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. 

New Champions #6 Review

 

Writer: Steve Foxe

Artist: Ruairí Coleman

Colorist: Arthur Hesli

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Gleb Melnikov & Arthur Hesli; Edwin Galmon & Andrew Dalhouse; Meghan Hetrick

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Sidney Stubbs, Alanna Smith & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: June 11, 2025

 

While Hellrune tries to reclaim her family’s magical heritage, Amaranth wields magic on behalf of the team. The Scarlet Witch’s former apprentice suggests they would be more effective if everyone had a basic understanding of magic. While showing them how to view potential threats, the team sees Monte fighting a Human-sized frog. Fantasma transports them to Monte’s aid, and Amaranth bespells the amphibian aggressor.

 

After Cadet Marvel demonstrates that magic is only one solution to any problem, the kids notice Liberty and Monte have vanished. Can the team find their team leader and the street magician? Let's hitch a ride with Fantasma through a Hell Portal, leap into New Champions #6, and find out!

 

Story

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is recognize you need help. In Liberty's absence, Cadet Marvel emails the Avengers. Still, he's surprised when Captain Marvel appears. Carol Danvers knew his mother from when they served together in Alpha Flight. She agrees to help the young man who pays her homage by protecting San Francisco.

 

But in New Champions #6, it's the Avengers who honor Liberty by convening in her parents' house. As they learn about this young lady who builds Hard Light devices and vehicles, the Avengers comfort her worried parents. Without Monte and Magnetrix manipulating their emotions, the New Champions get on better with the Avengers than with Nova, Ms Marvel, and the more established Champions team. But they realize they need to be prepared for a battle, as Monte has used magic to shield Liberty's distinctive energy signature.

 

When the Scarlet Witch and Amaranth transport the Avengers and New Champions to New York, they discover Magnetrix draining Liberty of her energy. With Monte questioning her actions, Magnetrix secures help to prevent the heroes from disrupting her plans. As with Jeph Loeb's Nova series, Steve Foxe's story lets the New Champions work with and measure themselves against their heroes. Most of the Avengers are happy to pay it forward and help fight Monte and Magnetrix. But, like Spider-Man mentoring Spider-Boy, one adult hero worries about how power can transform our character in New Champions #6.

 

 

 

Art

Cadet Marvel evokes a young Steve Rogers dressed in a red T-shirt, blue pants, and a brown leather jacket. Like him, Captain Marvel brings flowers to his mother's grave. But she wears her uniform. Her scowl suggests her displeasure at adopting her name without permission. Inside a graffiti-adorned building, Liberty strains at the magic binding her to Magnetrix’s adjustable office chair. The silhouette behind Monte, suggestive of his shadow, hints at his concerns over authenticity in New Champions #6.

 

Ruairí Coleman shows the heroes and villains preparing for their battle with separate double-page horizontal layouts. Arthur Hesli also suggests similarities by coloring Scarlet Witch and Amaranth's magic the same pink and purple as Magnetrix’s uniform. When Monte's master summons a purplish-white orb, the yellow, pink, and white lights fade from the skyline. Thankfully, white stars still shine in the blue sky, and no vampires fill the streets of New York. 

 

Travis Lanham conjures uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons. The letters grow bold for inflection, swell for volume, and rarely shrink. Iron Man and Vision both utilize yellow balloons, while white letters in blue balloons deliver Fantasma’s dialogue. Larger lowercase white letters with red borders locate us in time and space. Sound effects accompany Storm’s displeasure and Magnetrix emulating Palpatine. The draftee to the “Brotherhood of Disgruntled Hydra Agents” delivers a series of noisy attacks, while a low buzzing signals a cry for help in New Champions #6. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

When you realize people have taken advantage of you, it changes you. Like Moon Squire, Liberty uses the power Hydra gave her to help and support others. Other team members with less supportive families have struggled with their commitment to protect and serve their communities. In New Champions #6, Liberty gains insight into why Magnetrix chose to walk a different path.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

New Champions #4 Review

 

Writer: Steve Foxe

Artist: Ivan Fiorelli

Colorist: Arthur Hesli

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Gleb Melnikov & Arthur Hesli; Pablo Villalobos; Rian Gonzales

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Sidney Stubbs, Alanna Smith & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 23, 2025

 

Like the other New Champions, Hydra brainwashed Hellrune. Liberty, Moon Squire, and Cadet Marvel returned to their families thanks to Spider-Woman. Sadly, Hellrune sank back into the foster system. So, when her magical birds located her aunt on a Norwegian island, Hellrune remained with Veleda instead of returning to San Francisco with the New Champions.

