In the pages of “The Amazing Spider-Man” Marvel comics shifted gears by introducing the ‘Dark Web’ crossover event. This event saw X-Men villain Madelyne Pryor team up with Spider-Man villain Ben Reilly to launch a demonic assault of Limbo in New York City. The assault on New York city impacts a vast number of characters including former and current Spider-Man love interests Felicia Hardy and Mary Jane. As a favor to Peter, Felicia promised to save Mary Jane. When Felicia tracked down Mary Jane, she discovered a big surprise that set the stage for the new series. However, at the end of “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #1 the duo ended up in a precarious situation. Will Hardy and Jane be able to escape ‘Dark Web’ unscathed?
Cover by J. Scott CampbellWritten by Jed MacKay
Illustrated by Vincenzo Carratu
Inked by Andrew Currie
Colored by Brian Reber
Lettered by VC’s Ariana MaherMary Jane Watson and Felicia Hardy are trapped in Limbo and at the mercy of BELASCO THE SWORDSMAN! As if that wasn’t BAD ENOUGH, they’re also keeping SECRETS from one another! Somehow, MJ’s got powers and there’s a new (old) man in Felicia’s life-and if they don’t come clean with one another, they could be stuck in Limbo FOREVER!
The ‘Dark Web’ storyline has a great sense of humor that is punctuated with the dimension of Limbo as well as Marvel’s original ‘Inferno’ crossover event. “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2 writer Jed MacKay seems to capture these elements immediately in “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2 thanks to the irreverent dialogue introducing the status quo and series to readers. MacKay has written so much great internal dialogue for Felicia and it’s great to see the emphasis on this element of the story continue. The irreverent nature and exploration into Limbo will pair incredibly nicely with Marvel’s recently released “Dark Web: X-Men” and recent “The Amazing Spider-Man” comic book issues.
Artist Vincenzo Carratu captures the tone of Jed MacKay’s script perfectly in this issue. Carratu’s art has a serious, yet irreverent and curvy line that gets great facial expressions from the characters. Carratu’s depiction of The Screaming Tower is a great piece of the issue that fleshed out Limbo on an even deeper level. At times the visual background of the issue can be a little sparse. While Limbo is a hellish dimension, I still would have liked additional details in the background of settings on several sequences in the issue. I love the precision that Carratu renders Felicia and Mary with. I can tell from anatomy of the character to discern which hero is which.
MacKay introduces the premise behind “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2 incredibly well. MacKay takes his time getting readers drawn into the pages of the story and setting up a brawl with a depiction of the visual elements from Carratu. Another element of the series that MacKay keeps intact from previous issues is the nature of Felicia and Mary’s relationship. Felicia still is not ready to open up to Mary and I enjoy how she is taking her time to trust in the relationship with Mary.
Another impressive aspect of “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2 is how closely Jed MacKay appears to be working with “The Amazing Spider-Man” writer Zeb Wells and Marvel’s editorial to craft the narrative. There are editor’s notes introducing the issues readers need to go back and check out. Mary Jane also references the mysterious missing time element that Wells has not yet revealed in the pages of Spider-Man. If you are reading Marvel’s ‘Dark Web’ comic book event closely, you will be rewarded in “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2.
Another positive element of “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2 is how much dedication the creative team and Marvel’s editorial has in introducing various characters returning from Limbo. If you are familiar with Magik’s early supporting cast or even Marvel’s previous “Inferno” storyline, there are a couple of incredibly specific faces that you are going to be happy to see towards the end of this chapter.
If you consider all the ways that Marvel could have launched a series about Black Cat and Mary Jane, most of the examples seem uninspired. However, thanks to the fascinating dimension of Limbo and the close attention to the plotting, “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2 feels inspired. I love how “Mary Jane and Black Cat” has an incredibly dark aesthetic thanks to the dimension of Limbo influencing the story. If you take another step back and examine that this is the next chapter of MacKay’s larger run with Black Cat this issue is also impressive. Despite the fact that Felicia and Mary are both protagonists in the series, the story feels like the next piece of natural progression for the characters.
If you take another step back and look how how “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2 ‘Dark Web,’ the issue fleshes out a key part of Spider-Man’s supporting cast with his current and former love interest. “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2 might seem simple, but any simplistic view of this series would oversimplify the compelling script from Jed MacKay and lavish art from Vincenzo Carratu. “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2 is a great way to tell a darker story with key characters from Marvel’s supporting cast. “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2 also does a great job expanding the Dark Web comic book event and continuing the long run that Jed MacKay has told with Felicia.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – “Mary Jane and Black Cat” #2 is a great issue that adds so much context to Black Cat and Dark Web!
