Black Cat #5 Review

 

Writer: G Willow Wilson

Artist: Gleb Melnikov

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Adam Hughes; Ben Oliver; Rogê Antônio & Marcelo Maiolo; Olivier Coipel

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: December 17, 2025

 

Sometimes, one person really can change everything. That's what happens when Spider-Man starts sending perps to the hospital. His refusal to discuss his epiphany with Felicia Hardy shocks her. Worse, it sends a tremor through the streets of New York City. Suddenly, criminals like Shocker and his Aftershocks are playing for keeps. Felicia is so off her game that she gets in a needless tussle with the Lizard, and younger pickpockets get the jump on her.

 

With everything up in the air, Felicia tries to convert her star power as a glamorous thief into a protector of New Yorkers with money to spend. Can she get her world spinning aright after Spider-Man knocked it off its axis? And how will Felicia Hardy react when the new kingpin of New York tarnishes her image? Let’s sharpen our claws, leap into Black Cat #5, and see!

 

Story

Tombstone captured Felicia and locked her away. As she sought a means of escape, she overheard him discussing Spider-Man's descent into villainy with a subordinate. Believing she could still save her web-friend, Felicia connived a means of escape. Then she rushed to the location Tombstone mentioned to convince Spider-Man to mend his ways. Instead, Felicia discovered that Tombstone had set her up, and someone she thought she could manipulate had manipulated her instead.

 

When cops surround her, Felicia is so flummoxed that she plays for pity. But Detective Shari Sebbens isn't beguiled by Felicia’s poor kitty routine. Shari has had a tough time lately. She came up empty while investigating a rash of robberies at fashion stores. Nor could she prevent someone from abducting a military drone from Rand Enterprises, causing significant property damage and endangering New Yorkers. So, the police detective plays it by the book in Black Cat #5. With her city becoming a war zone, at least Shari took one criminal off the streets.

 

Pursuing a career as a master thief meant hiding in the shadows. As Boris, her man in the chair, warned her, being a hero requires a different skill set. Felicia has ridden the highs of the internet and news media stardom. In Black Cat #5, Felicia discovers the fleeting nature of fame and that people cheer when their heroes stumble on their feet of clay.

 

 

 

 

Art

As Felicia clasps her hands behind her head, the white fur falling from her arms merges with her white hair to form a blunted star. Gleb Melnikov contrasts Felicia’s appeals with Shari’s resistance to her charms with close-ups. A splash page shows the crowd of journalists anxious to record her capture with their phones and cameras. Felicia looks shaken and doesn't turn away from the camera as she protests her innocence. But her fear turns to anger when J Jonah Jameson gives her the pity she sought from Shari Sebbins. Her angry response makes clear that Felicia doesn't appreciate his I told you so expression.

 

Brian Reber dresses the staunch newsmaker in a brown trenchcoat, evoking the days he converted trees into defamatory Spider-Man headlines on newsprint. As a preserver of society, Shari Sebbens wears an amber coat. After the police pull her away from the crowd gathered before orange-and-red buildings, they cage Felicia with some of the criminals she has recently foiled. While some sport bright colors, others share her black and white dress sense. But when a friend comes to her aid, Felicia contemplates her journey in a red-and-orange setting that evokes a train car in Black Cat #5.

 

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna shows Felicia’s thoughts as white uppercase letters in black boxes. Black uppercase dialogue fills white balloons, while Felicia’s interpretation of a fellow prisoner’s responses accompanies a cat symbol in a box. The letters grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects accompany fighting and dismay as Felicia’s streetcar pulls into a station named Deliberation, freeing Black Cat to contemplate where she will travel next. Thanks to Marvel Comics and Comic Book Dispatch for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Felicia Hardy has always pursued the next shiny prize over preserving the relationships that give life meaning. But when she’s down and out, the friend she played a terrible trick on lends Felicia the support she doesn’t deserve in Black Cat #5.

