This article has gone through a few changes. Originally it was a profile praising Marvel’s Black Cat ongoing series and highlighting it’s unlikely continued success both with sales and cultivating a loyal following. It explored how a low-profile creative team managed to weather the comics market’s highs and lows better than dozens of other series before it and deliver one of the most charming, unique superhero titles on the market. Then it got placed on an undefined hiatus.
In full transparency, I received word that Black Cat was “taking a break” days after finishing the piece, and it was tempting just to scrap the entire article. But Black Cat’s break does not undo the absolute delight and consistent quality that the title brought in every month, and, as such, it is still worth praising.
The solo ongoing, a first for the titular Felicia Hardy, had no big-name creators attached to it, no crossover event to piggyback off of and no shocking new status quo to hook readers. Writer Jed MacKay had only a handful of miniseries to his name, and artist Travel Foreman was a critical darling but never quite reached superstar status. The familiar fate of a swift cancellation that befell similar series, such as The Amazing Mary Jane and Morbius: The Living Vampire, seemed inevitable.
Yet, just like the series’ heroine, the book has defied the odds and reached a year of publication, boasting consistent sales and rave reviews to boot. Despite the recent announcement, MacKay has confirmed that Black Cat will be continuing in some form, and the title has not ended. Much like it’s lead’s namesake, it seems Black Cat has a few lives to spare. All it took was a lot of luck, a lot of talent and a lot of variant covers.
The series’ launch in June 2019 took the comics world by surprise, with the series debuting in the #1 best-selling issue spot for the month at 255,000 copies ordered. Under scrutiny, however, the confusion quickly gave way to a familiar tactic employed by Marvel: flooding the market with exclusive variant covers. Variant covers are all over the place, especially for Marvel Comics series, but the sheer volume of Black Cat’s covers (38 covers in total including retailer variants) went far beyond the standard expectations for anything outside of a massive crossover event. In Black Cat’s case, a variant was also produced that was exclusive to Wal-Mart stores, included in the bundles of single issues Marvel offers in the monolithic department store chain, lifting the sales even higher.
This strategy is not a particularly new one, Marvel has boosted books ranging from Rocket Raccoon (300,000 copies) to the recent relaunch of Spider-Woman (142,000 copes) through a combination of exclusive variants and deals with mainstream storefronts for years. Traditionally, the sales peak upon debut quickly gives way to a steep drop and, often, cancellation shortly after.
Black Cat’s luck, however, didn’t run out. Instead of a massive decline, the title’s sales decreased at a much slower rate before settling into its current threshold of roughly 25,000 issues a month. This is not a massive number but makes for a healthy following that outsells other big-name books like Harley Quinn, Doctor Strange, and Aquaman. This steady following has seemingly acted as a life raft for the series, guaranteeing it will stay afloat down the road whenever it resurfaces.
Following a dark chapter in Felicia’s life, a years-long tenure as a ruthless, cruel crime lord in Amazing Spider-Man having taken its toll on the character, Black Cat revitalizes the beloved anti-hero with a simple truth: heists are cool. Jetting its way across the Marvel Universe and stealing everything not nailed down, Black Cat is a slick, stylish title that knows exactly what it needs to be and excels at it. Capers include everything from stealing the original deed to the island of Manhattan from Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum to pilfering the notebook of a mad scientist from the library of Reed Richards. No matter the target or the plan, the heists never stop being a delight to read and wonderfully inventive.
The book’s secret weapon, the hand picking your pocket while it distracts you with guest stars and adventure, is the heart and respect it has for its cast, especially Felicia herself. Black Cat had long since been relegated to little more than a sexy femme fatale stereotype in the eyes of most fans. A sultry, curvy bombshell with her suit unzipped to her navel and an innuendo on her lips. Black Cat doesn’t erase this, Felicia is as sexy as ever and not afraid to show off, but instead follows through with the vital step of giving Felicia agency and control of her sexuality. Despite being drawn and written by almost exclusively men in the 12 issues thus far, the title avoids leering at her and propping her up as a sex object and instead shows all sides of who Felicia is and makes her confidence and flirtatious personality feel justified and well-earned.
Nowhere is this showcased better than in Black Cat #6, when Felicia goes on a date with perennial Marvel jobber-for-hire (and personal favorite) Batroc the Leaper. Rather than a stock comic book date with stale innuendo and social faux pas caused by some super-disaster interrupting the evening, the issue follows one of the most natural-feeling scenes I’ve read in ages. The two mercenaries never treat each other as anything other than competent professionals who know the date won’t lead anywhere serious, but enjoy each other’s company and looks and end up learning more about each other along the way. Felicia flirts her way through the date, with Batroc returning the favor in his own incredibly French style, but also awkwardly brings up her ex and falls into the dreaded lull in conversation before trying to salvage things. It paints the portrait of a fully-developed character who has grown beyond being The Sexiest One in The Room and is a testament to the book’s handling of her.
Alongside her present-day adventures, the series frequently dips into Felicia’s past and grants a glimpse into her origins as a thief that provides much-needed context and depth to the woman she is today. Mentored by the Black Fox (an elderly master thief introduced to the title playing baccarat with Count Dracula) like her father before her, Felicia Hardy grew up in the thief business. Embroiled in the arcane world of the Marvel Universe’s thieves guild, Felicia befriended fellow thief-in-training Odessa Drake as a child, and the two had a close relationship. So close, that Odessa now wages war on Hardy in retaliation for stealing the one thing she can never return: Odessa’s heart.
The series had not yet confirmed Hardy’s sexuality, outside of a few heavy hints, prior to Black Cat #12. While the lack of a direct answer is a bit frustrating, confirmation that the series has not yet ended gives hope that it will provide a much-needed definitive answer and add another high profile character to Marvel’s LGBTQ roster.
Black Cat excels on nearly every level. MacKay’s plots are well-paced and bolstered by genuinely funny and snappy dialogue. Foreman breaks the horror-sci-fi mold he had found himself in and delivers flashy, stylish scenes with fantastic expression work that is only amplified by Brian Reber’s coloring. Guest artists such as Kris Anka and C.F. Villa bring their flair to Felicia and her crew without breaking the series’ tone. In the year since its launch, Black Cat has established itself as one of Marvel’s most exciting and fun series. While Felicia may be stepping back into the shadows for a while, readers would be wise to keep an eye out for the thief’s return as she is bound to steal the spotlight once again.
Zoe Tunnell is a 29-year old trans woman who has read comics for most of her adult life and can't stop now. Follow her on Twitter @Blankzilla.
