Master thief Felicia Hardy has been rather busy lately dealing with various bits of business. Having reached the sixth issue of her series, she has an opportunity to get some time to herself, so she heads out on a date. It just wouldn’t be the life of someone entangled with the lives of superheroes if something didn’t go wrong in another issue cleverly written by Jed MacKay with art by Mike Dowling. It’s nice to see the more functional social level of a major Marvel character explored in a way that also allows for sharp action that advances the ongoing plot from enjoyable angles in another thoroughly satisfying issue. MacKay and Dowling continue to do outstanding work with a character who truly deserves to be in the center of the panel with her name on the cover.

Naturally, it’s going to be nice to go out on a date, but who would Marvel Manhattan’s most prominent thief even WANT to have dinner with? Surely anyone in her league would be totally dull. Some Roxxon Oil executive? Some corrupt politician with lots of power? No. She’s going on a date with someone in the business. Nice guy from France who has done a great job of making his accent more intelligible since his early days between the covers of Captain America. Little does she know that a powerful thieves guild has captured her mentor, The Black Fox. 

McKay has a great gift for taking the expansive lore and atmosphere of the Marvel Universe and making it feel like it could be a place where people actually live and work and hang out between the panels. The casual conversation over an elegant dinner with Batroc feels like a nice break from the regular action, cleverly setting-up a contrast between herself and the Black Fox that peels out into a rather enticing bit of action by issue’s end. Dialogue between Black Cat and her date is contrasted against the desperate entanglement of her former mentor.

Of course, a date is cool, and everything, but dinner conversation between two thieves DOES run the risk of seeming excessively boring on the comics page...even when Felicia suggests that they go out and do a little casual work. Thankfully, Dowling is a makes even the lightest bits of conversation feel profoundly engaging with a very smartly-tendered mood, which contrasts the relaxing conversation between colleagues with the brutal slicing of action that Black Fox is subject to. 

A lot is going on here. McKay is working on a story with many moving parts that never comes across as being too busy or cluttered with supporting details. It all feels very deftly paced as Black Cat concludes the first half of the first year of her own title. It’s been an exciting journey across the shadows of the Marvel Universe thus far. Where McKay takes the series in the second half of his first year with Felicia shows every sign of being a really, really interesting place once everything has finally settled into place come next summer.

Grade: A