 

Rating 9.6/10

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. 

Black Cat #2 Review

 

Writer: G Willow Wilson

Artist: Gleb Melnikov

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Adam Hughes; Alex Ross; Greg Land & Frank D’Armata; Paco Medina & Jesus Aburtov

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 24, 2025

 

A master thief's life may appear glamorous, but pulling off challenging heists requires preparation. Especially while maintaining a reputation as New York's most beautiful thief. And what does Felicia have at the end of the day? An apartment filled with materialistic treasures, and no one to enjoy them with? Even Peter Parker doesn’t seem to think she’s worth his time anymore.

 

So, Felicia Hardy is changing her approach to life. How will her first attempt at heroism go? And will she read about the Lizard’s research in Scientific American? Let’s put on our catsuits, leap into Black Cat #2, and see!

 

Story

Black Cat maintains her fitness with grueling workouts at Glutes Gym. But her guy in the chair interrupts a training session that violates the Geneva Conventions on Torture. Boris informs her that two young guns from the Manfredi crime family are striking out on their own. So, Felicia breaks off her personal training session with Peach to tackle her first case.

 

After breaking the fourth wall to clarify matters for the reader in the first issue, Black Cat tackles a Lovejoy-style mystery. While Starchy & Cloth wash clothes and money in Spider-Girl, the Manfredi boys move antiques to clean money for immortals in Black Cat #2. New York hasn't forgiven the vampire world for their Blood Hunt. So, the undead moving their criminal operations to Black Cat's city adds a sinister undertone to the Manfredi boys' seemingly innocuous side hustle. 

 

Pursuing lightbulb moments entails trial and error before finding your path. Boris raises his concerns about venturing into unfamiliar territory in Black Cat #2. Gio and Leo also point out that, after coexisting peacefully with them in the past, Black Cat is changing the rules all of them live by. Felicia Hardy has a lot to sort out if she wishes to join the ranks of New York's costumed heroes. But after losing interest in her sparkly criminal endeavors, Black Cat enjoys playing the hero in G Willow Wilson’s story. 

 

 

 

Art

Gleb Melnikov portrays Felicia with full lips and defined muscles as she sweats and strains in Glutes Gym. When she dons her mask, the large circles of skin around her eyes suggest fashionable shades accompanying her salon-styled hair. By comparison, creases mar Boris's forehead, and the light catches his stark cheekbones. He shows a disinterest in fashion and keeps food nearby as he sits at his computer. Of the Manfredi boys, Gio watches his workers like a hawk and lowers his shades on his nose to count his money. Heavyset Leo seems impatient and nervous while rocking a John Travolta vibe.

 

As Brian Reber lavishes a loaded palette of bright and cheery colors on Black Cat #2, red dominates Felicia's new approach to life. Brickwork adorns her gym and the building where the Manfredi boys store their antiques. Red also dominates interiors, from the large GLUTES letters in the gym to the wallpaper adorning the stash house. And then there is the red interior of a gilt scrollwork egg that the Manfredi boys are moving.

 

Black Cat perches beside the ornamental egg as she picks up a gold pocket watch. Then she leans against a reddish-brown grandfather clock and tells Gio and Leo that time has run out on their side hustle. The emphasis on red reminds readers who the Manfredi boys are working for (and why their choice of a side hustle sucks).

 

Joe Caramagna fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase text and shares Felicia’s thoughts with white uppercase letters in black narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects scamper across the pages, helping us hear an international accords-infringing workout, shifting sands, and screeching fill the night. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Tombstone regards Spider-Man as a hero he can manipulate. When Spider-Man starts playing from a different rulebook, his civilian counterpart, Peter Parker, also shrugs off Lonnie Lincoln’s influence. So, as Black Cat alters her approach to life, Tombstone wonders how he can use her to control Spider-Man in Black Cat #2.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Black Cat #1 Review

 

Writer: G Willow Wilson

Artist: Gleb Melnikov

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Adam Hughes; Peach Momoko; Simone Di Meo; J Scott Campbell; Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson; Derrick Chew; Jeehyung

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 20, 2025

 

A master thief’s life is filled with peril. Usually, they prove more injurious emotionally than physically. So why is Black Cat sitting in the night nurse’s waiting room? And how might her battle with Hellgate change her? Let’s put on our catsuits, leap into Black Cat #1, and see!

