Why it's Hot:
- Cover Art by Rich Buckler and Bob McLeod
- Writer: Chris Claremont
Synopsis:
NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY Snow covers the streets of midtown Manhattan as a certain red-haired lady walks by the Daily Bugle building in the wee hours of the morning. When she sees a newspaper front page depicting Spider-Man and Red Sonja on the wall, she imagines that she once knew Spider-Man as a friend, but then she dismisses the thought as ridiculous. Nevertheless, he does remind her of something important, but she simply cannot think of what it might be. As she continues down the street, she is seen by a gang of four hoodlums, who regard the lone woman as fair game. Soon they corner her in an alley, but when the leader slaps her and tries to take her purse, he is suddenly hurled across the street by Spider-Man. The three other hoodlums attack, but Spider-Man slams them into each other and knocks them unconscious. When Spider-Man slips on a patch of ice and the remaining hoodlum tries to stab him, the red-haired woman knocks the thug unconscious with a flurry of karate chops. Spider-Man is astonished at her skill and recognizes her as the Black Widow. She denies it but faints, and Spider-Man carries her to a Daily Bugle storeroom where she awakens later, claiming to be Nancy Rushman, a school teacher from upstate New York. She cannot remember anything else. When Spider-Man finds a Black Widow costume in her purse, she bursts into tears. He convinces her to wear it for warmth, hoping it may jog her memory. Suddenly, they are attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by Countess Valentina Allegro de Fontaine, who orders her troopers to shoot to kill. Spider-Man and “Nancy” escape but are pursued across rooftops. When Spider-Man is wounded, Nancy instinctively fights off the attackers with Widow’s Bite and martial arts skill. Confused and terrified, she admits she doesn’t know how she did it. As they regroup, Nick Fury arrives and shoots Nancy, apparently killing her. Enraged, Spider-Man attacks Fury, but Fury shoots him as well. Val and Fury leave the roof, ordering the agents to clean up the scene.
