices she made while still under the employment of the Red Room for reasons that haven’t been made entirely clear. What has been made clear though is someone from her past has found her and isn’t happy with some of those past choices.

We open in seedy looking Symkaria. A yet unidentified person is carrying their groceries home. Once inside the person instantly drops the grocery bag and pulls a gun. Natasha is just chillaxing in this former Black Widow’s apartment. She is here for Yelena Belova’s help. Yelena if you did not know is the second modern day Black Widow. She was to take Natasha’s place after leaving the Red Room.

Natasha and Yelena set off to do some espionage work on a company called Schmatlock Securities. For apparently two reason one reason we find out being Natasha wants to know if Yelena is the no face person that is plaguing her every move. The other reason is still alittle shrouded in mystery, but it has to do with Natasha’s worries about her cloned body.

As we get this really cool cinematic intellectual property theft scene with the two Black Widow’s we are also given these flashback scenes of the Red Room and Natasha training and having issues with this head strong, over the top student. This student, Toma, (don’t bother looking it up because I don’t think its that Toma even though that Toma was Russian also) is obviously not ready for full field activities but she gets thrown into Natasha’s lap. When push comes to shove it turns out Natasha was right and that Toma wouldn’t listen and got herself killed….or did she?

Meanwhile back in the present the Widows got the info they came for on a zip drive when the alarm goes off. The team run out to find there is someone else here and that someone has no problems killing everyone in the way. Natasha recognizes it as a message and a trail to follow. they follow it all the way to the CEO’s office. Just to see Natasha standing behind the slaughtered CEO smirking.

Final Thoughts:

This was good issue. The action sequences have been the strongest aspect of this series for three issues. I would just ask for a little more care to be put into the faces whether its penciling or inking I don’t know but they get a little unpleasant sometimes. This is the best written of the three issues also with more of an introduction to the behind the scenes villain and a nice team up with a former Black Widow.

7/10