 

Story

Curt Connors gained superpowers by becoming the Lizard. Since then, the two have gone their separate ways. The Lizard identifies with those society discards, such as Miles Morales’ clone brother Shift, the Vermin, and the unhoused who inhabit New York’s underground. But when the Lizard meets Black Cat in G Willow Wilson’s story, he’s on a mission to understand himself better. Unfortunately, neither he nor Black Cat enjoys others getting in their way.

 

But that’s the problem in Black Cat #1. Suddenly, Felicia Hardy isn’t having things her own way. She pushed away Peter Parker to pursue a relationship with Amelia Morrow. Felicia enjoyed a sometime partnership with Mary Jane. Now, Mary Jane has become a member of another family. Recently, Felicia began to wonder what she had left behind when she broke off things with Peter. But as his life begins to settle down following his battles with Cyttorak’s scions, Hellgate takes Peter away from her again.

 

 

In G Willow Wilson’s story, a fraught chase and fight leave Felicia exhausted. As she looks back on her life, she wonders if being the Black Cat is worth it. Has all her hard work yielded the lasting satisfaction we all seek? While her tangle with the lizard prompts a visit to the nurse’s room, it helps her put things in perspective. With Tombstone making a bid to rule the streets, and Spider-Man keeping his distance and taking a tougher stance on crime, New York is becoming a more dangerous place.

 

Felicia Hardy misses Peter Parker. Their different views on life prevented them from bonding as a couple. But she’s not happy being on her own. So, in Black Cat #1, Felicia wonders: what if I tried to be like him? Or at least, the way Peter used to be?

 

 

 

Art

Gleb Melnikov populates the night nurse’s waiting room with costumed characters in need of her services. Some you may recognize. Others, perhaps not. Whether battling Felicia or sitting in the waiting room, the Lizard exudes power in Black Cat #1. Amid his primal fury, he clutches two cages with due care and concern. After their fight, all the barriers fall. As she sinks into a tub of foamy water, Felicia trades glamor in Gleb Melnikov’s 90s Image superhero art for supermodel vulnerability. 

 

 

 

Brian Reber lavishes a loaded palette on Felicia’s flight from the authorities. The setting sun fills the air with gentle pink and orange. As she runs, the brick buildings glow, while the windows of a corner shop burn like a cluster of tiny suns. Hints of streetlights appear in the dark windows of an office where two associates await her call. By the time Black Cat glimpses Spider-Man, the vibrant colors have fled. So, she watches him thwip out of her life beneath a blue and purple sky. 

 

 

 

As Joe Caramagna fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase text, he shares Felicia’s thoughts with white uppercase letters in black narrative boxes. White letters in green boxes translate the Lizard’s hisses, while red letters flit through a panel, reminding Felicia of those pursuing her. Joe Caramagna stokes the engine powering Black Cat #1 with an ample supply of crash, bang, and big bada boom. Yet whether adorning a symbol of her profession, accompanying an homage, or enhancing the night nurse’s invitation, Joe Caramagna fills Felicia’s moment of truth with all the sounds of reality. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Luck can be an elusive target. Some people work all their lives to achieve it. Others seem blessed with an abundance. Felicia Hardy has always radiated luck. But look beneath the surface, and you’ll see all the hard work she does to make her luck in Black Cat #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Spider-Man & Wolverine #3 Review

 

Writer: Marc Guggenheim

Artist: Kaare Andrews

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Kaare Andrews, Stephanie Hans, Niko Henrichon & Dan Panosian

Design: Adam Del Re

Editors: Cy Pedro Beltran, Mark Basso, Tom Brevoort, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 30, 2025

 

Shay Marken thinks Peter Parker’s life is a dumpster fire because he lost his parents. But when Logan drafts him for a mission, Peter discovers why Richard and Mary Parker abandoned him. The circumstances surrounding his discovery of the classified video seem fishy. But that can’t diminish Peter’s heartbreak as he watches Wolverine kill his parents.

