Black Widow: The Stunning Action Spreads That Defined Us

As we celebrate/mourn the end of our Eisner-Winning Black Widow run, I wanted to take a minute to shout out to the incredible team: Elena Casagrande, Jordie Bellaire, Adam Hughes, Rafael De Latorre, Elisabetta D’Amico, Rafael Pimentel, Carlos Gomez and Federico Blee, Cory Petit, Kat Gregorowicz, Anita Okoye, and of course, Sarah Brunstad who made all of this possible. Couldn’t have dreamed up a better team and I feel so lucky to have gone on this adventure with all of them. <3

Official thanks aside, I thought what better way to try to celebrate some of what was so special about this book, than by compiling all those incredible “Action DPSes” that really helped define our book from issue one right on through the finish.

Panel from Black Widow #15 - art by Elena Casagrande and Elisabetta D’Amico. Colors by Jordie Bellaire, Lettering by Clayton Cowles.

These spreads may have been my ideas (you guys remember how much I love The De Luca Effect, right?) but one of my favorite things about writing De Luca Effect pages into my scripts is that every artist approaches them a bit differently, and in BLACK WIDOW Elena really leaned into the idea in incredible ways, completely setting the tone for an approach to action that would really define our book going forward. Let’s dig in!

NOTE: I guess beware of spoilers if you haven’t read the book? None of these pages have dialogue, so it’s probably not too devastating, but view with caution I suppose? And if you haven’t read the book…get on that! ;D

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BLACK WIDOW #1.

Elena Casagrande and Jordie Bellaire.

It was when I saw this first hallway spread that I knew we had something really special on our hands. That this really could be be the book I’d been dreaming of.

BLACK WIDOW #2

Elena Casagrande and Jordie Bellaire.

As I’ve discussed before — not all of the Black Widow Action Double Page Spreads are technically De Luca Effect — though I would say they all have a similar vibe and energy. Of all of the spreads this one is the most traditional for a regular comic book spread (and the least like a De Luca Effect page). And though I still love it, of all the spreads it’s probably my least favorite for that reason. Although…the motion and the way Nat’s arm is poised so perfectly in that second to last shot…GORGEOUS. I feel like poems should be written about the beauty, simplicity, and power of that shot.

BLACK WIDOW #3

Elena Casagrande and Jordie Bellaire.

One of my absolute favorites from the series. Just a perfect representation of the way in which I think action scenes in comics can be so much better than they often are. This has power and grace, it has intense storytelling, it has character defining moments. It has it all!

BLACK WIDOW #3

Elena Casagrande and Jordie Bellaire.

This one doesn’t really count, as it is neither an action spread nor a De Luca Effect example, but it was just too beautiful to leave out and it’s my Substack so I’m gonna do what I want! It’s one of my favorite spreads in the entire run — Elena’s meticulous re-creation of past events from Natasha’s life, combined with her own clean crisp style, is just perfection. Jordie did a version where the webbing was black…and we (me) initially chose to go with that one…but I couldn’t stop thinking about this one and changed my mind. Never regretted it.

BLACK WIDOW #4

Elena Casagrande and Jordie Bellaire.

Another masterpiece. This is another one of my favorites from the run (I promise not to say that about ALL of them). And even had it as my desktop wallpaper until recently (it makes for AMAZING desktop wallpaper!) Technically it’s not De Luca Effect since it has panels, but I do think the spirit of De Luca Effect is alive and well here in a way it isn’t from the spread from issue 2. Elena just draws such powerful bodies in motion. You can feel Nat’s skill/strength/fortitude in every panel. Without a word being said. Glorious!

BLACK WIDOW #5

Elena Casagrande and Jordie Bellaire.

This one was different and really fun. I love the angle Elena took and it’s awesome she let us focus on Hawkeye — calm and steady — with all that Widow chaos below him. I love what it suggests about the character too. Such excellent storytelling in these simple choices.

BLACK WIDOW #6

Rafael De Latorre and Jordie Bellaire

I was so proud of Rafael for being up for trying this. Not everyone is into it trying something like The De Luca Effect, and following Elena’s lead on something like this can be intimidating. But he absolutely nailed it. Such awesome body language and the way the figures move through the pages, just really great stuff. Jordie choosing to do this in all shades of red with that pop of electric blue was such a brilliant choice too.

OH! And you guys might find this cool or at least interesting:

On BLACK WIDOW 6 we got a second printing — and sometimes when you get that it means you get a whole new cool cover, or sometimes you use some character designs or something behind the scenes that you’ve been working on for the book. But sometimes (and I assume it’s primarily a financial decision?) the cover just gets pulled from the book’s interiors. Sometimes this creates a great cover, other times not so much. Knowing this might happen on this issue, and knowing immediately that there were at least two great obvious covers in Rafael’s excellent interiors, I actually did two quick and dirty passes on options I thought would make great covers out of Rafael’s interiors. I really do wish we’d used one of them, because well, they’re fucking awesome.

