Black Cat #10 – Beware of Two-Timing Boomers!

Black Cat in the Multiverse? While on a trip to the Negative Zone to recover something valuable to Mary Jane Watson, Felicia Hardy grabbed the Siege Perilous. The enchanted item sent Felicia and MJ on a trip through the Multiverse, seeing alternate versions of themselves. Returning to their proper timeline, the two ladies encounter someone most unexpected within the Negative Zone: J. Jonah Jameson

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Shawn!

Creative Team

Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Gleb Melnikov
Color Artist: Brian Reber
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Gleb Melnikov
Cover Colorist: Edgar Delgado

Writing

This issue brought a really satisfying ending to the journey of MJ and Felicia that we’ve been on for the last few issues. Black Cat #10, like the issues before it, has messages within the story that, if you aren’t paying attention, you will miss. G. Willow Wilson has really shone on this series, and the message she tells through the narrative has been one of the highlights. For this issue, it felt like we all got a really good reminder that all of us can see things a little bit differently.

It’s easy for us to forget that what may be something small and meaningless to us may be the worst thing possible to someone else. I was really surprised to see Wilson show a shocking bit of humanity from Jameson, which is something that it’s nice to occasionally get a reminder of. I found myself speed-reading through the comic to get to the reveal of who was actually blackmailing MJ. Wilson put a perfect bow on this arc with an enjoyable ending that finishes with a message reinforcing the power of friendship.

Art

Gleb Melnikov did a really amazing job with this issue. The Negative Zone gave him a chance to get really creative with some negative space in his panels, and that was one of the highlights. As has been consistent for Melnikov’s work on Black Cat, the characters are incredibly expressive, with you feeling the passion and emotion on their faces.

Brian Reber follows the art with an absolutely stunning job coloring the issue. Reber deserves particular praise in this issue for the coloring and backgrounds on the panels showing MJ transitioning to Venom. The colors in these panels aren’t overbearing but help you feel the weight of the moment. As always, Joe Caramagna does a great job moving the flow. I love showing the emotion of Venom by having the words burst forth from the thought bubble.

Final Thoughts

Satisfying and enjoyable. These are the types of stories I love to see in my comics. A few issues that contain an arc with good development and a satisfying ending that allows the characters to grow. While this is likely the end of Felicia and MJ’s hijinks for a while, I loved seeing the ladies in action together. More importantly, than just the good story we got in this arc, I really loved the messaging surrounding support, friendship, and understanding that Wilson put forward.

Overall Grade: 10/10

How are you liking the Black Cat series? Let me know in the comments