 

Logan cannot assure Peter that the video is fake. People and trauma have messed with Wolverine's memory. Perhaps like the Winter Soldier, Logan had little choice in sabotaging Richard and Mary Parker's airplane. Can Peter ever work with Logan again to protect the world from villains? Or will Spider-Man and Wolverine forever be at each other’s throats? Let’s leap into Spider-Man & Wolverine #3 and see!

 

Story

When Peter awakens in the jungle, he wears a black and white suit. He remembers Wolverine impaling him, but feels bandages covering his claw marks. While each movement brings pain, Peter yearns to rest and collect his thoughts. Then a Tyrannosaurus Rex enters the clearing and sees Peter as his black plate special.

 

Wolverine takes Peter off the menu in Spider-Man & Wolverine #3. But Peter doesn't know whether to thank Wolverine or attack him. Still, enemies often form alliances when facing a mutual threat. So, Peter and Logan agree to set aside their differences to survive in the Savage Land.

 

Wolverine knows that whoever captured and reclothed them and bandaged Peter's wounds wants to torture them. Pitting friends against each other hurts both men emotionally. Peter recognizes the truth behind Logan's words. But that doesn't clear him of his parents' deaths.

 

Marc Guggenheim paints Wolverine as a haunted man. So many people have abused his trust. Peter has also endured countless heartbreaks. Yet while Logan keeps others at arm’s length, Peter continually seeks closeness, even if he cannot meet his friends’ needs. Logan cannot remember if he killed Peter’s parents. But in Spider-Man & Wolverine #3, Logan remembers enough of his recent past to prepare them for the demands of the present. 

 

 

 

Art

In this story, where seeing may (or may not) be believing, Kaare Andrews begins with Spider-Man’s eyes opening. Yet eyes also become casualties for beasts and men. Despite Spider-Man’s distrust, Logan repeatedly offers him his hand. A flurry of arrows reminds us of Spider-Man’s hunter, while a flashing sword symbolizes Wolverine's past. An adversary in the tall grass evokes Logan as a sniper in the first issue. Weighed down by memories, emotions, and fatigue, Spider-Man deflates like a balloon in Spider-Man & Wolverine #3. But then, learning that a friend might have killed your parents can be gutting.

 

Brian Reber fills a smoky gray sky with a yellow orb. Pteranodon silhouettes fill the sky while dinosaurs graze or stalk their prey. The yellow moonlight threatens to blend the dinosaurs' green hide with the brown tree trunks. Yet it makes Spider-Man's black suit glow blue, and Wolverine's red belt shine. Yellow and orange erupt amid a painful memory. Yet red fills the air when a white sword threatens to cleave our heroes in half.

 

Travis Lanham fills white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with black, uppercase letters. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and rarely shrink. A clawed yellow box relates Logan's off-panel pronouncement in this fast-paced story filled with dialogue and Spider-Man’s thoughts. Sound effects help us hear metal clang against metal, gunfire, hand-to-hand combat, thwipping, and dinosaurs rushing toward their next meal. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Questions swirl through Peter’s mind as he struggles to survive in the Savage Land. While people and dinosaurs hunt him, someone pulls the strings. Peter strives to reconcile what he has learned with what he knows. But regardless of Peter's feelings, Wolverine tries to protect the son of his late friends amid the savage action in Spider-Man & Wolverine #3.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Spider-Man & Wolverine #1 Review

 

