The Best Black Widow Comic Story Arcs

Black Widow is a Silver Age creation: conceived by Stan Lee, Don Rico, and Don Heck, Natasha Romanoff made her first appearance in Tales of Suspense #52 (April 1964) as a Soviet spy sent to sabotage American industry — Iron Man is her first opponent. For six years she remained a supporting character, antagonist or reluctant ally depending on the series. Everything changed in 1970: Amazing Spider-Man #86 (July 1970, eBay median €13, 30 listings) gave her the iconic black bodysuit that would define her visual identity through the MCU films. The following year, Daredevil #81 (November 1971) established her as a full co-lead. This guide covers the essential arcs of her bibliography, from Bronze Age to the modern era.

Methodology: eBay figures (blended medians across all grades) come from our real-time estimator. For Tales of Suspense #52 and #57, the tool returns "invalid parameters" — all figures cited come exclusively from sellmycomicbooks.com and Heritage Auctions. Where no public record exists, we stay qualitative.

Black Widow key issues at a glance

Sources: sellmycomicbooks.com, Heritage Auctions, mycomicscollection.com eBay estimator.

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

Published in April 1964, Tales of Suspense #52 is the absolute key issue for any Black Widow collector. Stan Lee (plot), Don Rico (script/dialogue, writing under the pen name "N. Korok"), and Don Heck (art) introduced Natasha Romanoff as a KGB operative assigned to undermine American industry — with Iron Man as her first target. The cover shows a man trapped in a red web, without even revealing the spy's face. Our eBay estimator does not cover this title; all figures come from web sources. According to sellmycomicbooks.com, the all-time record stands at $15,000 (CGC 9.6 Pacific Coast Pedigree, 2014); a CGC 9.4 trades below this record (no major public 9.4 sale documented) and a CGC 9.0 sold for $9,000; below CGC 8.0, copies trade between $1,400 and $3,500 depending on grade. MCU exposure — Scarlett Johansson debuting in Iron Man 2 (2010) and appearing through Avengers: Endgame and the solo Black Widow film (2021, $379.8M worldwide) — has permanently anchored this issue among the major Silver Age Marvel keys.

Amazing Spider-Man #86 (1970): the birth of an iconic look

Amazing Spider-Man #86 (July 1970, Roy Thomas, John Romita Sr.) is the issue where Natasha abandons her earlier costume and dons the skintight black bodysuit for the first time — the look that has defined her in every MCU film since. The story combines Spider-Man's first meeting with Black Widow, a flashback through Natasha's recent past, and that symbolic decision to reinvent herself visually. Our eBay estimator records a median of €13 (30 listings, all grades combined) and a high-grade ceiling of €93. This is an accessible Bronze Age entry point for collectors who want a genuine founding issue without committing to Silver Age price levels.

The Daredevil era (1971–1975): the co-lead run that changed everything

Daredevil #81 (November 1971, Gerry Conway, Gene Colan) is the start of the most transformative period in the character's history. Black Widow arrives in New York to rescue Matt Murdock after his battle with the Owl — and their growing romance leads to a lasting co-lead partnership. In issue #82, Natasha receives the surname "Romanoff" for the first time, cementing her identity. Starting with Daredevil #92 (October 1972), the series itself was retitled Daredevil and the Black Widow — a shared masthead that ran through issue #107 (November 1973). It was the first time in Marvel history that a heroine shared a series title with an established male hero. Our eBay estimator records a median of €9 for issue #81 (47 listings) and €9 to €15 for the co-lead issues. These numbers make this era one of the most affordable complete-run targets in the entire Bronze Age.

Black Widow #1 (1999, Marvel Knights): the first solo, by Grayson and Jones

Natasha had to wait until 1999 and the Marvel Knights imprint to earn her own standalone series. Black Widow #1 (June 1999, Devin Grayson, J.G. Jones) introduces Yelena Belova, the new Red Room graduate whose scores exceeded Natasha's own — a rival and mirror image that lets Grayson explore identity, conditioning, and manipulation across three issues. J.G. Jones's artwork gives the story a cinematic, espionage-thriller aesthetic, clean and precise. This issue is also the first appearance of Yelena Belova, making it a dual key. Our eBay estimator does not cover this series; consult GoCollect or Heritage for current graded values.

Black Widow (2016): Waid and Samnee at their peak

The twelve-issue Black Widow run by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee (who shares story credit) is unanimously regarded as the finest modern arc for the character. Issue #1 opens with a nearly wordless chase sequence aboard an airplane — a masterclass in pure visual storytelling that drew unanimous praise from specialist critics and earned the series a reputation as one of Marvel's best of the decade. The arc follows Natasha hunted by the full force of S.H.I.E.L.D., pursued by a Red Room mirror-image antagonist named Recluse. Waid and Samnee deliver the same register of graphic confidence and emotional precision they brought to their Daredevil run — action comics where every page is engineered for readability and tension. The complete run is available in a single TPB and is the recommended starting point for any collector new to the character.

Black Widow (2020): Kelly Thompson and Elena Casagrande reinvent Natasha

The fifteen-issue series by Kelly Thompson (writer) and Elena Casagrande (artist), published from September 2020 to April 2022, is the most ambitious reimagining of the character since Waid and Samnee. The opening arc, "The Ties That Bind," begins with a radical twist: Natasha has been trapped inside a fabricated civilian life in San Francisco — architect, family, a world that isn't hers. The subsequent arcs, "I Am the Black Widow" and "Die by the Blade," trace how she reclaims her identity against adversaries including the Living Blade and the enigmatic Twins. The series earned an aggregate score of 8.9 on ComicBookRoundUp across fifteen issues, praised for emotional depth and dynamic action choreography. Available as a single TPB, it is the best modern entry point for readers who prefer a complete, self-contained story.