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Hello readers,
Black Cat's 2019 (and 2020) run by Jed MacKay was a surprise gem that I read this year. Felicia Hardy's not-so-heroic hijinks snuck in fantastic stories featuring other Marvel icons ranging from the Fantastic Four's Johnny and Sue Storm to Bats the lovable canine companion of Doctor Strange.
The best part of this series for me was the light being cast upon those closest to Felicia, including lovers, her mother, her henchmen Borris and Bruno, and her mentor Black Fox (another classic Spidey character). Her interactions with others in the Marvel universe help to solidify her place in the world as its finest well-meaning cat burglar.
Though, the Spider-Man stuff was contained to the Annual and kept out of the spotlight, as the focus stayed on what drives Felicia to do what she is best at.
The series pits Felicia’s gang against the New York Thieves Guild. The main conflict revolved around Felicia's war with Odessa Drake, the heir of the Guild. See, the Thieves were immortal, and the Black Fox enlisted Felicia's help because he wanted to steal the Guild's greatest treasure.
The Black Cat thus pulled off a variety of odd jobs to aid her mentor's heist. Each arc of issues was about collecting these pieces from their current owners. The Black Cat was forced to cross paths with a number of cameos and crossovers (like Danny Rand and Batroc) while feeling natural and unforced.
This Black Cat series touched on how her wilful manipulation of chance affected magic and technology. Through Felicia's inducing ‘bad luck’ on anyone around her, the Black Cat circumvented every circumstance that stood between her and her prizes. Her demonstration in the casino of her ability to control this manipulation was great fun and acted as a perfect example of how she can tilt the odds in the direction she desired. The overarching story between both the 2019 and the 2020 runs leans further into this magic-meets-manifestation theme in a really satisfying way.
Wade Wilson as a merc looking to score a hit on Logan and Felicia was also great. A moment of characterization for Felicia that I liked was when Wolverine was talking about Krakoa after collecting his diaries, where Felicia had only cared about the physical value versus the sentimental.
I also enjoyed the segments between the main narrative of each issue, like the scenes with Black Fox teaching deception through street trick-magic, and Felicia's mother warning her about his deceptive nature.
But, it is in improvisation when plans fail where Felicia does her best. Her ability to plan for both heists and for improv were great ways to highlight her ability to circumvent any situation.
Jed MacKay’s characterization of Felicia was fantastic, lighthearted and fun to read. His Black Cat run focused on Felicia as a character more than anything else. It was refreshing to read how loud and sure of herself she was in ways other characters falter because she knew she can get anything she worked for.
If anything, this Black Cat series is about fighting against all odds through sheer determinism and improvisation.
Issues 11 and 12 are outside of the trade paperbacks I had read, so watch out for them because they set up MacKay's later Iron Cat series; I also wholeheartedly recommend his second Black Cat volume and his Moon Knight run.
PS. Two posts in one day? What is this madness?!
Happy National Black Cat Day! Here are some Halloween themed links for you;
. Black Cat (2020) : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/04/20220408-review-black-cat-2020.html
. Frankenstein : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/10/20221020-frankenstein-book-review.html
. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/10/20221007-alices-adventures-in.html
. The Legend of Sleepy Hallow : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/02/20220202-review-legend-of-sleepy-hollow.html
. Howl's Moving Castle : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2021/12/20211229-review-howls-moving-castle.html
. Spider-Man tag : https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/search/label/Spider-Man
Thank you for reading.
Allen W. McLean
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