General Sam Sawyer has been put in charge of a secret
mission with SHIELD assigned to carry it out. Sawyer wants to use Black Widow
on the mission but Nick Fury thinks that is a bad idea….
Meanwhile, Natasha is taking a shower when her home is
invaded by armored agents and she is surrounded. She distracts them long enough
to turn off the lights and when the interlopers turn them on again, Nat is
dressed for action and has already taken down one of the bad guys. She demands
an explanation….
Nick Fury explains that Black Widow has a personal stake in
the secret mission and relates her history to explain: During the Siege of
Stalingrad, Natasha was rescued from a fire by Ivan Petrovich, she grew up and
married test pilot Alexei Shostakov whose death on a flight was faked so that
he could become the Red Guardian. The Soviets then trained Nat to be a top
agent code-named Black Widow and she is full of anger….
Meanwhile, Black Widow is fighting off the team of killers
on the penthouse roof and then a ship appears in the sky, firing lasers at her
until they hit the cornice where she is standing and Natasha plummets toward
the street far below….
For the special marvelite in you
Story #2Chapter II, With Friends Like These…
Writer:
Ralph Macchio.
Penciler:
Bob Layton.
Inker:
Brett Breeding.
Colorist:
Petra Goldberg.
Letterer:
Tom Orzechowski.
Synopsis
Black Widow’s head clears as she plummets toward the street.
She spins in the air and crashes through the roof of a water tower with the
water within cushioning her fall. She returns to the penthouse and questions
one of the defeated agents….
Meanwhile, Nick Fury continues the account of the Black
Widow’s life: The Soviets sent her to infiltrate Stark Industries to steal new
weapons plans. Then she met Clint “Hawkeye” Barton and fell for him and they
became a spy team. But the Russians brought her home and gave her a Black Widow
costume and she reunited with Hawkeye and tried to go straight. But the Soviets
brainwashed her into being a baddie and fighting the Avengers, she broke her
conditioning, helped the heroes beat the baddies, then served with SHIELD for
several missions. She encountered the Red Guardian who turned out to be her
“late” husband Alexei, he died, she renounced the Commies permanently, broke up
with Hawkeye, and chucked it all to become a socialite. But she grew bored with
that lifestyle so she devised the familiar black suit, fought Spider-Man, and
teamed up with Daredevil, professionally and romantically for some time. They
split up, she moved to LA where she formed the Champions, taking up with
Hercules, split with him and she returned to SHIELD—and now she walks in to
confront Nick Fury about sending a team of SHIELD agents to harass her. Fury
denies knowledge and General Sam Sawyer reveals that he had ordered the attack
as a test for the Black Widow. While Fury balks at telling Natasha about the
secret mission, Sawyer orders him to brief her. Ivan Petrovich has been
kidnapped or defected to the Soviets and Sawyer wants Black Widow to bring him
back….
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: General Sam Sawyer.
FlashbacksPlus: Swordsman (
Jacques Duquesne).
Story #3How Fear Came
Writer:
Jo Duffy.
Penciler:
Gil Kane.
Inker:
P. Craig Russell.
Colorist:
Christie Scheele.
Letterer:
Jim Novak.
Synopsis
During a time of famine, Mowgli escapes Shere Khan and meets
with Baloo and Bagheera at the water hole where all animals have a truce. Shere
Khan arrives, announcing he has killed a man as is his right; Mowgli asks where
the tiger had such a right. Hathi the elephant relates the tale: When all
animals were created, none harmed another until the Tiger killed a buck that
injured him; the Tiger was marked with stripes as a warning. Then Tha the
creator announced that fear had come. The animals went looking for Fear and
discovered a man and fled. Then one night, the Tiger killed the man and
rejoiced but Tha told him that there were more humans and now the Tiger has
taught them how to kill they would be enemies ever after. But one night of the
year, the Tiger is master over all, including Man.
Story #4Brent Anderson Portfolio
Writer:
(left blank).
Penciler/Inker:
Brent Anderson.
Colorist:
Unknown.
Synopsis
Full-page portraits of Thing, Captain America, Wolverine,
Shang-Chi, and Moon Knight.