Black Cat by Jed MacKay Omnibus (2024)

Jed MacKay gets to explore a range of scenarios and adventures with Felicia Hardy aka The Black Cat in this omnibus. However, as fun as the story is and as with all Marvel comics that go past 5 issues, the turn in to a cross over slows the title down. Hardy is written as capable, dangerous and fun throughout and really does lean in to the trope of a femme fatale. That said MacKay does give her more depth whilst still retaining a lot of fun. Be it collecting and using the Infinity Stone, battling ancient Symbiote gods or becoming the Iron Cat this is a good read for someone looking to spend some time with The Black Cat.

3/5

Smart, action reads at the pace of the story. Like any big comic publisher, the dialogue is a little bit hackneyed but really this is one of the stronger stories one can read in the recent Marvel universe. Intriguing and entertaining throughout. The strong female protagonist is a little sexualized but it’s not over the top, and there is an LBGTQ+ component without being overly pandering or insulting.

It's a fun superhero crime romp, with more heart than I was expecting.

This was such a fun read and omg it was enormous but actually the stories read so fast and I love Mackay's writing, he has become my favorite writer in recent times. His writing for Felicia was spot on with the way he gave her a solid crew and they are well explored too and I love the clash of personalities and then the history with Black fox but what I think helps this comic more is the guest stars and how fun its made and the addition of events and big stakes really make the story feel epic and I love the cohesiveness of it all.

From the get go you see how Felicia gets her crew together and then Bruno and Boris are awesome and their breakout first at Sanctum Sanctorum and the threats there and snakes and bats the dog! Black fox and his history, how Odessa drake ties in, then break in at Yancy street FF place and Blastaar and its so funny, Felicia and Batroc on a date which was so fun and yeah I love how they gift each other things and its in line with the crooks code.

There is a story where she is teaming up with the beetle to rob Iron fist, that story with her mother and then to madripoor with wolverine/patch and how Kade Kilgore is after them which was fun, then Iron man flirting and all that and getting her own suit, showdown with Odessa and the annual where she teams with Spidey to steal from some maggia hideout and you see the chemistry between them and that was just the first run

The second run ties into the King in black event and Felicia taking on symbiotes and how she saves Dr strange and there's whole being corrupt by the staff of asgard and how she resists that and then the gilded saint story with the thieves guild and the big moment with Silver fox and it was emotional but I loved that story and really establishes how far Felicia has come and its like the turning point for the series and the emotional climax and I found it satisfactory but the resolution of the series was well covered there! There is an annual where she has to team up with White fox to save Taeguki which was meh.

The last 100 pages were fun and omg that Infinity score comic brings back star and so many more people, that was a fun story which ties into Infinite destinies larger story I guess and the emotional high of it with her mother was fun but felt rushed, like if it had more issues maybe it would have been better! The last story is the Iron cat story with Tamara and who she is and her history with Black cat, plus Iron man and the threat of Madam Menace and that was so good, probably one of the best arcs in the whole series so banger of an ending there and I like how basically its Iron man suits being the villain again lol but having that familiar story from Felicia's pov was cool and it gives her a fun villain of sorts too.

So yeah fun ending overall and I really liked it, how it all came together and really explores the world of Black cat and gave her so many cool heists and supporting cast and she is tested in so many great ways and how she overcomes the challenges made her such a compelling character after this run! The art was pretty good throughout and there were some which were just gorgeous and omg so many covers!

Black Cat hasn't really had a long running series ever.

Jed MacKay, the man getting ton of fame for his current Moon Knight and now Avengers title. But before all that he was writing a little titled called Black Cat before covid, and even though Covid f*cked up his flow and numbering, he still put out a 25+ issue series, newest one being the Iron Cat mini series released just this year.

So what's Black Cat about? Well it's Falicia and her big heist against superheroes and villains. She has a crew, she works swift and clean, and decides to do her best having fun robbing people. The first arc sets her up as a master thief but slowly gives us glimpses into her past, learning about the Fox, her mentor, and just her overall childhood and how she became what she is. Each arc is short, only being 2-4 issues, but all feel completed and fun.

Fun would be the key word here. From the snappy dialogue to the excellent showcase in art and lively tone and mood of the series, we get something a lot of comics sometimes forget to do. Have fun. These aren't super deep stories, and while I thought there was one excellent one that had to do with Cat's mentor, most were fluffy and fun.

I will say the mini series at the end dragged and the final arc of the series was a bit weaker than what came before. But even at their worst they're still solid good time, and that matters.

While not a perfect Omnibus I think it's a ton of fun. Somewhere between a 3 and a 3.5 for me personally. Hard to pin point exactly where I'd rate it on any given day but if you're a fan of heist, fun comics, and a sexy lead, this one might be for you.

The first 2/3 of this are near perfect. The latter third is still good, but you feel the wheels spinning. Cheers to Jed Mackay for this great long-game story; and cheers to the multiple artists who take great care to make Felicia beautiful, glamorous, and even “sexy” without being overtly sexual and gross. Apart from the J Scott Campbell covers (who is notoriously and perpetually 13 years old), Felicia does not feel drawn through a male gaze.

It was a fun read, but didn't really stick out for me. I don't know if its because Black Cat needs Spider-Man for a fun dynamic, or because some of the stories just didn't knock me away. If you like the character you'll enjoy it, I did, but there's definitely some mediocre stuff.

4.5

i bought this book for the wolverine issues. sadly those ended up being mid, but the other black cat issues and this omnibus thus far is quite good.

Update: i'm half way through and i'm feeling that this is a 5 star book. takes a minute to get into it, but i there and wanting more.

must read for black cat 8-10 (2020): Guardians of the galaxy annual 1 (2021), Heroes Reborn (2021)

Also reading Kelly Thompson's Captain Marvel and star mini series is also important to read but not necessary.

This was another omnidog recommendation and will be part of his top reads of 2023. It’s great to see black cat get a solo title run that’s not just an event tie in or Spider-Man miniseries. This is a fun action packed crime thriller that has black cat taking on some wild heists. I even really enjoyed the king in black crossover issues that didn’t manage to derail the series. An unexpected fun read.

placeholder voor verschillende Spider-Man gerelateerde runs:

- Silk (2015) 1-6 door Robbie Thompson
- Silk (2016) 1-19 door Robbie Thompson
- Black Cat (2019) 1-12 door Jed MacKay
- Black Cat (2020) 1-10 door Jed MacKay + Black Cat Annual (2021) en Giant-Size Black Cat Infinity Score (2021)