Art by Rafael De LaTorre. Quick and dirty photoshop design-y nonsense by yours truly

Art by Rafael De LaTorre. Quick and dirty photoshop design-y nonsense by yours truly

I mean, right?!?!

Ahem. Anyway. Moving on!

BLACK WIDOW #7

Elena Casagrande, Elisabetta D’Amico, and Jordie Bellaire.

This was really the first time Yelena got to play a big role on one of these spreads and she does not disappoint (she was in the spread in 5, but at a distance). Nat is still the star (it’s called BLACK WIDOW after all) but I love the push and pull of Nat and Yelena in their all white and all black — makes for magic on the page. Elena really seemed to have so much fun with this one — and playing the ladies off of one another. She goes even harder in issue 8, just wait!

BLACK WIDOW #8.

Elena Casagrande. Elisabetta D’Amico. Jordie Bellaire.

Again, because of the panels, not a technically De Luca Effect, but who cares when the panels are this clever! These arcing panels are incredible. But the REAL genius is that Nat/Yelena interaction in “panels” 4 and 5. Nat cutting the ropes for Yelena. Yelena snagging Nat’s gun. SO GOOD! I mean… yes, I DID ask for at least one of those things the script like some kind of monster, but I didn’t know it could actually be done! Elena is a goddamn wizard!

BLACK WIDOW #9

Rafael De Latorre and Elena Casagrande.

I love the movement of this. All of them starting high on the left and ending low and to the right — all of them slamming into baddies. Just so much fun. Also, can we all take a moment to appreciate how perfect a fit Anya is just from a costume standpoint? Nat in Black, Yelena in White, Anya in Black and White. Too perfect.

BLACK WIDOW #10

Elena Casagrande. Elisabetta D’Amico. Jordie Bellaire.

This one is REALLY interesting. Because it IS De Luca Effect — multiple versions of the same figure moving through a single panel — but then Elena upped the game by basically doing three tiers of De Luca Effect. The page itself has panels, so it feels not quite like De Luca, but within their own frames it still is. Love adding that wrinkle to the idea. And I really love how the tiers allowed us to see the best action happening in the top/ceiling of the scene, the best action happening in the middle of the scene, and the best action happening on the ground level of the scene. Just awesome.

I had to re-write this page once it came in to make sure it read correctly, but it was well-worth it. Always willing to re-write toward this kind of greatness.

BLACK WIDOW #11

Rafael De Latorre and Jordie Bellaire.

Obviously none of these DPSes are dialogue focused/dialogue first — though I try on my lettering passes to lean into what my brilliant collaborators have done with the script — so that I’m working with them not against them. But I will say that the push and pull Rafael created here between Nat and Yelena as they try to take on “hulk-esque” villain Liv was some of the most fun I had writing them in action. Love those two. Rafael does such a pretty Nat too — look at the body language on that last Nat — gorgeous but sharp as a knife. <3

BLACK WIDOW #12

Elena Casagrande. Elisabetta D’Amico. Jordie Bellaire.

Elena is never satisfied or willing to rest on her laurels! I feel like this sort of POV hallway scene with both the Widows leaping into action draws a reader in so powerfully. Looking at it you just FEEL like you’re part of the action, y’know? This was maybe the hardest one to write of all of them because with Nat and Yelena both leaping into action sort of at the same time and from the bottom of the panel and then UP, it really fights the reading order (well, for North American readers). BUT it’s totally worth it in my opinion. Playing with the form and doing something exciting is almost always worth the risk.

BLACK WIDOW #13

Rafael Pimentel and Jordie Bellaire.

This was for our flashback issue that is basically a 20-page fight scene. It’s all pretty awesome, but this was our obligatory De Luca Effect spread — Rafael bringing the chaos and acrobatics full bore. Jordie bringing the vintage colors and textures. I’m in heaven!

BLACK WIDOW #14

Elena Casagrande, Elisabetta D’Amico, and Jordie Bellaire.

Again, not really a De Luca Effect page, but it’s doing some awesome stuff in its own right — this detailed central figure and Nat’s extreme foreground positioning — mixed with this wild action background with the limited color palette. So damn cool! And of course, this was all a tense build up to a devastating splash page reveal.

BLACK WIDOW #15

Elena Casagrande, Elisabetta D’Amico, and Jordie Bellaire.

If you’re gonna go out, go out strong, right? Easily in my top 3 of the entire run, it’s a stunning feat of a page. And Jordie’s deep blues and greens with that shock of Natasha red hair moving you through the page? Incredible stuff. I wish I could have this as a poster! Or better, a gorgeous framed print.

Oooh. Maybe shout our your own fav in the comments! <3

Okay. I hope you enjoyed this trip down BLACK WIDOW memory lane with me. It’s been bittersweet for me, but I’m glad I did it, if only so we could just see all of this incredible work in one place.

Thanks to my amazing team who made it all possible, and to all of you who read and loved the book. I’m sorry we couldn’t go longer. I hope we get to do this little other thing and get a better chance at a less rushed goodbye. Fingers crossed and I’ll keep you posted.

Be good to yourselves and each other when possible. <3

~Kelly