Black Cat #14 (Marvel Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the 14th issue of Black Cat from Marvel Comics! This issue as you could probably guess, does indeed tie into the ongoing Queen In Black storyline.
Things on Earth are not going well. Hela & Knull are both wreaking havoc with symbiote’s all over New York City. So who exactly does Reed Richards turn to in his most desperate hour? Why Felicia Hardy of course! Yes, seriously! Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Marvel Comics // Black Cat #14 by G. Willow Wilson (Writer), Gleb Melnikov (Artist), Brian Reber (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Caramanga (Letterer), Josemaria Casanovas (Cover)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
The issue does a really good job telling a story along side the ongoing Queen In Black storyline without taking up time from the mainline books. That’s not to say the story is an unimportant one, but it’s better suited for an issue in the ongoing series starring Black Cat.
Once the issue gets started it makes perfect sense why Reed has recruited Black Cat for the job she’s doing. Reed needs something stolen from the Kree, and he figures that with all of the commotion going on that Felicia can slip in undetected and grab what he needs and get out. Simple enough right? Well…almost, and it’s here where the story really excels.
After Reed puts her in a spaceship that might not have flown since the Cold War, Wilson’s writing really excels and fits into the overall narrative being told for the issue. The story is self contained enough that if you haven’t kept up with everything going on in the Queen In Black storyline, it’s easy enough to follow along with. Plus the story is intriguing enough that it’s sure to have readers who might not be super familiar coming back for more.
I really enjoyed seeing Felicia in the position she’s put in because it’s a little familiar while being different in certain ways, at least for me. Seeing Felicia in a heist type scenario? Makes perfect sense to me. Seeing her in a heist type scenario but it’s also in outer space on another planet? Now you have my attention.
The ending is intriguing cause it does a great job to progress the story for one aspect in the Queen In Black storyline, and also making it seem like Felicia’s part in it might be over. The thing being taken care of (and I’m being deliberately vague if you’re not up to date on the story) might be solved, but of course time will tell. And it’s that unknown that will have me coming back to the next issue of the Queen In Black story.
The Artwork
Gleb Melnikov & Brian Reber are in charge of the artwork for this issue and they did a fantastic job with it. They keep things simple & familiar enough that fans can pick it up and know what’s going on instantly, but they also did a good job making it feel just a little different from what you might expect to see in a Black Cat comic book. The scene’s in outer space were my favorite part of the artwork in the issue and had me thinking I’d be interested in seeing Black Cat in more of these type of stories, because honestly it’s something I’ve never thought of before.
Overall Grade: 7.5/10
A great issue that moves along one part of the Queen In Black storyline in a very compelling way. A story that is exciting and compelling, together with artwork that is outstanding make this an issue that you won’t want to pass up on.
