Felicia Spreads Her Claws In Black Cat #1
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Felicia Hardy attends an art gala in New York, and she’s immediately recognized by the chief of security. He knows that the Black Cat can only be up to no good, but he can’t pin down what her play is. Meanwhile, Felicia herself has an unfruitful meeting with the head of the Thieves Guild. Eventually, the security chief orders Felicia to leave, and he soon discovers that she already got what she came for. He chases after Felicia and her crew.
In the back-up stories, Black Cat’s feline companions help her make some acquisitions, and the Black Fox runs a heist on Dracula himself.
Black Cat #1 brings us Felicia Hardy in her first ever solo series.
We join the Black Cat in her most frequent activity: stealing from the rich and powerful. It’s a good way to ease the reader into the character, and it brings the character back to her more classic role as opposed to the more recent hero or crime boss days.
Truth be told, I’m not even that much of a fan of the character of Black Cat (always preferred Catwoman), but I still found myself engaged by this comic. It’s fast-moving, fun, and it establishes its characters firmly and swiftly.
The back-up stories add a bit of flavor. We get to see Felicia mingling with her namesake in a cute vignette, and we get to dive into some Black Cat lore with the Black Fox tale. Both are a good bit of fun.
Travel Foreman provides the artwork for the main story, and he’s able to balance the glitz of Felicia Hardy’s world with the high action of the Black Cat with ease. Nao Fuji makes the cat-centric story aptly cute and endearing. Finally, Mike Dowling makes Black Fox’s story appealing and even a little gritty. Brian Reber and Nao Fuji’s color art is excellent too.
Black Cat #1 is a fun and enticing first step into Felicia Hardy’s series. The pacing, personality, and artwork all work in tandem to make this a solid reading experience and one worthy of a recommendation. Check it out.
Black Cat #1 comes to us from writers Jed Mackay and Nao Fuji, artists Travel Foreman, Nao Fuji, and Mike Dowling, color artists Brian Reber and Nao Fuji, letterer Ferran Delgado, cover artist J. Scott Campbell with Sabine Rich, and variant cover artists Travel Foreman, Artgerm, Phil Noto, Kris Anka, and Skottie Young.
Final Score: 8/10