Writer: Marc Guggenheim

Artist: Kaare Andrews

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Kaare Andrews; Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove; Nick Bradshaw & Jim Charalampidis; Clayton Crain; David Marquez & Matthew Wilson; Dike Ruan & Moreno Dinisio

Design: Adam Del Re

Editors: Cy Pedro Beltran, Mark Basso, Tom Brevoort, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 21, 2025

 

Bill Branscome wants a meetup. So, Wolverine joins him in a HYDRA Safe House in Berlin. As with the fall of the USSR, SHIELD’s disbanding leaves lots of weapons up for grabs. Like James Bond, Bill doesn’t want a database of present and former undercover agents to become public knowledge. Can Wolverine prevent the Janus Directory from falling into the wrong hands? And where does Spider-Man fit into Wolverine’s mission? Let’s grab our Walther PPKs, leap into Spider-Man & Wolverine #1, and see!

 

Story

When Peter Parker arrives at the Coffee Bean, he’s late for another date with Shay. The couple are still trying to figure out if they’re compatible, and Peter’s constant tardiness isn't helping. Like Aunt May, Shay muses about why Peter can't hold a steady job and be a dependable boyfriend. Then Logan rolls in on his chopper and tells Peter to hop on the back. Once again, Peter leaves Shay wondering why she keeps coming back for more disappointment.

 

Marc Guggenheim spins his fast-paced story in a light-hearted, breezy style. Amid the battles he and Wolverine face, drama abounds in Spider-Man & Wolverine #1. Part of the drama comes from the weapons their foes deploy. More comes from the cliffhanger ending, which delves into both the protagonists' backstories. The spectacular foes of Spider-Man and Wolverine welcome the Janus Directory as bait to entrap their mutual nemeses.

 

While it forms a small part of the narrative, a key component of the drama in Spider-Man & Wolverine #1 occurs at the beginning. Peter Parker was working on becoming a better friend. Despite his duties as Spider-Man, Peter carved time out of his schedule for weekly meetings with Miles Morales and the other regulars at the ESU Coffee. Peter also made a commitment to Shay and himself on a pivotal date. Yet he keeps flaking out on subsequent dates with Shay. And each time, Peter assures Shay that the next time will be different.

 

 

 

Art

Kaare Andrews immediately impresses with Wolverine slashing apart HYDRA agents. Bill Branscome leans against brickwork in a tunnel, illuminated by his cigarette lighter. Images of Logan as a sniper and a secret agent overlay his profile. Spider-Man performs a midair costume change into civilian attire while somersaulting down to his date. Kaare Andrews overlays similar memories over Peter's profile. Then Logan rolls in on his Harley in a leather jacket, tosses Peter a helmet, and says, "Let's ride."

 

Brian Reber lavishes bright colors on scenes that rarely fill more than half a page. Yellow and orange fill panels as Omega Red and Kraven the Hunter unleash destruction on a SHIELD helicarrier. Black dominates a page of Spider-Man & Wolverine #1 as one character struggles with fear. Yet green and magenta remind us of Spider-Man's troubled past and perhaps hint at the reason he struggles to commit to Shay.

 

Travis Lanham fills white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with black, uppercase letters. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Stylish yellow and red banners introduce the locations in this fast-paced, dialogue-filled story. Sound effects accompany Logan greeting Bill, Kraven emulating Hawkeye’s attack on Nick Fury’s helicarrier, and Peter channeling his Computer Science lessons at ESU.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While striving to do our best, sometimes what we do isn’t very nice. In Spider-Man & Wolverine #1, Logan’s past reminds us of the difficulties in keeping a group of like-minded people together, whether it's an organization like SHIELD, a team like the Avengers, or a relationship between two loving people.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #4 Review

 

Writer: Steve Foxe

Artist: Andrea Broccardo

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Mark Bagley & Rachelle Rosenberg

Designer: Carlos Lao

Editors: Kaeden McGahey, Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Recap Art: Mark Bagley

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 20, 2024

 

The Mole Man is bringing the New York Underground to meet their surface-dwelling family. Kaine wants his brother to help him with this Monster Mash, but Chasm wants to exterminate an Eternal. Can the spider-brothers and Hallows' Eve resolve their differences and work together to quell the uprising? Let’s slip on a monster mask, leap into Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #4, and find out!

