White Widow #1

Writer: Sarah Gailey Artist: Alessandro Miracolo Publisher: Marvel Comics Release Date: November 1, 2023 Cover Price: $4.99 Critic Reviews: 9 User Reviews: 15
7.2Critic Rating
4.7User Rating

Yelena Belova returns! Superspy. Rogue agent. Shadow of the Black Widow. Yelena Belova has been many things, but striking out as a hero in her own right is new to her. Now that she's finally free to choose her own path, who will she become? Sarah Gailey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Eat the Rich) joins forces with Alessandro Miracolo (Obi-Wan, Yoda) for a groundbreaking new chapter in the life of one of Marvel's most enigmatic antiheroes.
Rated T+

  • 8.7
    The Super Powered Fancast - Deron Generally Nov 1, 2023

    Miracolo delivers some dazzling art throughout the issue. From the character designs to the amazing action, I loved every page of this first issue. Read Full Review

  • 8.5
    AIPT - David Brooke Nov 1, 2023

    White Widow is off to a great start, building on Yelena's character in a natural way. She's not rejecting her killer lifestyle, but embracing it, but at the same time seems to be finding that inner purely good hero thanks to small-town America. Throw in her desire to train younger assassins and there are elements to hang on to and build from. White Widow entertains with a good take on the lead character and creative visual ideas. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    The Comicbook Dispatch - kcscribbles Nov 1, 2023

    White Widow #1 perfectly kicks off Yelenas new life, efficiently introducing all her supporting characters, giving us some cute scenes with her pooch Bint Clarton and some thrilling action scenes, and setting up Armament as a massive over-arching threat for the series that will push Yelena to her limits. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    ComicBook.com - Charlie Ridgely Nov 1, 2023

    Yelena's desire to live her own life in a new town and explore her own mind is, at times, reminiscent of the Matt Fraction-written Hawkeye series we've all come to love. It's not doing exactly what that series did, but White Widow is breathing vibrant and compelling new life into its lead character. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Graphic Policy - Brett Nov 1, 2023

    White Widow #1 is an ok start overall. There's a lot to like and the details deliver a fun read. But, it's big picture plot feels a bit convoluted and as presented doesn't make a whole lot of sense. That all could change as the series progresses but if you're diving in, come for the cool action and decent laughs, just don't think too much about anything else. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Major Spoilers - Jonathan Cadotte Nov 4, 2023

    White Widow #1 is all about bringing the MCU version of White Widow into the comic book world and it's a fun transition to see. Some plotting issues and weird artistic choices pull this one down a bit. Read Full Review

  • 6.0
    Razorfine - Alan Rapp Nov 8, 2023

    Armament provides a mystery for Yelena to solve and shake her out of suburban boredom, but I don't know that there's enough here to bring me back for a second issue for a series that feels like it will have a drawn-out tease before revealing its secrets. Read Full Review

  • 6.0
    Multiversity Comics - Gregory Ellner Nov 6, 2023

    Low stakes and a fun plot are marred by far-too-exaggerated artwork. Read Full Review

  • 5.5
    Weird Science Marvel Comics - mrgabehernandez Nov 1, 2023

    White Widow #1 is a disappointing miss. At the heart of the story is an intriguing mystery, but Sarah Gailey's characterization of Yelena Balova is so bizarrely wrong and off-putting that you can't get into the plot. It's clear from this issue that Gailey's interpretation of White Widow is a “silly, cutesy assassin who can't relate to people.” That's a rookie mistake Marvel should have nipped in the bud. Read Full Review

  • 6.0
    Screaming Enigma Nov 4, 2023

    I liked this more than some people, but it's not great. I was hoping for more from this debut, especially with the rise of Yelena's popularity a bit from being in Black Widow and Hawkeye in the MCU. However, the humor this felt a little forced at times, with one example being Mr. Best's daughter pointing out how nicely Yelena tied the knots. I also felt a bit indifferent towards the art. It was good in some places and not so good in others. What's keeping me around for Issue 2 is the story itself, as I think it's fairly solid. Hopefully the next issue is able to fix, what I believed to be, the mistakes that were present here.

  • 5.0
    derbycomics Nov 1, 2023

    This was a rough start for Yelena Belova in her first time stepping out as a solo hero. Sarah Gailey’s script felt like it had the heavy hand of MCU powers-that-be establishing Yelena’s tone and personality to match the character we saw in the Black Widow film and will see again in Thunderbolts. Gailey’s attempt at humor came off forced and heavy-handed and the identify of the issue’s eventual villain was telegraphed a mile away.

    Alessandro Miracolo’s designs were serviceable, but they weren’t done any favors by the color palette. I’ll be interested to see if it translates on physical copies, but the advanced PDF I received for review did nothing for Matt Milla’s colors. Yelena had such a harsh red shading that s more

  • 3.5
    ItsJess Nov 4, 2023

    Boring, amateur, and cringey.

    Also CIZMANSAHAF & HASANTURKOGLU are the same person. I really don't know why you weirdos do this.

    + LikeComment
  • 3.0
    Briton Nov 11, 2023

    A typical "strong women" type offering from Marvel.

    It's a shame they forgot the plot, some entertainment and decent art.

  • 3.0
    Tempra16v2.0Turbo Nov 9, 2023

    I was hoping it would be good, I'm a widower of Jed MacKay's Black Cat, Sarah Pacheco's Spider Woman and Kelly Thompson's Black Widow..... but it's just shit.

  • 2.0
    fzanca Nov 3, 2023

    I was so looking forward to this series since I am a fan of Yelena and have been since her first appearance way back in the 1990s. It was quite obvious that this writer has never read any issues involving Yelena over the past 35 years. Instead, she based this on a hyper-version of Florence Pugh's interpretation of Yelena. What she thinks is humorous and endearing is purely annoying and amateurish. I won't be continuing it.

    My Comic Review Channel - https://youtu.be/zxpWTXTAdBs

    + LikeComment
  • 1.0
    Dr Narukami Nov 8, 2023

    Sis.

  • 1.0
    UW Nov 4, 2023

    Gah, my previous review was way too long.

    I didn’t like it, at all.

    + LikeComment
  • 8.5
    ComicWorm Nov 5, 2023

  • 8.5
    hasanturkoglu Nov 2, 2023

  • 8.5
    cizmansahaf Nov 2, 2023

  • 7.0
    wesshamu Feb 10, 2024

  • 7.0
    ÜberGinger Jan 17, 2024

  • 6.0
    TheFallenKing13 Nov 1, 2023

  • 1.0
    StrandedGecko54 Nov 1, 2023

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