Writer: Jed MacKay
Art: Michael Dowling
Color Artist: Brian Reber
Letterer: Ferran Delgado
Cover Artist: Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 5/12/2021
Reviewer: ClaireCHammy
The adventures of Black Cat and her crew continue in Black Cat #6 written by Jed MacKay and art by Michael Dowling, Brian Reber, Ferran Delgado, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Gracia. After trying to stop the deal between Black Fox and The Gilded Saint, where Black Fox traded all of Manhattan for eternal life, Felicia fails to stop the Gilded Saint’s deal. And thus, Manhattan begins to be engulfed by golden vines. So, Black Cat seeks out the help of Odessa to reverse Black Fox’s deal. But, will it work?
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Overview
While reading this issue, there was not a lot of plot pushing throughout. It read more like a “filler episode”, for the most part. There is the part that handles Black Fox’s deal and the terms of his eternal life, but overall it feels like the issue is setting up for a bigger plot point to be revealed in the next issue. This is not a bad thing, as we get a few good quips between Black Cat and Odessa, as well as a nice Spider-Man cameo.
Furthermore, it’s interesting to see Felicia’s inner dialogue while she’s traveling through Manhattan and her thoughts on Spider-Man. Some issues that are not plot-heavy can feel like they drag on, but Black Cat #6 was a very enjoyable read. I can see the foundation the creators are setting for the next issues to come for an epic showdown.
Art
The art in this issue is really interesting. The gritty texture that is used while in the vault is a nice touch to give it a dark and rough visual feel. The Gilded Saint being shown in warm lighting, compared to the neutral to cool-toned lighting of the rest of the issue gives these pages more visual impact and shows its importance. A very subtle visual queue is how Black Fox appears younger. On the first page, he appears, you can see how he looks aged with grey hair. After the deal is done, the change is immediate, he no longer has grey hair, and the wrinkles are gone.
On the first read, I didn’t pick it up right away, but the execution of this was really well done. Furthermore, the use of black in this issue is really exceptional in the sense of creating dramatic and dynamic panels. This is even more so in the vault with the gritty texture on top.
Final Thoughts
Black Cat #6 sets up what’s to come in the following installments, but it is still a satisfying read. The artwork in this comic is very unique and visually pleasing. I hope the writer keeps going with the heavy internal dialogue, as it is interesting to read what she is thinking at the moment. The issue departs on a cliffhanger, leaving me wanting to know what will happen next. Overall, I recommend picking up this issue.