Note From the Editor: Surely you didn’t think we’d pass up a chance to do a Black Widow-themed cosplay column in conjunction with the movie. But this week, we’ve got something special for you. Cosplay photographer Pat Loika is sharing some Black Widow pics from four different models that evoke the films and the comics. Pat is a former comic artist turned writer, podcaster, and photographer. He’s one of the best of the business, and very skilled at mixing pics and photoshop effects.
Marvel’s Black Widow film is finally out this week, and if you’re on social media, I’m sure you’ve seen photos and videos of the red carpet events, and all the fans in their Black Widow costumes. Natasha Romanoff is a very popular and beloved character, and you’ll see a lot of photos of her doing very specific poses.
She’s a great character because she has some very memorable poses that you can see in film, and she’s also versatile enough that you can get really creative when taking photos of anyone as her. I’ve had the pleasure of taking many photos of various cosplayers as the Black Widow, and with each photoshoot and model, I try to come up with something new and creative to help each of their shots stand out.
Comic book covers inspire a lot of my work, mostly because I’m a big fan, and at one point, I was looking to break in to drawing comics. While that didn’t quite work out, it’s fun to apply a lot of those sensibilities into photography.
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If you know the character well enough, you can easily come up with scenarios to photograph them in. The Black Widow lends herself to many different situations. She has been a spy, a villain, a superhero, the leader of the Avengers, and a master assassin. She can be placed in any of these situations and more, the only limit is your imagination.
Models:
ThatBlackWidowGirl Instagram: @thatblackwidowgirl
Romanova Instagram: @RomanovaRose
Genevieve Marie Instagram: @GenevieveMarieCosplay
Caitlin Contagious Instagram: @CaitlinContagious
Photographer Links:
Instagram: @PatLoika
Facebook: Pat Loika Photo Works
Twitter: @PatLoika
Superhero Hype Cosplay: Black Widow
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Superhero Hype Cosplay: Black Widow #1
With this image of Genevieve Marie, I was heavily inspired by a Black Widow cover drawn by the brilliant Tula Lotay. which feels like a noir or spy novel cover or poster.
It also allowed me to get two different shots of Genevieve doing two poses.
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Superhero Hype Cosplay: Black Widow #2
ThatBlackWidowGirl is probably the most passionate Black Widow fan I know. She has been cosplaying the character for many years. She’s also well-trained, and can do some of the best action poses you can think of.
This image is inspired by a Daniel Acuna Black Widow cover. Yes, this is all her.
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Superhero Hype Cosplay: Black Widow #3
Since we are on the topic of action shots, this shot of Caitlin Contagious is inspired by another cover, drawn by Phil Noto.
It speaks volumes about the character when you can throw them into any situation and the final image still fits.
While this batch of images are inspired by the comics, it’s always fun to come up with new interpretations of Natasha’s appearances in film.
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Superhero Hype Cosplay: Black Widow #4
This shot features the amazing Romanova as Natasha. She has such a brilliant rendition of Natasha’s look from Infinity War, and I wanted to create a shot that would echo her first appearance in that film.
I opted to create a moment that wasn’t seen on-screen, of her brandishing her batons prior to fighting the Children of Thanos.
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Superhero Hype Cosplay: Black Widow #5
Speaking of Infinity War, here’s another shot of Genevieve Marie, set in Wakanda during the battle against Thanos’ army.
I thought it would be fun to catch a moment of calm amidst the chaos of the battle.
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Superhero Hype Cosplay: Black Widow #6
Here’s another somewhat calm shot of Natasha, as portrayed by ThatBlackWidowGirl.
This is set during the Chitauri Invasion of New York from the first Avengers film.
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Superhero Hype Cosplay: Black Widow #7
And finally, somewhat topical for the new film, we have a shot of Genevieve Marie as the Widow, in the Red Room.
This is inspired by what little imagery we’ve seen of the notorious room that trained Natasha and other like her.
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Superhero Hype Cosplay: Black Widow #8
To close out this column, here’s a brand new image of ThatBlackWidowGirl as Natasha, inspired by a Chris Samnee drawn cover for Black Widow: S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Most Wanted.