In recent months, master thief Felicia Hardy has stolen from Dr. Strange, the Fantastic Four and more. She’s in for a bit of a surprise when she goes off to her latest assignment. The identity of the “Mr. Patch” who she’s attempting to steal from is only the first complication that Hardy runs into in the ninth issue of Black Cat. Writer Jed MacKay continues to weave a really compelling serial for Marvel’s foremost thief in an issue cleverly drawn by Kris Anka. Color is brought to the page by Brian Reber. The first part of MacKay’s “Sleight of Hand” casts Black Cat’s latest adventure in an entertaining direction.

Black Cat has upset at least one person with a great deal of power in New York. Naturally, she’s going to need to lay low for a little while. For Black Cat, that means going to the most totally evil place on Earth in the Marvel Universe: the sinister nation of Madripoor. Her mento has her looking for a painting by a mad, old Italian named Orlando. Tracking down the art means running into Madripoor’s most prominent figure: a little pointy semi-immortal Canadian guy named Patch who owned the painting until it was stolen from him. Now Black Cat is going to help Patch get his claws back into his stolen goods.

Madripoor feels very much like a natural habitat for Black Cat. Running into Logan is going to happen, given MacKay’s penchant for tossing Felicia into crossovers with prominent characters. The central plot doesn’t have too many surprises. It might feel a bit tired were it not for MacKay’s wit. There’s exceptionally hip cleverness pointing out of every angle of the issue. It’s all smart from the sharp, little cameos in the search for Mr. Patch to the certain stylishness of the meeting with the little Canadian to a couple of mutants walking into a casino. MacKay’s corner of the Marvel Universe continues to be a very, very cool place to hang out in the shadow of sexy super-thief. 

Anka delivers the beauty of Felicia’s total confidence in the face of adversity. He captures AND amplifies her alluring roguishness in an issue where she manages to look that much more heroic than one of Marvel’s single most popular characters. That he’s able to do so without her looking anything other than casual and natural speaks to a stylishness that is perfectly in line with the Black Cat herself. Reber’s colors cast subtle depth into the story. The radiance of a flashlight casts mystery into a darkened secret room. A trip to the cinema seems casually atmospheric with smart, little touches of color. The purples and tans in the swank lair of a young crime lord are punctuated by the warmth of a distant fire. This is high-end Madripoor, and Reber is giving it a very clean aura. 

The first issue in a two-issue crossover with Logan will continue the next installment. In a chapter that is likely to explode into action. Which is certain to show once again that Logan IS the best he is at what he does. With MacKay’s appealing approach to Black Cat, it should make for one of the more memorable team-ups of the series.

Grade: A