Review: Marvel’s Spider-Man The Black Cat Strikes #4 (of 5)
Black Cat is going through something of a resurgence at the moment. I have been harping on about how good her main book is for quite some time; as anyone who listens to the No-Prize Podcast will testify. It’s not very often that a feline felon actually stars in two books a month. Yet, here we are, albeit with the second book swinging on the popularity of the semi-recent Spider-Man (AKA Spider-Man into the Arkham-verse) PlayStation 4 game.
It’s a bad time to live in New York. Following a heist that literally blows up in their faces, Spidey and Black Cat are left to pick up the pieces. Well, at least one of them is. The explosion triggers not only a war with a new and improved Hammerhead, it also kicks the Parker responsibility gene into full effect. Still, Peter always has MJ for support and of course Silver Sable is around for the Hammerhead busting stuff. This penultimate issues looks to tie it’s own loose threads whilst trying to simultaneously dangle a web or two that will feed into the game.
I was a big fan of Dennis”Hopeless” Hallum’s Spider-Woman book. He pushed the boundaries for the character, giving her more strength than the casual fan would have realised.  I was less fond of his Jean Grey book. With that in mind, this book kind of sits in the middle for me, through teeters perilously close to Grey standard territory. When I last looked in on this book, I was impressed that Hallum’s Spidey was more in character than the one gracing his own “Amazing” book. The quips were good, the action was pacey and there felt like there was real emotion between the Peter/MJ/Felicia triangle. This time around however it feels like the need to draw into the game has detoured all that good work. Part of that, I feel, is the characterisation of MJ, who by listening to her boyfriend say how much he misses his ex, takes being supportive to a whole new level of simpering. Is MJ really that desperate to be with Peter that she forgoes her own self-worth? With certain first elements in play, there isn’t really a lot of fun to be had in this book, which for me is a shame.
Luca Maresca provides the art for the book. Maresca is in an even worse place than Hallum to be honest with the need to supplant his style to match the game. For the most part this shouldn’t really be a problem; I am in the minority as I think that MJ looks awful in the game, so that translates here through no fault of Maresca. Throw in the fact that most buyers of this book are buying it because of the game, it makes sense to keep the overall look the same. That will also explain the game threads that Spidey is wearing. Some of the action scenes seem cluttered, with indistinct poses as if Maresca is trying too hard to emulate the game’s energy. The colors are provided by Rachelle Rosenberg who does well given what appears to be day-glo mandate. VC’s Travis Lanham does his usual exemplary job in detailing the dialogue, even getting to mix up his text boxes.
Tie-in books can be big business; just look at how well Dark Horse managed as well as companies like Dynamite and IDW both of which have a healthy licensed book range. Why is it then this book, given that it is based on an actual Marvel property, misses the mark for me? If the truth be told, for all the problems and critiques I have with this book, my feelings are boil down to two inescapable facts that none of the creative team can resolve. Firstly, I was actually not that fussed about the game. The Arkham joke is a little too true for me. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Black Cat’s own book is massively superior to this. With this in mind, I know on which book I will be spending my hard earned on.
Writing – 3 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 3 Stars
Overall – 3 Stars
Written by Dennis “Hopless” Hallum
Art by; Luca Maresca
Colors by; Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters by; VC’s Travis Lanham
Published by; Marvel Worldwide Inc.
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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