Review - Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 8: Cats & Kings

After being exposed in the press as a murderer, Wilson Fisk has returned to New York City to rehabilitate his image. Though he’s managed to manipulate the public into believing his innocence, Spider-Man knows the truth and is infuriated by how thoroughly Fisk has managed to manipulate the situation. Meanwhile, a mysterious thief known as the Black Cat has stolen an artifact that Fisk is eager to acquire. A determined Fisk sends the assassin Elektra after her to get it back. Naturally, Spider-Man gets caught in the crosshairs of this conflict.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 8: Cats & Kings collects Ultimate Spider-Man #47-53, written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Mark Bagley.

As a fan of both Black Cat and Elektra, this arc was incredibly enjoyable for me. It begins with the return of Wilson Fisk, which slowly results in an unravelling of Peter Parker’s life. Peter is fired for questioning J. Jonah Jameson’s editorial decisions, suspended for acting up in class due to his frustration over Wilson Fisk’s public image rehabilitation, and is torn away from Mary Jane after her father insists the pair stop seeing one another. Amidst this drama, Black Cat enters Peter’s life and briefly provides him with a refuge away from reality via flirtation that leads to a rooftop “date.” Black Cat is a frenetic character who drastically changes the pace and dynamic of the series. The action sequences and choreography of the character are brilliant. Elektra, despite appearing later on in the arc, provides a similar kind of energy. Both women are action-oriented and aren’t the usual type of foes Spider-Man typically comes across in this series. They’re not megalomaniacal supervillains or bumbling henchmen, they’re well-trained and highly-skilled combatants. It’s very refreshing. Their motivations are also kept quite simple as well. Black Cat seeks to mess with Wilson Fisk’s plans as revenge for his past misdeeds against her father, while Elektra is purely a sai-for-hire. Though neither is given as much character development as I’d like, there’s just enough to leave me satisfied with their portrayals. (Although, Elektra is drastically different than she was in Ultimate Daredevil &Elektra – so what changed for her?)

One of the things that I found absolutely riveting about Cats & Kings was the underlining theme of how wealth and influence can allow someone to get away with murder – even when the proof is practically irrefutable. In Wilson Fisk’s case, he’d been caught on tape killing someone. Through the use of his lawyers and money, he’s managed to manipulate things so that people believe the events on the tape are doctored. This sends Peter into a tailspin as he cannot understand how this could possibly be a reality. He knows Fisk is a murderer and is deeply troubled by how the adults around him don’t want to engage in discourse about the grave injustice that has happened. Seeing Peter pushed to the edge over something with some weight to it is really fascinating. Thus far, Peter has been prone to fits of melodrama and is often most concerned with his personal life. Peter’s questioning of everything brings a lot of dramatic tension to the narrative, especially since it results in pretty heavy consequences for him (i.e. losing his job, being suspended from school). It sets up a very clear contrast – Fisk, a murderer, walks free while Peter, an innocent, is punished for simply asking uncomfortable questions.

Bagley’s work in this particular arc is especially impressive. There are a lot of wordless sequences, particularly those involving Black Cat. Her introductory scene features her breaking into a building and stealing an artifact. It’s largely devoid of dialogue and it allows Bagley to truly tell the story. It’s really creative and well-drawn. Something similar happens later on when Black Cat and Elektra duke it out. Generally speaking, action sequences in this series are given a lot of dialogue via banter and one-liners. Here, we get the two women fighting one another without saying a word. It’s more intense and leaves the reader with the impression that they’re both incredibly skilled fighters. Beyond these sequences, it is worth mentioning once more that Bagley continues to excel with reaction shots. We get a lot of high emotions and tension in this arc, so Bagley really stretches his muscles here. Since this arc introduces Black Cat into the Ultimate Universe, this means that she gets a redesign to go along with it. I quite like her mask and the accessories she’s given, such as the belt and the white-trimmed gloves, but the suit itself is problematic. The sheer amount of cleavage she’s got going on is wildly unrealistic and takes away from what would otherwise be a really chic, functional look.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 8: Cats & Kings is a great return to form for Bendis and Bagley. After a handful of lacklustre issues, this arc has the perfect mix of action and drama that will leave readers hooked. The introduction of Black Cat was handled well and the usage of Elektra was a nice twist. We get a lot of great character moments – including tense exchanges between the Parkers and Mary Jane’s father, a heated argument between J. Jonah Jameson and Peter, and a hilarious phone conversation where Aunt May dresses down J. Jonah Jameson for firing her nephew. With its electric conflicts, memorable action sequences, and exploration of economical privilege, Cats & Kings is one of the better collections from this series.

RATING: A-