Black Widow #4

This fourth chapter of Richard K. Morgan's run layers its cover with a moody, cinematic collage that feels right at home in 2005 Marvel's mature espionage corner. Dominating the composition is a close-up of Natasha Romanoff's cool green-eyed gaze, framed by flowing red hair and a sniper's crosshair — with a black widow spider hanging in silhouette beside her — while below, a young red-haired ballerina spins gracefully with arms outstretched, hinting at a world far removed from spycraft. Men in lab coats lurk in the lower left, a smoking gun appears at the lower right, and an ornate domed palace glimmers across a waterway in the background, giving the whole image a globe-trotting, shadowy atmosphere perfectly suited to Natasha's world. Cover pencils by Greg Land and inks by Matt Ryan make this a striking visual package for a series clearly firing on all cylinders.