Black Cat #12 is a ridiculous comic. I don’t mean that in a bad way; rather, G. Willow Wilson and Andres Genolet are embracing how nutty the Marvel Universe can be, and how petty some of its residents can be. Take Felicia Hardy, for example. One of her most recent robberies saw her accidentally running over a dog in her way. Unluckily for her, that dog belonged to the Punisher. The gun-toting vigilante has subsequently kidnapped Felicia and held her in a room for four days, leading to her having a sour mood and him seriously contemplating shooting her.
I’m glad that Wilson is one of the few writers who actually acknowledge that the Punisher resides in the Marvel Universe and that there’s story potential there. Too many writers try to copy Garth Ennis’ approach and seal Frank Castle off from the rest of the Marvel Universe, which is crazy: the man literally debuted in a Spider-Man comic, he’s flat-out said he has respect for Captain America, and he’s provided a foil to Daredevil. That’s not even getting into the fact that Punisher has battled some of the more outlandish criminals in the Marvel Universe, or that Earth-616 is home to planet-eating cosmic deities and mutants. The fun is watching a grim, jaded vigilante fit into that strange tapestry and more writers should be taking notes.
Not only does Wilson have plenty of fun in writing the escalating war of attrition between Felicia and Frank, but she also continues to poke at the idea that Felicia’s bad luck powers still have no effect on the Punisher. This is another thing I’ve noticed about Black Cat: it tends to show that there’s an up-and-down to Felicia’s power to create luck. One sentence sums it up: “Sometimes it feels like Lady Luck uses moments like these to balance the scales. As if I’ve made too many withdrawals from the bank of good fortune, and she’s clawing it all back with interest.” I could definitely use more of this introspection in future issues.
Marvel
In addition to the deep thoughts on luck, Black Cat #12 boasts some incredible artwork. Genolet leans fully into the weight and height difference between Felicia and Frank, and how it works in their favor. She’s agile enough to dodge his hail of bullets, but he’s a wall of sheer muscle, with plenty of Marine training to back up his deadly force. Even their appearances are wildly different, as her flowing platinum-blonde hair and blue eyes stand in sharp contrast to his perpetual stubble and predatory gaze. Despite the duo’s differences, Brian Reber still highlights that they both wear black and white.
It’s the ending pages of the issue that leave me a little mixed. Don’t get me wrong, they still lean into the insanity of the Marvel Universe, and in my opinion, more fans should remember that comics can get pretty crazy. But it also interrupts the more introspective flow the book was going in. Despite this, Black Cat #12 manages to balance humor, introspection, and action into a surprisingly breezy read.
You must be logged in to post a comment.