Black Cat Annual #1 // Review
Marvel Comics formally invites readers to the wedding of Black Cat and Spider-Man. The invitation arrives on Wednesday, November 13th, 2019. The wedding is on...Wednesday, November 13th, 2019. Better late than never. The “wedding” in Black Cat Annual #1 is scripted by writer Jed MacKay with art by Joey Vazquez. There are supporting side stories woven into the issue featuring Black Cat’s accomplice. Natacha Bustos pounds Bruno’s end of the story onto the page. Juan Gedeon meticulously renders Dr. Korpse’s addition to the affair. MacKay’s cleverly skewed look at the Marvel Universe continues with a peer into the shadows of its most notorious crime syndicate as Black Cat teams-up with her superhero ex-boyfriend. The side stories featuring Black Cat’s accomplices are a lot of fun as well...each one narrated by the accomplice in question.
The wedding between Black Cat and Spider-Man is a cover for an entirely different operation. Two Maggia families are engaging in a ritual wedding in which a couple of martyrs from both families are led into a secret room in St. Nicholas church where they battle to the death. (Black Cat refers to it as “science-gangster holy ground.”) As the man and woman are Spider-Man and Black Cat in disguise, the Maggia is about to get more than they could possibly expect.
MacKay’s wit is matched by a brilliant approach to an Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider-style adventure into a shadowy portion of Marvel New York (Long Island to be specific) with a bit of Ocean’s Eleven thrown-in for flavor. The Maggia has always been kind of a weird Marvel Universe version of the Mafia. Still, MacKay’s approach to the organized crime family grants them a really stylish sense of mystery worthy of a significant group of villains that have been around since 1965. The witty rapport between Black Cat and Spider-Man feels fresh and interesting, with a level of familiarity that feels perfect for a couple of characters who go way back.
Vazquez percussively pummels a strikingly graceful sense of action out of the shadows of mystery. Black Cat’s sly expressions draw the attention to her even as she shares page and panel with the single most iconic character in the whole of the Marvel Universe. The gracefully gliding action is deliciously stylish. Vazquez’s art in this issue lives-up to the sinewy sharpness of Mike Dowling’s work in the regular series. Artists in the back-up handle provide a dynamic accompaniment to Vazquez’s work in the main feature.
The story in Black Cat’s first annual serves as the prequel carefully orchestrated serial that MacKay and Dowling are working on in the monthly series. Marvel’s work with Felicia Hardy has been smooth and reliably enjoyable for the first half of her first year with her own title. It’s been a great launch for Felicia. The Annual feels like a celebration of the success of the series thus far. Complete with a satisfying guest appearance by the character who ushered her into the Marvel Universe back in 1979. After years of supporting appearances, Felicia is finally ready to move comfortably into her own title. The poise and polish of this annual make that perfectly clear.
