Black Widow #2

While still leaving much to be revealed, Black Widow #2 takes us back a week before the events of the first issue which began with with Natasha Romanova being chased out of S.H.I.E.L.D. with stolen files. It's still unclear as to just what the Black Widow stole from S.H.I.E.L.D. or what specifically from her past the Weeping Lion is blackmailing our heroine with (which may be nothing more than a MacGuffin) in order to force the Widow to betray her friends.

What is clear is that the Black Widow has been forced into a corner to do the bidding of a criminal organization who apparently knows where at least a few of her bodies are buried.

Beginning with an extended sequence is a secret spy graveyard followed by a scene straight out the character's appearance in the first Avengers film, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee make sure there's plenty of action to go with slowly building out the series' ongoing storyline. It may not have the same breakneck pace of the first issue's chase sequence but there's enough her to keep me interested for at least one more issue. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]