Felicia is being hunted by someone who wants her dead. So she decides to have a party. On a boat. She wants to be a target. She gets what she wants in Iron Cat #3. Writer Jed MacKay continues an entertaining dance with the Black Cat and Tony Stark in another issue rendered for the page by artist Pere Pérez and inker Jordi Tarragona Garcia. Color resonates around the page thanks to Frank D'Armata. It’s a cat and mouse game between a couple of cats, an AI, and a millionaire. It’s fun action with just enough depth to keep the reader interested. 

It’s a yacht far from anyone who might be injured. The fact that the party consists of androids that Stark has brought with him is something that will come as a bit of a surprise to Black Cat. The fact that she’s hacked into the system and built an Iron Cat Armor MKII is going to be a bit of a surprise to Stark. The surprises don’t end there, though. Both Iron Cats learned under the same master thief. If there’s one thing that he taught them that’s more important than anything, it’s the fact that the first plan never works. Stark learned this from experience. EVERYONE is bringing something to the conflict that no one else knows about. This could get dangerous.

The plot isn’t terribly deep. MacKay sets up a simple conflict between a hero, a thief who sometimes plays the role of a hero, a villain, and an AI looking for revenge. It’s a fun dynamic that allows for just enough twists of wit to keep it all moving from beginning to end. MacKay’s gift for designing layered action serves the chapter well. The twists in the plot are fun, but there isn’t much here for the reader that isn’t already laid out pretty well in previous issues or...the cover of the current issue. It’s a fun chapter in the current series, but it lacks the impact of MacKay’s best work.

Three people in advanced Iron Man armor...go at it. This kind of conflict has been shown in page and panel...on the big screen and the small screen. It’s really, really difficult to bring this sort of a conflict to the reader in a way that feels fresh or original after decades of battles. Pérez and company do a pretty good job of making the layout seem interesting, but a battle between three people in high-tech combat exoskeletons at sea in a yacht...really should look a lot more compelling than it does on the page in the third issue of this series. 

The action DOES have its moments. There’s a clever fusion between script and art at the beginning of the issue. Black Cat talks about the Sword of Damocles while partying in a cocktail dress with Tony Stark. High above the party, the distinct form of Iron Cat can be seen menacingly speeding at the yacht. There are enough moments like that throughout the issue to keep it interesting.

Grade: B