Hellcat #4 Review

Written by: Christopher Cantwell
Art by: Alex Lins
Colors by: KJ Díaz
Letters by: VC’s Ariana Maher
Cover art by: Pére Perez, Marte Gracia (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: June 21, 2023

Hellcat #4 puts all the hellish cards on the table when every Spalding, Daimon, Patsy, and even Hedy explains themselves to fill in the pieces to the puzzle of Spalding’s murder.

Is It Good?

That’s right. File Hellcat #4 under “The Exposition Issue” because everyone explains everything all at once, and by the time you’re done, the only question left unanswered is, “Who killed Spalding?” Answers, even when they collectively don’t answer the main question, can still be oddly satisfying, so this issue works well enough to see it through to the finale in the next issue.

When last we left Patsy Walker, aka Hellcat, we learned she retains enough demonic power to heal from mortal wounds, we learned Spalding was in cahoots with a sentient stuffed bunny to build an Exile Gate for some unknown purpose, and Blackheart was mighty upset about the whole thing.

Now, we learn why Spalding was building a gate, we learn the true purpose of the gate (it’s not what you think), and we learn why Patsy has memory gaps. As you might suspect, there’s very little action in this issue except for the cliffhanger, as it’s almost all exposition, interlaced with flashbacks to Patsy’s cheating troubles in High School.

So, if you’ve been teetering on the edge of your chair to learn what Spalding was up to, this issue’s got you covered. For everyone else focused on the main question about the identity of Spalding’s killer, you’ll have to wait until next month.

When you put all that together, does that mean this is a good comic? No, it’s an okay comic. Answers, again, can be satisfying enough to make the read worth it, but that’s about all this comic is good for – answering open questions. The answers, much like this miniseries as a whole, aren’t terribly compelling, so Cantwell has more work to do to justify this title’s existence.

How’s the art? Likewise, it’s just okay. Lins’s penchant for exaggerated hands isn’t as noticeable here, so that’s a positive, and the conversations are acted well enough to be visually engaging. To be fair, there is some action, but the majority of the issue relies on the characters gesturing and expressing through the dialog, which Lins pulls off well.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Hellcat #4 delivers oodles of exposition and dialog to answer every question but one – who killed Spalding? Still, the volume of answers and explanations is enough to make this issue reasonably satisfying, even if it isn’t particularly riveting or entertaining.