Monthly Comics Discussion Post
In our ongoing efforts to bring squee to the community, behold our inaugural Monthly Comics Discussion Post!
The way it works: At the end of each month, we will interrupt our regular MCU-centric programming to talk about all things related to Clint and Natasha in the comics. Comics that were released during the month, comics you're currently reading, comics you've read and wish to discuss, etc. If you'd like to squee about comics not related to Clint or Natasha, we're okay with that. If comics are not your thing, we're okay with that too!
Come January, Clint and Natasha will each have their own ongoing comics. They are on the same team in Secret Avengers. This is all exciting stuff that deserves celebration.
Natasha:
Black Widow: The Name of the Rose by Marjorie Liu
This comic is at or near the top of most Black Widow recs lists, and with good reason. It’s one if not the quintessential Black Widow comic, and a great place to start. Smart, poetic storytelling that gets to the heart of Natasha’s character, combined with stunning art. The overall tone is pretty dark, but it has its lighter moments courtesy of Natasha’s deadpan sense of humour. Highly recommended.
Black Widow: Itsy Bitsy Spider, by Greg Rucka and Devin Grayson
This comic introduces the closest character Natasha has to an arch nemesis: Yelena Belova. It’s an action spy romp with plenty of character moments that showcase why Natasha is a hero.
Avengers Assemble #14: Age of Ultron Tie-In by Al Ewing
This is a Natasha-centric tie-in comic to a gigantic and frankly not very good Marvel crossover event, but it’s a great portrayal of Natasha at her most heroic, and you don’t need to have read Age of Ultron to follow along. Natasha selflessly places herself in the line of fire to save others and suffers trauma and nasty injuries as a result. Did anyone see the drawings earlier in the year of Natasha with bad facial scars? This is when that happened, so as you can guess, it’s a very dark story, but a brilliant portrayal of Natasha.
Clint:
Hawkeye (2012) by Matt Fraction
You want a Clint comic, look no further! This comic has it all, great writing, great art, lots of laughs and feels aplenty, plus occasional Natasha cameos. It’s continuity-lite and relatively self-contained, so if you’re looking to get into comics without reading up on 40+ years of backstory, this is a good place to start. According to interviews the upcoming Black Widow comic will be in a similar vein with regard to continuity, so hopefully that comic will also be new reader friendly.
Clint and Natasha Together
Widowmaker by Jim McGann and Duane Swierczynski
Clint and Natasha team up to take on Natasha’s evil ex husband who is plotting mass destruction! As that sentence suggests, this is a light, fun spy adventure with plenty of action, banter and Clint’s pre-MCU silly costume, and the interactions between Clint and Natasha are great. Plus Bobbi Morse can snark with the best of them.
Avengers Assemble #12 and #13: The Widow’s Ledger by Kelly Sue Deconnick
A great jumping on point for MCU Clint/Natasha fans! Kelly Sue’s entire run on Avengers Assemble is highly recommended, but these two issues are particularly relevant to our interests. ;) Clint helps Natasha settle an old debt. It’s a fun, self-contained story with a lot of partnership!feels and Clint/Natasha subtext. Also, lizards.
Please note that this is by no means an essential or exhaustive list, and we welcome further recommendations in the comments. Most comics can be found in trade paperback format on Amazon, Book Depository or your local comic bookstore, and individual issues can be found online on sites such as Comixology, or at your local comic bookstore.
What are your favourite Clint and/or Natasha comics? Tell us about them!
While some comics are harder to come by, please don’t post torrent links in the comments.
The way it works: At the end of each month, we will interrupt our regular MCU-centric programming to talk about all things related to Clint and Natasha in the comics. Comics that were released during the month, comics you're currently reading, comics you've read and wish to discuss, etc. If you'd like to squee about comics not related to Clint or Natasha, we're okay with that. If comics are not your thing, we're okay with that too!
Come January, Clint and Natasha will each have their own ongoing comics. They are on the same team in Secret Avengers. This is all exciting stuff that deserves celebration.
Natasha:
Black Widow: The Name of the Rose by Marjorie Liu
This comic is at or near the top of most Black Widow recs lists, and with good reason. It’s one if not the quintessential Black Widow comic, and a great place to start. Smart, poetic storytelling that gets to the heart of Natasha’s character, combined with stunning art. The overall tone is pretty dark, but it has its lighter moments courtesy of Natasha’s deadpan sense of humour. Highly recommended.
Black Widow: Itsy Bitsy Spider, by Greg Rucka and Devin Grayson
This comic introduces the closest character Natasha has to an arch nemesis: Yelena Belova. It’s an action spy romp with plenty of character moments that showcase why Natasha is a hero.
Avengers Assemble #14: Age of Ultron Tie-In by Al Ewing
This is a Natasha-centric tie-in comic to a gigantic and frankly not very good Marvel crossover event, but it’s a great portrayal of Natasha at her most heroic, and you don’t need to have read Age of Ultron to follow along. Natasha selflessly places herself in the line of fire to save others and suffers trauma and nasty injuries as a result. Did anyone see the drawings earlier in the year of Natasha with bad facial scars? This is when that happened, so as you can guess, it’s a very dark story, but a brilliant portrayal of Natasha.
Clint:
Hawkeye (2012) by Matt Fraction
You want a Clint comic, look no further! This comic has it all, great writing, great art, lots of laughs and feels aplenty, plus occasional Natasha cameos. It’s continuity-lite and relatively self-contained, so if you’re looking to get into comics without reading up on 40+ years of backstory, this is a good place to start. According to interviews the upcoming Black Widow comic will be in a similar vein with regard to continuity, so hopefully that comic will also be new reader friendly.
Clint and Natasha Together
Widowmaker by Jim McGann and Duane Swierczynski
Clint and Natasha team up to take on Natasha’s evil ex husband who is plotting mass destruction! As that sentence suggests, this is a light, fun spy adventure with plenty of action, banter and Clint’s pre-MCU silly costume, and the interactions between Clint and Natasha are great. Plus Bobbi Morse can snark with the best of them.
Avengers Assemble #12 and #13: The Widow’s Ledger by Kelly Sue Deconnick
A great jumping on point for MCU Clint/Natasha fans! Kelly Sue’s entire run on Avengers Assemble is highly recommended, but these two issues are particularly relevant to our interests. ;) Clint helps Natasha settle an old debt. It’s a fun, self-contained story with a lot of partnership!feels and Clint/Natasha subtext. Also, lizards.
Please note that this is by no means an essential or exhaustive list, and we welcome further recommendations in the comments. Most comics can be found in trade paperback format on Amazon, Book Depository or your local comic bookstore, and individual issues can be found online on sites such as Comixology, or at your local comic bookstore.
What are your favourite Clint and/or Natasha comics? Tell us about them!
While some comics are harder to come by, please don’t post torrent links in the comments.