Issue(s): Tales Of Suspense #64 (Iron Man story only)
Cover Date: Apr 65
Title: "Hawkeye and the New Black Widow Strike Again!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Don Heck - Penciler
Chic Stone - Inker

Review/plot: Black Widow returns from the Soviet Union with a costume designed by Victoria's Secret.

She's previously worn furs and not been actively involved in combat, but now she is using her acrobatic skills and has a number of gadgets to help her fight. She and Hawkeye kidnap Happy and Pepper. Iron Man shows up to rescue them...

...and Hawkeye loses an opportunity to defeat him because he is too worried about Natasha.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 5 - change to the Black Widow's status quo.

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Thunderbolts #39

This costume and hair color never worked for Black Widow. I'm so glad she got a makeover and became a hot redhead.

She was a hot, sophisticated redhead in her first appearance. Why she became raven-haired is really anyone's guess; luckily when she gained the catsuit she gained her natural color back.

My only real thought regarding why the hair color change: probably just to go along with her name: she's the "Black Widow", thus everything should be black including her hair.

"with a costume designed by Victoria's Secret."

Designed by DC is more like it. This costume bears a strong resemblance to the original Black Canary outfit and she had been revived by DC two years previously.

I think one of the 12 zillion "X-Men: the Early Years" comics Marvel insist on fostering on the public an explanation for Natasha's costume change (I don't quite remember the series or issue number, but I know it somehow involved Jean Grey and the Scarlet Witch hanging out with Black Widow for some reason.)

It was a black wig just like Black Canary wore a blonde wig.