'Black Widow' ongoing series unveiled

Writer Marjorie Liu and artist Daniel Acuna are teaming up to launch a new ongoing Black Widow series.

The book promises to be a darker and grittier take on Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow, who has been a Soviet super-spy, crime-fighting super hero and a top ranking agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. over the years.

Liu told Marvel.com: "I'm intrigued that she has no powers beyond her own natural human abilities and yet, she manages to hold her own against immensely powerful individuals, who are intimidated by her and who respect her.

"She's incredibly confident, totally in control, ruthless, pragmatic, fiercely intelligent. And she can kill you with her pinky. What's not to like?"

Liu also assured fans that she planned to cement the character as a "force to be reckoned with" in the Marvel Universe.

"I want to establish Black Widow as her own character, not as someone's girlfriend or the member of a team," she explained.

"Which isn't to say that Black Widow's relationships won't be explored, but she's a cunning, ruthless woman whose physical prowess would be nothing without her staggering intelligence."

Black Widow #1 is scheduled to be released in April.