Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t let the title fool you, these aren’t so much “frequently asked” as “frequently seen around the internet.” All questions can of course be directed to the ask box, and so one day this might be more actually asked questions and less hypothetical dialogue. (Though the stuff about origins and names I have gotten more than once now!)
What’s up with her name? Is it Natasha or Natalia?
It’s Наталья, usually rendered in English as Natalia. Natasha is a diminuative or nickname of Natalia, the same way Bob is a nickname for Robert. For a more longform answere I did a write-up on Russian naming conventions and Natasha’s history.
So, explain Natasha’s origin to me.
Natalia Romanova was born c. 1928 and soon became an orphan under the care of a soldier Ivan Petrovich. Ivan became a surrogate father figure and they spent many years wandering Europe together. In the mid-fifties Ivan was mortally wounded, and Natasha agreed to become an agent in return for the KGB’s miracle cure. After many years of devoted service, Natasha realized she was just a pawn in her bosses game, and defected to become a superhero.
For a more in-depth examination of retcons and all that, I wrote up this series of essays.
How many Black Widows are there?
29 have been mentioned, but for all intents and purposes there are three. Claire Voyant is a Golden Age Timely character who was most recently revived in the Twelve. She’s a mystic character who kills evildoers in order to drag their souls to Satan. Not much mentioned in modern Marvel continuity, but recently seen in the Twelve. There’s no connection between Claire and Natasha, except for the name.
Natasha Romanov is the most famous Black Widow, introduced in Tales of Suspense #52 in 1964. Mostly, this blog is about Natasha.
Yelena Belova was introduced in a late-nineties Inhumans miniseries, as a post-Soviet inheritor of the codename. She’s been an antagonist and an ally to Natasha, and was last seen frozen in one of Norman Osborn’s tubes.
Yelena and Natasha both have connections to the Red Room, a Russian intelligence agency that trains young women to become spies. The Red Room has trained at least 26 other operatives as part of their Black Widow project, though they are all believed to be dead.
The Ultimate Universe version of Natasha Romanov was killed in the finale of Grand Theft America. Since then, Monica Chang, a totally new Black Widow has started appearing in that universe.
Who are you?
I am the person who runs this tumblog. I am a young (but adult!) woman who is keenly interested in early American political history and 16 bit RPGs. I’m on the internet and I have opinions. You can email me if you have something to say, or use the tumblr askbox feature.
What are some of your favorite comics and creators?
Marvel franchise-wise I am a big fan of Daredevil and Thunderbolts. My favorite run of comics is somewhere between the Steranko/Nick Fury Strange Tales and the Lee/Ditko/Doctor Strange Strange Tales. I also like Ed Brubaker, Queen and Country, Palomar, Scalped, 1980s JLI, Astro City, and Fletcher Hanks.
What is your content policy?
This is a safe for work blog, much to the dismay of everyone who comes here by typing the words “fuck black widow” into their google search. I try to keep spoilers for recent issues under a cut until a few days to a week after the comic is released. I generally warn for highly triggering content, as well, but being a comic book blog there is an awful lot of violent imagery and sexist supervillains and the like. If there’s something you’d like me to warn for or tag, please let me know.
What theme are you using?
The one that I coded for this blog. The header image is modified from a piece by Stephanie Hans, font faces used include Lato and Playfair Display. If you have any issues with the layout, especially re: accessibility concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me about it!
What theme are you using?
The one that I coded for this blog. The header image is modified from a piece by Stephanie Hans, font faces used include Lato and Playfair Display. If you have any issues with the layout, especially re: accessibility concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me about it!
Why call it Fuck Yeah, Black Widow?
Fuck Yeah, Something! is a popular microblog format pioneered by Fuck Yeah Sharks, that spread to single character comic fandom dedications long before I set up shop. There are tens of thousands of blogs that follow the Team America World Police naming convention. Basically, I blame peer pressure.