 

Story

Moloids, Vermin, and monsters are trashing Queens. Kaine wants Chasm and Hallows’ Eve to help him drive them underground. But Ben is tired of people messing with his mind. Druig’s psychic touch left his brain itching. As Ben uses it like a locator beacon, Janine masks up and clears his path. But when the monsters increase in size, Ben heads off to the sewers, leaving Janine to face the music.

 

Druig has lost interest in the chaos he created. As Ben seeks a rematch, the Eternal helps his puppet take down his tormentor. But it's all another mind game in Chasm: Curse of Kaine #4.

 

Kaine wants a heart-to-heart with his clone-brother. After shaking off Druig’s control, Ben isn’t interested in singing Kumbaya with Kaine. Despite Ben’s claim to make a fresh start, he still grasps for anything resembling a win. And while love may conquer all, Janine doesn't encourage Ben’s better instincts. Hallows’ Eve tempts Ben into fun diversions that can't lead to lasting fulfillment. Still, Kaine does his bit for his brother in Chasm: Curse of Kaine #4, even if Madame Web thinks he’s wasting his time.

 

While Chasm emulates his creator and Kaine evokes Jackal’s late brother, Druig is the real Chasm in Steve Foxe’s story. An endless life and superpowers mean Druig doesn’t need to work for anything. Without death hanging over him, events lose significance, and memories fade. At least Druig wants to remind people that shoving their problems out of sight isn’t ideal. Having been around since Humanity’s hunter-gatherer phase, Druig knows it is easier to cast out those who don’t belong or prove difficult to help than solve the problems that lead to crime and mental illness.

 

Art

While Andrea Broccardo evokes an iconic Kirby cover, Kaine adopts Arachnobatix mode as he elbows aside Moloids and somersaults over a raging Freakazoid. Hallows' Eve mauls Vermin and snarls at Humans in her Black Panther mask. Chasm wields a psychoactive goo axe and fwips away monsters while Freakazoid smashes a dumpster like a spoon. But Chasm and Hallows’ Eve don’t look at each other until Ben smiles. Then they kiss while people die in Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #4.

 

Tan Moloids and brown Vermin evoke the ground from which they sprang, while red splashes from Hallows’ Eve’s claws match the color of the Vermin’s eyes. Kaine's red suit, Hallows' Eve's hair, and the Freakazoid's scarlet skin underline their monstrous heritage. Orange fire burns from Druig’s eyes while Chasm’s burn bluish white. Yellow, orange, and red galaxies erupt from the Eternal’s hands as Brian Reber’s bluish-white psychoactive goo springs from Chasm's hands.

 

Amid Andrea Broccardo’s rampaging action and Brian Reber's vibrant coloring, Joe Caramagna thwips black uppercase lettering into white dialogue balloons in Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #4. Words grow bold for emphasis, swell or change color for volume, and rarely shrink, while the Scarlet Spider shares his thoughts as white letters in red narrative boxes. Colorful and transparent sound effects help us hear a Black Panther roar, Chasm hew his axe into Kaine’s chest, and a monster squelch a rampant threat. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Druig spurs the disenfranchised to insurrection, Chasm gets kissy and corny, Kaine tries to be his brother's keeper, and Hallows' Eve goes killer kaiju in Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #4.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #3 Review

 

Writer: Steve Foxe

Artist: Andrea Broccardo

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Mark Bagley & Dean White; Alessandro Cappuccio & Rachelle Rosenberg

Designer: Carlos Lao

Editors: Kaeden McGahey, Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Recap Art: Mark Bagley

