Black Cat #4 Review

 

Writer: G Willow Wilson

Artist: Gleb Melnikov

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Adam Hughes; Derrick Chew; Inhyuk Lee; Mark Buckingham & Richard Isanove

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 26, 2025

 

After tangling with the Lizard, Felicia Hardy has an epiphany as the Night Nurse stitches her arm. Spider-Man isn’t returning her calls. And instead of quelling the violence on the streets, he is increasing it. Perhaps she needs to step up and make New Yorkers feel safe enough to spend money foolishly again.

 

Black Cat’s attempt to turn her life around attracts the superheroes’ attention. As the glamorous gal gains internet fame, J Jonah Jameson publicly speculates about her love life. Then, Felicia captures Tombstone’s attention. Does Lonnie Lincoln need her expertise with a heist? Or does the new Kingpin of Crime want Felicia to define her relationship with Daredevil? Let’s grab a pinch of catnip, leap into Black Cat #4, and see!

 

Story

After foiling an interstellar drug cartel in New Jersey, Sandman surprises Felicia and punches her lights out. When they come back on, Felicia Hardy finds herself at Tombstone’s feet. The crime lord requests her manifesto. But Felicia can’t define her new war on crime. Perhaps when she figures it out, she'll feel like sharing. Like Steve Perry, Felicia is "Feeling That Way" and enjoying it. But while Black Cat works out her new shtick, she interferes with Tombstone’s big plans for New York.

 

In Black Cat #4, Sandman locks her in a room. It may not be a dungeon. Still, Felicia gives her new accommodation a 1-star rating. As Felicia ponders her life and a means of escape, the wait grows more torturous when she overhears actionable intelligence.

 

G Willow Wilson’s story highlights how difficult career changes can be. While Felicia seeks something more fulfilling than snatching the next sparkly treasure, she hasn't defined what she wants or how best to go about it. And as Boris, her person in the chair, warned, being a superhero is different from stealing rare artifacts. Despite how hard Felicia has worked to become a master thief, she's still a novice hero. Felicia's heart may be in the right place in Black Cat #4, but she cannot trust her instincts. And as she hasn’t paid her dues, Felicia Hardy has a long way to go before she gains the respect of the superhero community. 

 

 

 

Art

As Black Cat gazes up at Tombstone, he squats to study his captive. Felicia's flowing white hair and the fur hanging from her black catsuit evoke plumage. While she cannot compare with Puss in Boots, Felicia’s eyes invite sympathy. Gleb Melnikov employs vignettes to showcase confrontations in Black Cat #4. The intertwined control room conduits, along with the pipes and pumping equipment, hint at reasons why Tombstone chose the building for his temporary HQ. But as an X-Jet streaks over the building, Felicia lies on a cot, unable to investigate.

 

While Tombstone appears in matte gray and dark blue, Sandman’s vibrant green shirt and brown arms evoke the fresh start he considered at the Ravencroft Institute. As Brian Reber lavishes a loaded palette on Black Cat #4, Black Cat's suit gleams. After passing some red pumping equipment, more red pipes line a wall of her cell. As Black Cat wonders what has happened to Spider-Man, the moon imbues her suit with light-blue highlights.

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna shows Tombstone's dialogue as small, uppercase words in clouds. Other characters speak larger uppercase words into dialogue balloons. Felicia’s commentary guides us through her internment, employing white letters in black narrative boxes. But after a creak and a slam herald her imprisonment, the sound of disturbed air gives Felicia hope she can resume her new career. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Like Rodney Dangerfield, Felicia Hardy can't get any respect. There's no honor among thieves, the superhero community distrusts her, and J Jonah Jameson isn't interested in her crime reports. As her stumbling in the dark disrupts Tombstone's plans, Felicia discovers how alone she truly is in Black Cat #4.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.