 

The remaining New Champions were saddened to lose their friend. Fantasma, Amaranth, and Gold Tiger can’t replace Hellrune, but they seem viable recruits. So, when Gold Tiger sends an SOS, Liberty answers the call. But it will take time for Liberty and her teammates to travel to Los Angeles. Can anyone reach Gold Tiger first? Let’s hitch a ride on Liberty’s “flying saucer,” leap into New Champions #4, and find out!

 

Story

Like many runaways, Gold Tiger walks the streets of Los Angeles. When the Wakandan kid enters the pawn shop, Discount Don is about to close for the night. Her offer of a gold brick for American currency intrigues him. But Gold Tiger backs away when Discount Don wants to check its authenticity. She offers to let him keep it gratis. Outside, she discovers that the Sons of the Serpent have already answered Discount Don's text. Thankfully, Gold Tiger has the Hard Light communicator Liberty gave her on the Viking zombie island.

 

In New Champions #4, Fantasma comes to Gold Tiger’s aid. But LA's roller derby hero is displeased with the impromptu rescue. Hellrune's spell accidentally drew Fantasma into a battle with Viking zombies. Monte and Magnetrix have painted targets on Liberty, Cadet Marvel, and Moon Squire's backs. Now, Gold Tiger has adversaries who hunt her. Fantasma wants to know more about who she may be risking her life alongside.

 

In Steve Foxe's story, Fantasma is more interested in interviewing her potential teammates than sharing personal details. While Liberty acts as team leader and hosts an orientation in her family's garage, Moon Squire is the glue that binds the team. He makes others comfortable by showing wisdom and compassion in New Champions #4. 

 

 

 

Art

Liberty dines with her parents beneath globe droplights, a flower vase, and a fruit bowl in her modern, two-story home. Moon Squire sits on the floor while Cadet Marvel reclines on his daybed. Amaranth travels alongside the Scarlet Witch through the surreal shapes of another dimension. Fantasma breaks away from her roller derby team to take Liberty's call. While Gold Tiger walks the streets alone, Ivan Fiorelli portrays the other New Champions in their homes and with the people supporting them.

 

Arthur Hesli paints Gold Tiger in red, turquoise, and gold, evoking her colorful homeland. The Sons of the Serpent wear green uniforms reminiscent of the organization that brainwashed Liberty, Moon Squire, and Cadet Marvel. Gold Tiger's claws rip lines of blue-white energy through the air, linking her with Fantasma's Ghost Rider power and Liberty's hard light energy, wings, and inventions. Soft greens and blues often fill the interiors of the richly colored New Champions #4. Gold shines from illuminated windows, Cadet Marvel's visor and lightning bolt, and the burnished beast emblematic of Gold Tiger's power.

 

Travis Lanham conjures uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons. The letters grow bold for inflection, swell for volume, and never shrink. White letters in red narrative boxes introduce our heroes, and white letters in blue balloons portray Fantasma’s dialogue. Larger lowercase white letters with red borders locate us in time and space, while music notes highlight Gold Tiger's love of music. Sound effects help us hear slashing claws, clunking gold bricks, and the lash of Fantasma's chain on flesh in New Champions #4. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Hydra made Moon Squire, Cadet Marvel, and Liberty household names. Moon Squire's large family provides emotional support to deal with being a public figure. In New Champions #4, the team's charter members realize that, like Hellrune, their recruits may have fewer supportive people. The teammates need to know each other sufficiently to work effectively together. But Amaranth, Gold Tiger, and Fantasma should have the option of keeping as much of their identities secret as they wish, not only from the team but also from Joe Public.

