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Spider-Man vs. The Black Cat, Vol. 1 Paperback – January 1, 2005

5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

Acrobatic adventures by some of yesteryear's top names! Is she heroine, criminal, or both? What motivates her madcap mischief? That's for the Black Cat to know and Spider-Man to find out in his first fights with one his most famous femme fatales! Only available in North America. Collects the first six appearances of the Black Cat from Amazing Spider-Man #194, 195, 204, 205, 226, and 227.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...some of the best Spider-Man stories out there. The first two parts are brought to you by Wolfman and Pollard, while the 3rd is brought to you by the classic Stern and Romita Jr." -- comicsbackissues.com

"[Roger Stern's] work with the Black Cat in
Amazing Spider-Man turned her from a Catwoman wanna-be into a fan-favorite." -- Ethan Kalett

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Marvel Enterprises (January 1, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0785115595
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0785115595
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 4 - 6
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.25 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2016
Black Cat is by far the best love interest and female character in Spider-Man's supporting cast. This was a very enjoyable book which includes her first appearances.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2014
I was given a book of the felicia hardy appearances instead of only the first comic with her and it is amazing.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2013
this is a great comic for any spidey fan who loves spidey's feline rival. this comic covers all of black cat's first appearances in the spidey universe
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2016
This was a gift for a friend.
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2014
While patrolling the city on one of his web-slinging sessions, a pretty girl swinging through the neighborhood herself causes Spider-man's danger sense to go off. Curious as to how come she set it off, as well as being extremely attractive. Spider-man follows her to a gun transaction. A battle begins and the girl reveals herself as the Black Cat. She escapes the battle, but Spider-man soon figures out her plan and decides on stopping her, no matter how interested he is in her. -summary

Spider-man has always been one of the more interesting characters in comics. He acquired his powers during his teens and took up a crime fighting career as a solo superhero, during the time when all teenage heroes were nothing more than mere sidekicks. He was forced to teach himself the ropes through trial and error. His rogues gallery was another interesting aspect, that boasts the most versatile line up in comics for a single superhero. Power wise, Spider-man has fought against everyone. However, the women involved in Spider-man's life is nothing to ignore. Before his marriage to Mary-Jane Watson, he knew tragedy with the death of Gwen Stacy, and he's just plain had his ups and downs with women. But never before did he encounter a would-be criminal who captured his heart from the very beginning. This woman named the Black Cat had ensnared Spider-man's soul, and used this to her favor several times. This graphic novel tells their first encounter presenting the first appearance of the Black Cat, along with each of their earliest encounters.

Spider-man vs. Black Cat collects The Amazing Spider-man issues 194 -195, 204-205, and 226-227. The stories are written by Marv Wolfman, David Michelinie, and Roger Stern. The stories are very fun to read, and along with their budding relationship, the Black cat is very well developed. She has some amazing physical abilities that are on the level of the best gymnast. But her crafty personality seems to be her best weapon as she outwits Spider-man constantly. I enjoy the storytelling here, with the way Spider-man's emotions are played with, which sets up his losses against her. I thought it was a great move going for his heart, since there's no physical way Black Cat should beat him. Spider-man even mentions how much easier it would be to take her down if she was short, fat, and ugly.

The first two stories focuses on the Cat putting together a gang to break someone out of prison. The later stories see her carrying on the family legacy as a cat burglar. And finally, she actually considers going straight because she's actually fallen for Spider-man. He isn't left out the equation, since he deals with all his other personal problems that have nothing to do with superheroing. But the most interesting part is with the internal debate; should he help her go straight or should he bring her in? This plays a big role in his performance against her.

The action is pretty good here, but don't come into this expecting high octane battles. There's this playful little feud going on between the two, and it kept me interested. There are also several shoot outs as they mix it up with the mafia. The artwork by Keith Pollard, Pablo Marcos, and John Romita Jr. have this dated look to them a little, and the female characters like the Cat and even Jean Dewolfe aren't exactly bursting with that over the top sex appeal. Still, I can't consider it to be bad. The book is also easy to read since the panels and dialogue bubbles are well placed. In the end of the book is a complete bio on the Black Cat.

The problem with this book happens to be the usual problem with all books of this manner. There are subplots and future storylines being developed, and they're all left wide open since this particular book is following a specific tale. There's a new development concerning Aunt May, that helps set up the Spider-man milestone, Return of the Burglar, which is left completely open and that's a shame too. For those who don't know, this story features the man who killed Spider-man's uncle Ben. I really wish these publishers would add these important arcs instead of just sticking to one thing.

Overall, Spider-man vs. Black Cat is a good read, and if you're a fan of both characters then even better. However, I wouldn't recommend this to those searching for some serious action, like you would find in the pages of The Birth of Venom, or even Hobgoblin Lives. This is just one of those fun light-hearted tales. The book is 123 pages.

Pros: Characters and stories

Cons: Major storylines not included, may not appeal to serious action fan
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Top reviews from other countries

Chris Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a MUST BUY for Spidey fans!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2014
This book collects the first appearances of the Black Cat and it also introduces for the first time, their intriguing and complicated relationship which still continues in todays Spider-man stories! Both an important and interesting read, as I've said in the title! Definitely a MUST BUY!