Black Cat Jumps Into a Solid Relaunch Against the King in Black
- WRITER
- Jed MacKay
- Artist
- C.F. Villa
- Letterer
- Ferran Delgado
- Cover Artist
- Sara Pichelli, Todd Nauck, Rachelle Rosenberg, Pepe Larraz, Taurin Clarke, Skottie Young, Brian Reber, C.F. Villa, Patrick Gleason, Marte Gracia
- Publisher
- Marvel Comics
- Price
- 3.99
- Release Date
- 2020-12-16
- Colorist
- Brian Reber
If it doesn't seem like all that long ago since Black Cat, the Marvel Universe master thief and Spider-Man's occasional paramour, starred in her own ongoing comic book series, it's because it isn't. The final issue of Felicia Hardy's previous series was released this past August. However, to tie into the latest Marvel crossover event "King in Black", Black Cat has received a relaunched monthly series, bringing the cat burglar right into the heart of Knull's invasion of Earth. And with the same creative team of Jed MacKay and C.F. Villa from the popular previous volume, this relaunch feels very much like a direct continuation of the previous run while serving as a fresh jumping-on point for readers that may have missed the earlier title the first time around.
While Black Cat is carrying out a routine heist across the rooftops of Manhattan, the dark god of symbiotes attacks the planet with his monstrous army, threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness. Finding herself drawn into the cataclysmic conflict, Felicia crosses paths with several iconic superheroes before deciding to move on to her next heist, with the fate of the entire Marvel Universe hanging in the balance and depending on her staying one step ahead of Knull to pull it successfully.
MacKay jumps back into Black Cat's world like no time has passed at all, still demonstrating a strong grasp of Felicia's voice even as she finds herself in the middle of the end of the world. Despite the apocalyptic intensity and higher stakes than the previous volume, MacKay still knows that his lead character works best when the proceedings are a freewheeling good time and he wastes no time and delivering that sense of fun by firing on all cylinders from the jump. And while MacKay was never shy to weave elements of the wider Marvel Universe into his story, here he places Felicia right in the heart of current events and gives her a mission with world-altering stakes; this is as high-octane an adventure as Black Cat gets.
Villa, joined by color artist Brian Reber, bring the darkened, ominous visuals that have come with virtually every "King in Black" tie-in issue but also keep their focus squarely on Black Cat through all the symbiote-fueled chaos. Felicia is still very much a character that's always on the move and that kinetic sensibility propels the action and overarching narrative while Villa and Reber steadily build the mounting dread as Knull continues to conquer New York City block-by-block despite the heroes' best efforts. This opening issue is very much Felicia Hardy staring the end of the world in the face before going back to what she does best to presumably save the day.
MacKay and Villa reunite to take springboard Black Cat's latest comic off the back of "King in Black", staying true to the spirit of the character and their previous series while managing to complement the bombastic crossover event. MacKay and Villa succeed in making this opening issue feel more like a tie-in to the crossover's story than several of the previous issues bearing the "King in Black" tie-in banner. Despite the new #1, Black Cat's relaunch keeps very much in line with what came before it while inviting new readers to jump on for a thrill ride as Felicia rises as the Marvel Universe's unlikely greatest savior.