Hellcat #5 Review

Written by: Christopher Cantwell
Art by: Alex Lins
Colors by: K.J. Díaz
Letters by: VC’s Ariana Maher
Cover art by: Pere Pérez, Marte Gracia
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: July 26, 2023

Hellcat #5 concludes the mini-series with Hellcat assuming her “true” demon form to take her place by Daimno’s side. Can Sleepwalker stop Hellcat from becoming the Queen of Hell?

Is It Good?

Well, Hellcat #5 is a perplexing way to end a story. If you look at the totality of comics written under Christopher Cantwell where Hellcat is either the lead or a major player, you get the very distinct impression doesn’t like Hellcat very much. Hellcat #5 brings that point home loud and clear.

When left Patricia “Patsy” Walker, aka Hellcat, a now-restored Daimon convinced her to walk through the True-Form Door to become a demon-cat-person-lady who would be Daimon’s bride in Hell. Now, Sleepwalker is the only one left to stop Hellcat from leaving with Daimon, so he reverts to human form and begs Hellcat to read his mind, which holds the memory of what really happened to Spalding Grantham.

What’s the big deal? Daimon didn’t kill Spalding. During a fight between Blackheart and Hellcat, Daimon saw her true self and killed himself because her ugliness drove him insane. With the truth revealed, Hellcat explodes in anger, sending Blackheart and Daimon flying away. Sleepwalker convinces Hellcat to step back through the True-Form door to revert to her human form, but the knowledge of what happened drives Patsy insane… again.

The End.

I’m not kidding. That’s how it ends. Patsy is absolved of Spalding’s murder but cursed with the knowledge that her hideousness drove him to suicide. Her rage-filled outburst drives the villains aware, but her mind is now broken, and we leave her in the care of a mental institution.

When I say Cantwell doesn’t like Hellcat very much, the description above is exhibit A. Readers want their hero’s stories to end in a good place, or at least on a better path. This mini-series ends with Patsy broken and possibly insane. What fun?!?

In terms of writing execution, Hellcat #5 is fine. Cantwell’s pacing is solid, the dialog exchanges are well done, and the issue ends with a montage of vignettes to tie up all the loose ends with the help of Patsy’s friends.

In terms of art execution, Alex Lins’s art is serviceable. Lins delivers solid character facial acting, and the panel layouts are nicely done, but the weirdly distorted anatomies look like a more mature version of Calvin & Hobbes. In short, Lins’s stylized take has a lot of positives, some oddities, and an overall look that has niche appeal.

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 #5 ends the mini-series with big drama and big reveals, but the net result (sorta) makes everything Hellcat’s fault and leaves Hellcat in a worse place than when she started. If the goal was to turn readers into new fans of Hellcat so they’d want to read more, Cantwell didn’t understand the homework assignment.