Avengers fans who pick up Avengers #23 might be surprised to see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes take a bit of a backseat. “Wait!” I can imagine them saying. “Weren’t the Avengers trying to break into a casino to get something important that belonged to Kang the Conqueror?” They were, but they were outfoxed by one of the greatest thieves in the Marvel Universe: Felicia Hardy, aka the Black Cat – and she’s working with none other than Kang the Conqueror!
Thankfully, Avengers #23 is still entertaining to read, thanks to the combination of Jed MacKay and Farid Karami. As befitting Kang’s tendencies to leap through time, the issue hops between past and present to reveal exactly while the time traveling warlord sought out Felicia’s help and what’s in it for her. It also lets MacKay return to writing the Black Cat, and it’s clear that between Felicia’s appearances in Doctor Strange, the Iron Cat miniseries and now this that he likes writing her. As a Spider-Man fan, I’m perfectly fine with this; as a fan of heist stories, I can safely say that the payoff to this story is surprisingly emotional.
Karami has a lot of fun drawing all the different time periods, backed up by Federico Blee’s colors There’s a scene where Kang takes Felicia to the time of the dinosaurs; pterodactyls soar in the sun-soaked sky, providing a majestic image that rivals anything in the Jurassic Park films. When the duo runs afoul of the Avengers, Scarlet Witch summons a massive red dragon with her magic that fills the page. And there’s a hilarious moment with Iron Man that I’d bet Karami cracked up while drawing; I cracked up while reading it!
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The issue also shows off MacKay’s wide knowledge of the Marvel Universe, especially when the Avengers run afoul of the Technet. A group of interdimensional bounty hunters, Technet has mostly appeared in Excalibur and Chris Claremont’s short-lived run on Fantastic Four; their appearance here is mostly for the Avengers to deal with an obstacle in their plans, but it also shows that a great writer can make use of any character, no matter how obscure.
It also provides the issue with a burst of action in the back half. Each member of Technet has their own unique skill, which Karami puts to use. But he also showcases that the Avengers being a well-oiled unit, and a collection of comrades, comes in handy. Scarlet Witch, Storm and Vision are in trouble? Cue a full page spread of Captain Marvel, Captain America and Iron Man to the rescue. Karami and Mackay truly understand that if you’re doing a big superhero book, you should have big superhero moments.
Percolating in the background are the machinations of Myriddin, who has been a persistent thorn in the Avengers’ side since MacKay’s run began. While he’s mostly sat on the sidelines for this arc, the final pages hint that he and Kang are about to enter the next phase of their war…and that it will involve the Avengers. How that shakes out, especially with One World Under Doom on the horizon, remains to be seen.
Avengers #23 might put the spotlight on the Black Cat, but it still has some good fights and some major troubles ahead for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. I look forward to how MacKay and Karami wrap up this heist story – and to see if MacKay will have Felicia Hardy swing by the pages of his X-Men run.
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