Black Widow's flight from her charge's pursuers brings her to a deep, dark hole in Poland that nobody knows about.
The Good
There's a lot of good stuff to comment on - - the brisk pace, the wonderfully mean action, the sensible integration of realpolitik, and so on - - but what I enjoyed the most was the deliciously-bent sexual tension between Natasha and the journalist dude. Even when she isn't trying to be a vamp, she still can't but seduce men; even when they've got all the reason in the world to hate her guts!
The Bad
Some of Black Widow's old buddies from the Winter Guard show up at the end and I really question their inclusion since this was shaping up to be a more down-to-Earth arc. Mutant witches and power suits are part of Natasha's history, sure, but I figured part of the appeal of this book was to focus on the more worldly espionage side of the character, since she's involved in plenty of superheroics already in the Avengers books.
The Verdict - 4/5
I know that opinions waxed hot and cold on "Natalie" as she appeared in Iron Man 2, but this has been proving to be a strong series since it's very start. Anybody who's excited about the long-discussed prospect of a Black Widow movie will be quite satisfied by this book, as it not only gives the super-spy her own feature, it also presents a plot uniquely tailored to her oft-duplicitous character.
