Two of Marvel's Bloodiest Killers Collide in Punisher Showdowns: Black Widow

Frank Castle tends to operate in his own, bloody corner of the Marvel Universe, but sometimes it's fun to see what happens when he's pitted against members of Marvel's superhero community. That's pretty much the thinking behind Punisher Showdowns, a new series of one-shot specials that pair Frank with other dangerous characters like Black Widow, Wolverine, and the Winter Soldier.

IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of Punisher Showdowns: Black Widow #1. Get a closer look in the slideshow gallery below:

Tom Waltz (TMNT: The Last Ronin) is the writer of all the Punisher Showdowns issues, with Greg Land (Uncanny X-Men) handling art and Rachelle Rosenberg (Astonishing X-Men) providing colors on the Black Widow chapter. Here's Marvel's official summary for Punisher Showdowns: Black Widow #1:

In the first of an all-new series, a threat from a terrorist cell puts FRANK CASTLE on a mission to LAS VEGAS, where the BLACK WIDOW’s intel on a WOLF SPIDER operative will set them all on a bullet-riddled collision course! But will PUNISHER and BLACK WIDOW see eye to eye, or is this eye-for-an-eye going to leave bodies in their wake?! The Punisher’s one-man war on the guilty crosses paths with other denizens of the Marvel Universe with explosive and unexpected results in THE PUNISHER SHOWDOWNS!

Future chapters of the series include Punisher Showdowns: Wolverine #1 by Waltz and Bruno Büll and Punisher Showdowns: Winter Soldier #1 by Waltz and Edgar Salazar.

Punisher Showdowns: Black Widow #1 will be released on October 21. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.

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For more, check out our exclusive interview about the upcoming finale of Star Trek: The Last Starship and see a bleak preview of The Amazing Spider-Man #1000.

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