As a spy and an Avenger, the Black Widow has routinely confronted the evils of the Marvel Universe on a global and cosmic level. When she's fought crime at the street level though, it's usually been as an occasional ally to heroes like Daredevil. However, that's about to change in the ongoing adventures of Black Widow by writer Kelly Thompson and artist Elena Casagrande. In the series' inaugural arc, the Widow was abducted by villains and given the perfect life with a husband and son. The conclusion of that story found Natasha separated from her dream family and grieving for the life she had with them.
In Black Widow #6, Natasha Romanoff will kick off a brand new era in her superhero career as she deals with her pain by becoming the hero San Francisco desperately needs. CBR spoke with Thompson about the Widow's new career as an urban vigilante, her new headquarters, the brand new villain who's targeting her, the role Yelena Belova's White Widow plays in the book, and the other arachnid-themed Marvel hero Natasha will soon encounter. We've also got a first look at pages from Black Widow #6, by Rafael De La Torre and Jordie Bellaire, a page from Black Widow #7 by Casagrande and Razzah's variant cover for Black Widow #6.
CBR: Your first arc of Black Widow ended with Natasha separated from her ideal family in a seemingly irrevocable way. It feels like the perfect setup for an exploration of how Nat and other Marvel heroes cope with loss and trauma; by helping others. Was that your intention?
Kelly Thompson: It was definitely part of what I wanted to do, yes. I wanted a story for Natasha that would permanently change her -- even after she’d healed and “moved on” from the immediate ramifications of the story. I wanted ripples of it to continue to exist for her as a character and within her book. So this will be an ongoing aspect of Nat’s story for the foreseeable future -- dealing with that trauma and how complicated all of it was and continues to be for her. But expect that to play out in the background as she throws herself into a new mission.
What can you tell us about your inspiration for having the Black Widow become the protector of San Francisco?
I don’t think it’s a secret at this point that I like to set stories outside NYC when I can. I find the change of scenery, and letting that be its own character within the story can really breathe new life into things. I have no beef with NYC, which is basically a perfect setting for most Marvel stories, but the change of pace can be fun and Nat’s a character that really felt like she needed that change to me, on many levels. San Francisco is both new to her and old, which feels right.
What's it like playing in the world of San Francisco? What are some of the real-world elements of the city you want to explore?
San Francisco is an incredible tapestry full of beautiful and iconic places, and it has an advantage over LA in that it feels a bit more like NYC in its density and scale, which obviously works well for superhero stories. One of my favorite aspects of our realization of the city thus far has been in Jordie Bellaire’s colors. The way she can so magnificently define the city as its own character is a joy to watch.
At the end of Black Widow #5, Yelena agreed to accompany Natasha on her new mission. So what kind of role will she play in the book moving forward? What's it like bouncing her off of Natasha?
Yelena and Nat together are super fun. And to be honest, for the state Natasha is in right now, she really needs people around her. While Yelena is interested in the team up for her own reasons, the real reason she stayed is because she knew Natasha would need her after everything she’s been through. And I love that about Yelena. She’s also incredibly fun to write with her salty Russian practicality, and contrasting that against Natasha, who is of course also Russian, but far more Americanized, is great fun.
Who are some of the other supporting players we'll meet in this next arc of Black Widow?
Black Widow #6 introduces a new character, Lucy Nguyen, who poses some interesting dynamics for both Natasha and Yelena. And Anya Corazon, Arana, will be joining the book in Black Widow #7, as Natasha and Yelena investigate the villain Apogee and his mysterious Olio that are plaguing San Francisco.
Speaking of Apogee, what can you tell us about him and his particular brand of villainy?
Unfortunately, there’s not much I can say as a big part of our story is Black Widow and White Widow investigating him and trying to discover who and what he is, and what he can do. How he has managed to get such a stranglehold on San Francisco so quickly?
To go with her new mission Natasha is sporting a new costume. Who designed her new outfit? What sort of input did you give them? And what can you tell us about the gear Natasha will employ as San Francisco's protector?
Elena obviously gets the credit for the gorgeous design. I gave her notes on what Natasha’s new direction was going to be, and Elena went to work. She came back with incredible stuff and then we played a bit of mix and match with some of the ideas until we all landed on something we loved and that fit where Nat was going. There will definitely be more toys -- both practical and less practical. It’s actually really difficult to design a new Black Widow costume because her classic look is basically perfect. But I’ve been pumped to see the response to this one, people seem really engaged. The few complaints I’ve seen have been about the “red piping” and to those people, all I have to say is: if you just think that’s decorative piping, then you’re not paying enough attention to the kind of books I write or the kind of detail Elena puts into her designs!
Being an urban vigilante involves complex things like funding, public versus secret identities, and what to do when you're not out on the streets. What can you tell us about those aspects of the Black Widow's new life?
We’re playing with that stuff as much as realistic. It’s hard to put your secret identity back into the bottle -- Nat is a very famous Avenger to most of the world -- so that’s not something terribly practical for her. By the same token, she’s a master spy, so she’s got plenty of tricks up her sleeve if she wants to stay hidden. Nat has used an old safe house (a condemned theater in the Tenderloin District) to build an incredible new base of operations that she and Yelena call The Web, and Elena’s designs for this thing are awesome, I don’t think Natasha has ever had a base like this before.
Finally, what's it like beginning this new era of Black Widow with your collaborators Rafael de Latorre, who's doing Issue #6, and Elena Casagrande who's back with Issue #7?
It’s so exciting. I wanted this very emotional opening story for Natasha to give her a sort of hard emotional reset. But we knew that was a risk because we also knew we might only get five issues. So I was trying not to get too attached to our future plans, but now that we’re here it’s truly exciting. I’m constantly grateful to editor Sarah Brunstad for putting together such an incredible team in Elena, Jordie, and Rafael. The book is truly exceptional to behold, from the bold Adam Hughes covers to Cory Petit’s pitch-perfect letters.