 

Still, Gold Tiger seeks connection. Her story overflows with mysteries that the Wakandan has yet to understand. Like her new teammate Amaranth, Gold Tiger wields immense power. Others hunger to harness her uniqueness. And not everyone who wants to study Gold Tiger is as ethical as the scientists in Wakanda.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

New Champions #1 Review

 

Writer: Steve Foxe

Artist: Ivan Fiorelli & Ig Guara

Colorist: Arthur Hesli

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Gleb Melnikov & Edgar Delgado; Federico Vicentini & Matt Milla; Luciano Vecchio; Rose Besch; Stanley “Artgerm” Lau; Peach Momoko; Paco Medina & Jesus Aburtov; Nicoletta Baldari

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: MR Daniel, Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Alanna Smith & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 8, 2025

 

Hydra captured them. Kondrati Topolov, aka Gremlin, brainwashed them (and made their families forget them). The young heroes worked for Echidna and followed Titan's commands until screamy Angar unlocked memories of Hydra’s conditioning. Nick Fury helped them reunite with their families (well, most of them). But who are the newest superheroes protecting San Francisco? Let’s hitch a ride on Max Zorin’s blimp, leap into New Champions #1, and find out!

 

Story

The Brothers Grimm collected folktales about extraordinary children. But when the New Champions interrupt their hovering heist, the skull-faced villains who took their name feel embarrassed to be captured by children. Liberty is ecstatic at her friends’ teamwork. Cadet Marvel objects to such parental praise in public, and Moon Squire reminds her that his parents expect him home at dinnertime. But the young heroes are tired of taking the bus for their superhero patrols, so Hellrune teleports them home.

 

 

 

Echidna's marketing team crafted an origin story for their new corporate superhero team. Some of it was false. But while Nick Fury reunited Moon Squire, Liberty, and Cadet Marvel with their parents, Echidna’s story about Hellrune living in an orphanage seems based on fact. Hellrune should be traumatized by her Hydra experiences. Yet what bothers her more in New Champions #1 is the magic she wields.

 

 

 

Are we products of our biology or our environment? Superheroes are no different from the rest of us. In Steve Foxe's story, Cadet Marvel, Liberty, and Moon Squire benefit from their parents and sibling's influence. But Hellrune has nothing to call her own except her magic. Unlike Jaren, Miranda, and Emilio, "Runie" doesn't even know her given name. So, while living with her foster parents, Hellrune uses magic to find her biological parents. She needs to learn what makes her tick and why her family abandoned her.

 

 

 

Art

While Moon Squire enlivens in white cloth and a black mask, Cadet Marvel rocks with a yellow lightning bolt emblem and yellow goggles. Clad in Captain America attire, Liberty flies with her Wasp-like, hard-light wings. Hellrune displays Iron Age fantasy adventurer appeal with her greaves, rondels, and fur cape. But her unique lantern-like spear separates her from the rest of humanity.

 

 

 

Magic flows from Hellrune’s spear in bands of rainbow light. While Arthur Hesli lavishes a loaded palette of vivid colors on Ivan Fiorelli and Ig Guara’s art in New Champions #1, intense blue-white light unifies our heroes. Hellrune wields this from her spear and conjures glowing symbols and runes. The same intense energy surrounds her when she teleports. 

 

 

 

Liberty gathers her friends Moon Squire and Cadet Marvel with a blue light vehicle, while newcomer Fantasma crackles with blue-white energy as she roller-skates into their lives. Perhaps most intriguing are Hellrune’s blue-white ravens. Do her scouts foretell destruction, as they did for Spider-Gwen on Earth-65? 

 

 

 

Travis Lanham conjures uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons. The letters grow bold for inflection, swell for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. White letters in red narrative boxes introduce readers to our heroes, while black letters in colored boxes reveal texting. The cawing of ravens accompanies the cracking and booming of Hellrune’s magic, while a giant crashing toward the friends brings along another young hero in New Champions #1. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

After her friends hit the jackpot with loving families, Hellrune grows desperate. She risks using magic she doesn't understand in a quest for her biological family. But when her hoped-for reunion becomes mayhem in the marsh, the first people Hellrune calls are her found family. New Champions #1 is a quest for identity and a reminder that learning the truth about our past may not always be pleasant.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.