Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Elena Casagrande
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 4, 2020

I have enjoyed this Black Widow book by Kelly Thompson so far. I know the mind-wipe thing is a bit overused in the spy genre, and there are points in the first three issues that are right out of Jason Bourne, Long Liss Goodnight, etc., but Kelly Thompson ramps things up this issue to get us moving along and possibly get Black Widow fully back. But at what cost? AT WHAT COST?!?!

This issue is all about reveals. We find out that the “familiar-looking” babysitter is Red Room frenemy Yelena Belova. While I wish she would hang with Bucky and Clint in the bushes, she drops the reveal bomb that Natasha and James’ baby is Natasha and James’ baby! This ups the ante on whether they should try to snap Natasha out of this mind freak and increases the mystery overall.

We also see the players involved with Arcade who are orchestrating this whole thing. It’s not a who’s who of greats, but that somehow makes it better. You also see that they don’t see eye-to-eye on the end game of this whole thing, leading to the action in this issue.

Meanwhile, Natasha is trying on wedding dresses and getting advice from her babysitter (Yelena), which shows that things aren’t jiving fully in Nat’s brain. Again, though, it’s rather sad to see Natasha not accepting this perfect life herself. And then the bad guys (guy!) push things a little too far, and we get our trope moments, which is not a bad thing!

Natasha jumps into full Black Widow mode when her family gets threatened and the improvised fighting is fantastic but not as awesome as Elena Casagrande’s art, which is terrific! Everything in this book is stunning!

The issue ends with Black Widow going ham, blowing up shit (with the bomb she made earlier), and then getting subdued, which looks like it’s going to be a real problem for the baddies if she survives.

Final Thoughts:

I am enjoying this series and liked this issue a whole lot. Kelly Thompson is pacing this well, and in a story like this, that is crucial. It feels like the right amount of time to get settled into Nat’s new life, and now it’s time to rip it all away from her…maybe. Elena Casagrande’s art is the icing on the cake to a book I enjoy each time it comes out.

8.5/10