They’ve got more in common than just a web-headed ex. But can they put their differences aside long enough to literally escape from hell? Your Major Spoilers review of Mary Jane and Black Cat #5 from Marvel Comics awaits!
MARY JANE AND BLA
CK CAT #5
Writer: Jed MacKay
Artist: Vincenzo Carratu
Colorist: Brian Reber
Letterer: VC’s Ariana Maher
Editor: Devin Lewis
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 26, 2023
Previously in Mary Jane and Black Cat: Trapped in limbo, MJ and Felicia have struck a deal with Belasco, the former ruler, for safe passage home if they can fetch his lost Soulsword. After briefly allying with the demon S’ym, they discovered that whoever touched the sword would be bonded to it, forcing Belasco to murder her to take it back. Black Cat was prepared to sacrifice herself, but Mary Jane came up with a plan that will get them both home safely… if it works.
THE LADY OR THE TIGER BLACK CAT?
As they return to Castle Belasco, Mary Jane and the Black Cat confront the evil ruler of the realm, who is impressed that they’ve survived their quest. Black Cat scoffs at his doubts, sneering that they faked an alliance with S’ym, then left the demon to die in their place. When the demon questions which of them has his sword, they confront him with the truth: They know that he set them up, and if he wants to know which of them has the sword, he’s going to have to make a guess. “Are you a gambling man?”, asks Mary Jane, forcing Belasco to make his guess.
He’s wrong. But that’s when the story starts getting murdery, then double-crossy, then even more murdery, then TRIPLE-crossy!
UNEXPECTEDLY FUN STUFF
Having not been paying attention, I hadn’t realized that Mary Jane Watson had gained her own super-powers, a slot machine-themed variation on the titular dial of Dial H For Hero. As a concept, it bugs me, but seeing how it was executed here, I kind of enjoyed it. Black Cat’s ruse plays against her years of playing the hero-to-villain game, which makes it totally believable when she seems to have sacrificed one ally and tricked another, setting up for the big reveal, and it’s actually pretty clever. The art is fine for most of the issue, though Carratu has a tendency to draw faces that look misshapen or melty. That’s fine when you’re dealing with demons, but the final page reunion of Mary Jane and her family looks utterly bizarre. I’m not sure about our heroes’ proportions throughout the issue, either, while all of Mary Jane’s super-transformations are just boring naked-women-glowing-with-energy.
BOTTOM LINE: INESSENTIAL, BUT ENTERTAINING
Even if you’re not happy with the status quo in the Spider-titles, Mary Jane and Black Cat #5 makes for an interesting ending to a story that literally no one asked for, throwing in one clever twist along with inconsistent art that wraps up to 3 out of 5 stars overall. I’m hoping that the new status quo in Limbo goes somewhere, but even if it doesn’t, MJ and Felicia have a brunch and mimosas to look forward to.
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MARY JANE AND BLACK CAT #5
If you accept the premise that gives MJ powers, this one is a nice buddy cop story that ends on a lovely note of black humor and creates a relationship separate of Peter Parker for Ms. Watson and Ms. Hardy.
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Writing6
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Art6
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Coloring6
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.