New Black Widow ongoing series!

Acccording to Marvel, Natasha Romanova (please get the last name right, Marvel), the Black Widow, is getting her first-ever ongoing series starting in April. This is fantastic news, not just for fans of the character, but for fans of solo books starring female heroes (especially after Ms. Marvel ends with #50). And Daniel Acuna on art doesn't hurt either!

Acording to writer Marjorie Liu

I want to establish Black Widow as her own character, not as someone's girlfriend or the member of a team. Which isn't to say that Black Widow's relationships won't be explored, but she's a cunning, ruthless woman whose physical prowess would be nothing without her staggering intelligence. She's a force to be reckoned with, in every possible way.

I appreciate both sides of this, for while Natasha definitely deserved an independent focus, one of the interesting things about the character is her relationships with so many big players in the 616--including Iron Man, Daredevil, Nick Fury, Wolverine, and both Captain Americas (or is that Captains America?)--and I wouldn't want that aspect to be ignored completely. (I've really liked her interaction with Maria Hill in the current Invincible Iron Man arc--maybe they could be featured together.)

I just hope the book is good enough to continue long after the movie hype dies down (though we can always hope for a spinoff movie as well!).

(And since you asked, yes, Black Widow does get some time in Iron Man and Philosophy: Facing the Stark Reality, out in March.)