Stuck in the Negative Zone trying to get an embarrassing tape of Mary Jane back from an incredibly secure storage facility, Black Cat #8 is immediately absurd and fun. The strengths they bring to their adventure couldn’t be more different, which bolsters the chemistry between the two leads who share an ex in Peter Parker, while keeping things light and breezy but natural and complicated in a relatable way. It distinguishes itself from the last issue by being more action oriented, and wonderfully weirder.
I want to dislike this issue because it feels like nothing happened, and the comic is coming to an end at issue 10 like so many other books at Marvel these days, but I can’t dislike it. Nothing happened, but nothing happened so well.
Marvel
There’s really three characters on the adventure, there’s Black Cat, Mary Jane, and Venom. Even though Black Cat is sticking her neck out for Mary Jane by doing this favor, she still gets plenty of hell from everyone’s favorite symbiote. After arriving in the Negative Zone, the three pummel a humanoid made out of crystal and find a storage facility that looks like every single U-Haul storage facility you’ve ever seen in your life.
The only difference is that this one is protected by a lava moat and diamond spikes. Just when they’re not sure how to get in, a sphinx appears and asks them a riddle for passage. This led to a joke so dumb, I can’t stop laughing at it, and it gave such a fun moment between the three leads that immediately cut the tension out of their unenviable predicament.
Marvel
Once they make it inside the storage facility, writer G. Willow Wilson continues to show her humor with short, snippy dialogue that somehow makes these already likable characters even more charming. Artist Gleb Melnikov continues to impress with his wonderful face and eye work that screams Bette Davis in every close up. Especially Black Cat, it’s so nice to see characters that are drawn less photo-realistic and with more personality.
That playfulness definitely adds to the enjoyment. This is an issue about two women (and a symbiote) walking through what’s basically a desert and finding a storage unit and they get in. What they find there makes for a perfectly enticing cliffhanger that will put their friendship to the test, as well as give Black Cat a chance to show just how badly she wants to be seen as good.
While I’m not dying to find out what happens next, I’m admittedly curious to see what where the story goes. These are likable characters that are well-written, drawn impeccably, and doing the most banal thing in the strangest scenario that I can’t help but recommend it to anyone looking for a lower-stakes book to remind you all the things comics can be any given Wednesday. It’s just a bummer that we know the book only has two more issues to go, cutting a lot of desire to really get invested in Black Cat and this face-turn she’s been attempting.
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