Writer: Jed MacKay

Artist: Mike Dowling

Color Artist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Ferran Delgado

Covers: J. Scott Campbell & Sabine Rich; Phil Noto Release Date: November 6, 2019

Price: $3.99

Reviewed by: Stork

After pilfering a plethora of high-risk items for her mentor the Black Fox, the gang (and Black Cat specifically) take some much-needed R & R in this week’s all-new BLACK CAT # 6 by Jed MacKay. However, while the Fox entertains some uninvited guests, Felicia takes some time off to enjoy… “Date Night.” Let’s jump into this week’s issue.

This comic begins pretty much where readers would predict from the title- with Felicia getting ready for a date, and letting the readers know thieving shenanigans are not on the docket. She’s dressed to the nines in a black evening gown, and Mike Dowling’s character art is on-point, although a lot of the background panels throughout the issue range from generic to non-existent.

Felicia can’t help but admire her, ahem, “ass”ets in the mirror, but her comment of “…like a gat-dang work of art…” felt forced and cringeworthy. In fact, there are a few other situations where Black Cat’s dialogue just seems off to this critic. Ironically, her inner dialogue is mostly terrific, and I truly loved the way MacKay utilized that monologue over the Black Fox scenes, at times perfectly paralleling Felicia’s thoughts with the action on the panels.

At any rate, Black Cat’s date ends up being French mercenary Georges Batroc, aka Batroc the Leaper. Obscure? Maybe. Nevertheless, I can’t help but enjoy the chemistry and dialogue between the two characters. Unfortunately, since this is a superhero comic book, MacKay feels obligated to send them on an impromptu heist. For some reason, this reviewer guesses that the action scenes involving Black Fox (which I don’t want to spoil here) weren’t enough? There’s also some clunky and cliche “why we become thieves” inner monologuing here I could have done without. Plus, the book ends with Felicia bidding adieu to “Don’t Call Me Georges” Batroc after a night of action (in more ways than one) and Black Fox ending his crazy night with a cliffhanger confrontation.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was a good “breather” issue of Black Cat. It was nice to see the softer side of Felicia; I just wish Jed MacKay would have truly let her have a night off. Dowling’s character art ”leaped” off the page, perhaps more so because of the dull backgrounds. That said, the cliffhanger didn’t wow me, but I am already invested enough for the eventual Thieves Guild heist to keep reading.

7.2/10