Black Cat #11 // Review
They say that the dot laser site can’t be felt on the skin. Felicia might have felt something on her face as she was waking-up, though. She wasn’t fully awake when she heard the gunfire, but she’s got crazy reflexes, so she’s able to jump out of the way to avoid the spray of bullets that would have killed her. The question is: who would try to kill her first thing in the morning in her own apartment? She’s about to find out in Black Cat #11. Writer G. Willow Wilson continues a deeply enjoyable series with Felicia in an issue brought to page and panel by artist Andrés Genolet.
Felicia dives for cover beneath her apartment window. if she surfaces for even a second, she could have her head blown-off. So she’s going to have to be sneaky about checking to see who it is. She pulls out a compact mirror and takes a look at the building across the street. There’s a gentleman there with a high powered weapon. He’s dressed all in black. There’s a white skull logo on his chest. Okay: so he’s not exactly a hitman, but she’s not exactly his usual target. So why does The Punisher want Black Cat dead?
Once again: Wilson’s writing is deliciously enjoyable. Black Cat meets the Punisher...there are a million ways to write something like that which would be yawningly cliche. Wilson frames the narrative with clever wit and wisdom that even manages to be powerfully poetic and respectably philosophical here and there. Wilson’s Punisher has a heart and emotionality that the character isn’t often allowed. The complexity allows for a more intricate interaction with Black Cat, who has definitely grown in her time with Wilson. It’s deeply enjoyable stuff that features some particularly clever moments with Hardy as narrator of her own story.
Genolet allows Hardy to be vulnerable in the face of adversity without sacrificing her combat prowess and experience with life-threatening situations. Expressions are occasionally exaggerated as Felicia and Frank Castle go through the motions of getting to know each other as one tries to kill the other. The action comes to the page with a powerful sense of motion. The dramatic exaggeration of facial expressions might feel a bit awkward in places, but it’s a fun visual journey through the issue nonetheless. The action and the visual tension more than make-up for any of the art’s shortcomings.
Writer Jed MacKay’s work with Felicia on her previous series had suggested a much more sophisticated individual than Wilson is bringing to the page. Nearly a year into the series it really feels like Wilson’s more existentialist approach to Felicia makes her a lot more vulnerable and...ultimately relatable than the uber-stylish, unflappably clever super-thief that MacKay had brought to the page in the prior series. Wilson makes Felicia seem that much more fun to hang out with as a result. She’s messed-up, but that makes her that much more of a reflection of anyone who might want to hang out with her on the comic book page.
