That can be attributed to the plethora of questions that still need to be answered, but Al Ewing's entertaining script nicely fills in some of the blanks. Read Full Review

Overall, reading this just made me wish this was how the main series was paced and how it was presented. In the page we got a lot of humanity, lots of connection, empathy, loss, and action. Something the main series misses with its excessive talking the leads to nothing. Read Full Review

This issue isn't a bad tie-in by any means, managing to provide an entertaining account of Black Widow's first encounter with the Age of Ultron while playing a neat compositional twist into the bargain. Not so much an essential read but certainly a recommended footnote, and so far probably the best AoU crossover on the shelves. Read Full Review

An engrossing book, Ewing places Natashas strengths at center stage, her characterization neatly dissected in this apocalyptic scenario. Guice carries the story with strong pencils and dynamic layouts, conveying the human cost of Ultrons attacks with brutal certainty. This is a downer of an issue, but worth a read for Black Widow fans, as well as anybody keeping up with the event. Read Full Review

Fortunately, Black Widow looks amazing thanks to the skillful line work of Butch Guice. He nails all the character moments, especially the opening scene. However, things get a bit choppy when the action hits and it's not always clear what's happening and who's getting hit. There was moment where I could have sworn Black Widow had her head blown off by an Ultron laser, which of course turned out not to be the case. Frank D'Armata provides some killer colors in this issue, really giving the aforementioned opening scene a sense of life and fun. Obviously, things don't stay fun for very long. Read Full Review

Avengers Assemble #14AU serves as a solid background piece outlining catastrophic events that take place prior to the first issue of Age of Ultron, but it's not a must-read in order to follow the core series. Ewing drives the story along through Natasha's inner-dialogue, providing some sense and logic to her actions. The story deals more with her inner-conflict of being brave when she's petrified, surrounded by the demise of San Francisco. Read Full Review

Once the initial strike is over, "Avengers Assemble" #14AU calms down a bit. The immediate grieving for those who were lost is affecting, and one that pays off from the introductions performed earlier by Ewing and Guice. It's not quite as interesting at that point as Black Widow scrambles to survive, but it's still a good story. At the end of the day, the lack of a script from Kelly Sue DeConnick was no longer an issue; Ewing, Guice and Palmer had turned in a good and pleasing comic. "Age of Ultron" has been a big bust up until now, but this has been one of the bright spots of the entire event. Read Full Review

Awesome.

AOU has been one of the best events in recent memory, and these tie-ins have been helping to establish that fact. Butch Guice delivers great art to drive home Black Widow's story of how she came to be in the SHIELD bunker in which we find her in the main series...and how she loses her eye.

Great issue.

A higher than average tie-in in a mediocre event