I really enjoyed this run of Black Widow. It shows her working on her own (away from S.H.I.E.L.D.) while also giving a lot of backstory about The Red Room and how it's affected her as a human being. My only issue is that it ended on a slight cliffhanger (aka the series completist in me is itching to know what happens even though it's pretty much a complete story). Looks like I've got to pick up the sequel (Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her) to have more of an opinion on the full story. Overall, it still works as a standalone story if you're looking to read the essential Black Widow runs.

I'll admit, I got a little too excited seeing the white suit when reading this lol. I enjoyed a lot of it but also still had a few things that could have been better. I liked the twist on Ivan being the villain, but I didn't care for his reasoning was that Natasha never gave him the time of day (like, he could practically be her dad). I liked the concept of 'icepick,' but wasn't fond of the antidote being in kiss form for only Bobbi and the rest as touch form when it came to the men. As much as I think it would have been silly for Natasha to have to kiss everyone to provide them with the antidote (purely because she's an assassin and pretty serious personality-wise), it could have brought the comical aspect as opposed to 'let's make the women in Hawkeye's life make out to fulfill the sexy quota.' I also didn't mind the different art styles for past and present, kinda just wanted them to be a little bit more similar in style.

This was dark AF and will probably never be brought to the screen, but it was a perfect spy story with an emphasis on social justice. It showcases the woman that Natasha has naturally grown into even in a modernized setting, and how much she has endured in order to be freed from her past. A highly recommended read even if you're a casual comics fan.

I'm definitely missing some story history and makes this run a little hard to read as a standalone. I do really enjoy Rikki Barnes as a character and it gives a nice (yet not too convoluted) look into what the marvel multiverse looks like in terms of relationships and potential consequences. The plot of a group of people (in this case students) taking the words and goals of someone (even though in this case it was a good kid that was shocked by how crazy everything got) and turning into radicalized destruction hits a little too close to home at the present moment, and it's also a little weird to see how relevant the story still is considering this run was originally published now over 10 years ago.

The fact that this book was anxiety-inducing, a metaphor for getting closure, and a page-turner to the point where I had to force myself to only do the weekly book club readings is the makings of a series that I will be obsessed with. Like, I just want MORE! Definitely can't wait to see what mind-fuckery Authority and Acceptance bring forth!

Note: I did not watch the movie before reading this. It was a glorious experience reading this without any pre-conceived ideas and details in my head.

Tip: throw on the movie soundtrack or some dark forest ambiance while reading and you'll be in for a treat!

Everything I love about Brat Pack movies and mob/crime stories in comic form. I want more!

I'm absolutely missing some backstory into Pixie and the rest of the team that's involved, but this was still a nice-ly contained story. Honestly, I think this particular run would've benefited from more issues (maybe an 8 issue run instead of 4 issues). Otherwise, this was fun and entices me to want to learn more about the other characters that I was introduced to.

Personally not a fan of the format. I've read books where each chapter is from a different character's perspective, but I feel like it was too much of a slow burn and when things finally started getting interesting then it was time for another character's story. Also, the ending was a bit disappointing for all of the enchantments of Area X. Enjoyed this more than Authority, but for me, Annihilation is the only one of the trilogy I would re-read.