Beginner's guide to collecting Black Widow comics

Natasha Romanova makes her debut in April 1964 in Tales of Suspense #52, in a story titled "The Crimson Dynamo Strikes Again!" Stan Lee plots, Don Rico scripts (writing under the pen name N. Korok), and Don Heck draws. She appears as a Soviet spy dispatched by Moscow to eliminate Tony Stark, Iron Man, and defecting Crimson Dynamo Anton Vanko. From her very first panel, her mix of cold menace and calculated seduction sets her apart from any other Marvel character of the era.

This guide is written for beginners: it clearly separates the out-of-reach Silver Age keys from accessible Bronze Age and modern issues worth hunting. Every price figure comes from the mycomicscollection.com eBay estimator (live data, 26/06/2026) or documented public records (sellmycomicbooks.com, Metropolis Comics). Where no verified record exists, we stay qualitative.

Tales of Suspense #52 (1964): the Silver Age grail

Tales of Suspense #52 is the absolute master key for any Black Widow collection. This is a Silver Age book: Natasha appears here in civilian clothes with dark hair, before her iconic costume transformation. The documented record for a CGC 9.6 Pacific Coast Pedigree copy stands at $15,000 (sellmycomicbooks.com) — the benchmark ceiling for this issue. A CGC 9.4 trades below this record (no major public 9.4 sale documented). Among lower grades, sellmycomicbooks.com documents a CGC 9.0 at $9,000 and a CGC 8.0 at $3,480. For raw ungraded copies, the same source indicates approximately $400 in Fine and $150 in Very Good. Our eBay estimator does not cover Tales of Suspense — all figures above come from documented web sources.

For a beginner, this issue is a long-term goal rather than a first purchase. A raw Good or VG copy can be considered around $100–200 if the budget allows, but caution is essential: verify authenticity, avoid restored copies, and ideally favor a CGC-graded copy even at a modest grade.

Tales of Suspense #57 (1964): first appearance of Hawkeye

Tales of Suspense #57 (September 1964) is an unmissable adjacent key: it is the issue where Black Widow recruits Hawkeye (Clint Barton), establishing the duo that would shape a significant part of Marvel history. This issue is sometimes undervalued relative to its narrative weight. Metropolis Comics documents a CGC 9.8 sale at $210,000 in 2024 (Curator Collection), the highest documented record for that copy. More accessible grades trade around $450 for FN 6.0, and between $125 and $175 for GD 2.0. Both Hawkeye and Black Widow collectors compete for this one, which sustains demand across grades.

Amazing Spider-Man #86 (1970): first black costume — the accessible Bronze Age entry

Published in July 1970, Amazing Spider-Man #86 is the issue where Natasha Romanova adopts her iconic black bodysuit — the costume that would define the character for decades — redesigned by John Romita Sr. It is a Bronze Age key, and therefore far more affordable than the 1964 Silver Age books. Our eBay estimator records 30 active listings and shows a median of €13, with low-end copies at €9 and quality copies reaching €93. That wide spread reflects the range of grades available on the market. For beginners, this is often the best first Black Widow purchase: the issue is recognizable, carries genuine narrative weight, and a raw Very Fine copy remains very affordable.

Daredevil #81 (1971): co-starring with Daredevil

Starting with Daredevil #81 (1971), Black Widow co-headlined the series alongside Matt Murdock for several years — a formative period for the character as she gained narrative depth and independence. These Daredevil issues are widely available on the market. Our estimator shows a median of €9 across eBay data for the series (47 listings for issue #81), with a ceiling of €19 for the best copies. These are solid Bronze Age comics, ideal for exploring the era when Natasha moved decisively beyond her role as an antagonist.

Key issue summary table

Modern series: Black Widow #1 (1999) and the 2000–2020 runs

The first Black Widow solo series, Black Widow #1 (1999, Marvel Knights), is written by Devin Grayson and drawn by J.G. Jones. It marks an editorial turning point: Natasha finally leads a series entirely her own. Subsequent runs — 2004, 2010, then the Mark Waid & Chris Samnee 2016 run and Kelly Thompson's 2020 series — form a strong body of modern work. These issues are generally accessible and low-risk for beginners. The 2021 Black Widow film (Scarlett Johansson, directed by Cate Shortland, $379.8M worldwide according to Wikipedia) generated temporary demand for these moderns; values have since settled.

Grade advice for beginners

For Tales of Suspense #52, a CGC-graded copy — even at 2.0 or 3.0 — is preferable to an unverified raw copy: fraud exists on high-stakes Silver Age keys. For Amazing Spider-Man #86 and the Bronze Age Daredevil issues, a raw Very Fine copy is perfectly defensible to start: the per-unit value does not justify grading fees. Modern series (1999–2020) need no grading at all. Begin with issues you can inspect physically, and move up the ladder gradually.