Talk about a series that has gotten better with every single issue. Black Widow #3 delivers it all with some great intrigue, some humor, and lots of action. This is a series that should be on everyone’s pull list and continues a fantastic debut and new series.

Writer Kelly Thompson lifts the veil on the mystery as we find out who is behind Black Widow’s world. We also get some motivation to their actions too. Thompson keeps it basic as to the who and the why keeping the focus more on the action and what’s said than some overly complicated plot. In many ways, Black Widow #3 keeps it simple with a progression that we’ve seen in other media. But, the issue does it in a style and with such flair, it’s hard to not enjoy it all.

Thompson builds to the eventual action slowly. We get the reveal as to who’s behind the plot. We get her allies discussing what to do. And we get Natasha debating if something is wrong in her perfect life. While the comic could, and with the title somewhat expected, be a lot of action, instead we get a lot of focus on the characters. There’s a lot of humor and laughs, mostly driven by Bucky and Clint as they debate what to do. There’s also some amazing action with art that pops off the page and just nails its sequences in every single way.

Elena Casagrande handles the art with Jordie Bellaire on color and Cory Petit doing the lettering. The team does a fantastic job of building to the eventual explosion of action. When we get there, the imagery pops off the page with eye-catching spreads and some amazing uses of the page. There’s also a great focus on the quieter moments, especially when Natasha is thinking about her impending marriage. The design is fantastic and there’s an attention to detail that emphasizes the perfection of it all. But, it’s the action sequences… they’re amazing in their flow. The two-page “web” page is so amazing with imagery of Natasha’s past webbed in… you’ll know the page when you get to it.

Black Widow #3 is just a fantastic issue. The action is solid. The humor is great. There’s just so much there to enjoy and it’s all tied together with top-notch visuals. This is a comic that just improves on the previous two and it’s a series that’s getting better with every issue.

Story: Kelly Thompson Art: Elena Casagrande
Color: Jordie Bellaire Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 9.5 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics