The most recent arc of Black Cat has taken Felicia Hardy to the Negative Zone, through an alternate reality where she got to live her dream life, and finally…face to face with J. Jonah Jameson? Yes, you read that right: Black Cat #10 immediately finds the feline thief and the mustachioed newspaperman at odds yet again, as Jonah has his own secret concerning the Negative Zone. But it turns out that Jonah has a connection to the person who’s been blackmailing MJ, which leads her and Felicia to set a trap to catch the blackmailer.
Probably the best parts of Black Cat #10 revolve around the back and forth between Felicia and Jonah, especially as the series’ first arc had the two at odds. Whether it’s Felicia scoffing at Jonah’s proclamations that he has ethics as a newspaperman, or her indignation that she’s a mere footnote in his research on Spider-Man, G. Willow Wilson manages to write their back and forth with plenty of caustic comedy and well-timed one liners. In fact, I could see an entire issue of these two bickering.
It also lets Gleb Melnikov play around more with the weird, wild dimensions of the Negative Zone. During the opening pages, Felicia and MJ chase Jonah into a seeming dark room, with Felicia tumbling through and landing with a “Thud!” That “Thud!” is very visible thanks to Joe Caramagna’s letter work, but also Brian Reber painting it in a bright white. In fact, save for the bluish-black sheen of Felicia’s suit and her trademark white hair, and the aforementioned white letters, the entire page is black. To Reber and Melnikov’s credit, it’s a great use of color. Another hilarious moment comes when MJ finally confronts her blackmailer; as she grows more and more angry, Melnikov illustrates the Venom symbiote covering her while her words change from regular speech to the massive black and white word balloons you’d expect from Venom.
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It’s the blackmailer’s identity that might leave readers split. I’m obviously not going to say more because I actually believe that a piece of media is more fun if you read it for yourself rather than seek out spoilers on the internet, but it’s probably not what anyone was expecting. Neither is the tape that MJ is seemingly so embarrassed about, which goes to show: something you think might be a world-ending catastrophe might also be a minor bump in the road.
For what it’s worth, Black Cat #10 also features another great bonding sequence between Felicia and MJ as they order pizza and wait to trap the blackmailer. It might be a small moment, but given the emotional wallop of the previous issue and the fact that MJ tangled with a literal serial killer during the “Death Spiral” storyline, it’s a more than welcome one. It also continues to show that the duo have forged a true friendship, which more writers should deifnitely build on.
Black Cat #10 has more than a few surprises up its sleeve as it brings its Negative Zone heist to an end, featuring plenty of wit and emotional catharsis along the way. It’s a fun read, and the comics landscape could use more of that energy.
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