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 30, 2024

 

Kaine heard his clone-brother was walking a darker path. Perhaps he is the Scarlet Spider now, and Ben is Chasm. Still, Kaine wants to help imbue Ben’s life with more meaning than robbing rich kids and frightening the criminally insane. Then Kaine learns Ben is making monsters out of dead people. Worse, his brother isn’t making quips or puns as he emulates Victor Frankenstein. What would Gene Wilder think? More to the point: can Kaine free Ben from Druig's influence and arrest his downward spiral into villainy? Let’s refill our psychoactive goo guns, leap into Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #3, and find out!

 

Story

After Druig halts Janine's psychic ramble through Ben's mind, Mole Man's Moloids carry the unconscious lovers away. Janine awakens in the sewers, and Druig doesn't want to relinquish another prize. So the Eternal sends Ben to reclaim another plaything, but Janine evades his grasp with a ghost mask. When Kaine finds her, Janine assumes the Scarlet Spider is involved with whoever was messing with Ben's mind. Then Ben finds them and launches another psychoactive goofest.

 

Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #3 ponders who is best qualified to help Ben. Both the Goblin Queen and the Queen Goblin promised to ease his troubled mind. Janine can offer Ben nothing more than diversions from his angst. Ben's actions have isolated him from many of the superhero community who could help him. Could a conventional therapist without the words Goblin or Queen in their name help Ben? Or should Chasm be imprisoned in the cell next to Doppelganger?

 

While Kaine ponders if his connection to Ben can help his brother, the Mole Man is grabbing his opportunity to become more than an Eternal's footstool. As Druig plays games with Ben's mind, he inspires Mole Man to rise above his subterranean existence and overthrow the world above. Druig enjoys watching people like the Mole Man pursue their pathetic schemes as much as Rocket Raccoon enjoys seeing Taserface depose Yondu and declare he will help the Ravagers rise again to glory. But in Steve Foxe's story, all these diversions leave Druig as unfulfilled as a life of crime with Janine would leave Ben. Like frightening Doppelganger with a werewolf mask, all this activity is just meaningless fun and doesn't address the fact that Druig has all the time in the world and nothing to fill it with.

 

 

 

Art

As Chasm pursues Hallows' Eve through the sewers, her eyes glow yellow, and Ben's eyes burn white. Hallows' Eve slips on a mask and fades away like Miles Morales. Then she phases through brickwork like Kitty Pryde. As Ben rips off his mask, tears stream down his face, and the building blocks of reality swirl around Druig’s glowing red eyes. Then Druig descends a revolving staircase and walks through an array of spider people like a Psi Corps officer walking through Commander Jeffrey Sinclair's mind. While Taskmaster projects imagery to make Deadpool smile in Deadpool #4, Druig does so to make Ben more miserable in Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #3.

 

Brian Reber lavishes a loaded palette on Andrea Broccardo’s art, coloring sewer scenes in green, purple, and blue. Red dominates Druig’s mental landscape. Yet he wears green, like the Mole Man and the Vermin he views as beneath him. Janine’s red hair and Kane’s red suit link those most concerned with Ben’s mental health, while red drops falling from Kaine’s right arm reveal the lengths he will endure to be his brother’s keeper.

 

Joe Caramagna thwips black uppercase lettering into white dialogue balloons in Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #3. Words grow bold for emphasis, swell or change color for volume, and rarely shrink. The font emulates hand printing, and the balloons get cloudy when Janine decides to change tactics. Colorful and transparent sound effects help us hear Chasm attack, the brothers deploy their webs, and a monstrous attack on the surface world. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

As Kaine attempts to help his brother, Druig empowers people to pursue their greatest desires. Despite his claims about others, the Eternal reveals that he is the pathetic one in Chasm: Curse Of Kaine #3. Not only because Druig lacks fulfillment but also because he attacks people with lesser power instead of pursuing his grievances with his fellow Eternals.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.