Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do

Spider-Man/Black Cat: Evil That Men Do #1-6

by Kevin Smith, Terry Dodson (Illustrator)

The mysterious disappearance of an old friend brings Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, to New York in search of answers, and a certain web-slinging ex-lover of hers is following the same trail. How long will it take before they do some... catching up? Collecting Spider-Man/Black Cat #1-6.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Spider Man, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Superheroes

176 pages, Hardcover

First published May 9, 2007

About the author

Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, director, as well as a comic book writer, author, and actor. He is also the co-founder, with Scott Mosier, of View Askew Productions and owner of Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash comic and novelty store in Red Bank, New Jersey. He also hosts a weekly podcast with Scott Mosier known as SModcast. He is also known for participating in long, humorous Q&A Sessions that are often filmed for DVD release, beginning with An Evening with Kevin Smith.

His films are often set in his home state of New Jersey, and while not strictly sequential, they do frequently feature crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon in what is known by fans as the "View Askewniverse", named after his production company View Askew Productions. He has produced numerous films and television projects, including Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good dialogue overall, but hypersexualized. I haven't read much Spider Man and haven't ready anything about Black Cat before, but man--those are some boobs on that woman. I'm surprised she can run.

[Divina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a big review typed up for this, but I accidentally deleted it so now we have NOTHING.
tldr: did not like it.

[Don · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remembered enjoying the first three issues when they came out, but when #4 was more than three years late, I said to hell with it and decided to wait for the trade. Reading the whole story in one go I was surprised to find it's AWFUL. Especially in the latter (three-years-later) half, when it inexplicably and suddenly becomes a book about rape - and one handled very badly at that.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I make my way through the Black Cat stories for my video, I hit up the second mini-series, Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do, written by Kevin Smith. Really love his movies and enjoy his comics, so it was a no-brainer.

This is a dark story, though. It's about a drug lord somehow killing people who don't even realize they're taking deadly drugs. The first half is dark but has a sense of lightness because of Black Cat and Spider-Man's team-up and their off-the-charts chemistry, makes sense since they spent years together in the 80s.

There's tension as they hunt down who's doing this, and awful things happen to families even, but their dynamic together is great. Then things take a sharp and sudden turn by the halfway point, followed by a three-year gap because Kevin Smith fell behind.

But it's still a good second half. There's humor at times, especially with Daredevil and Spider-Man, but the subject matter becomes even darker, focusing on rape. It's definitely not an easy subject as Felicia has to navigate it with someone who was and is involved, making it tough, especially as we eventually dive into her story too. All leading to a satisfying, if bittersweet, ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed it, even if the art change is jarring and the subject matter tough to read. A little long-winded at times doesn't stop this from being a pretty great team-up book. A 3.5 out of 5 raised to a 4 out of 5 for Goodreads.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 6-issue book had a 3 year gap between issues 3 and 4 as Kevin Smith fell way behind on his deadlines for this mini-series. That’s probably why there’s such a marked change of tone between the two halves. The first is about drugs, particularly heroin which ensnared his close friend Jay Mewes for a number of years, while the second is about rape.

Neither are particularly what you would expect from a Spiderman book but I feel those are strengths of the book – it’s not about a large scale alien invasion but about the everyday concerns of life that affects superheroes as well. Don’t get me wrong, there’s the usual superheroes fighting other superheroes in the book but it’s rare to see hard drugs and sexual violence taking centre stage in a mainstream comic, particularly one as popular as Spiderman.

But the change in tone is what makes reading this an uneven read. It feels like an ordinary story of Spidey/Black Cat taking down a crime lord before the break and then suddenly Black Cat is in prison and the story shifts into mostly flashbacks as Black Cat and another character talk about being raped. The book then becomes about a message – if you are a rape victim, talk about it with someone and seek help, etc. It’s a fine message but a strangely contrived one – was this really what Smith set out to write initially: an after-school special featuring your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman and his voluptuous ex Black Cat?

It’s a strange read with some odd plot devices that don’t quite make sense – why was Black Cat busted out of Ryker’s? How does Daredevil know the one person who accessed a web page on a random computer in the prison was Black Cat? Why does everyone just stand around in the same place for 3 issues talking? The endless exposition is really what annoyed me by the end. This isn’t Clerks, Kev, this is Spiderman! That said, it’s not a terrible book just a fairly average one that takes some odd turns in the telling. Kudos to Smith for giving Black Cat depth to her character but fans looking for a fun Spidey book won’t find it here.

[Jakub Rabyniuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tohle je strašně skvělá věc. Nejlepší Spider-Man, kterého jsem za dlouhou dobu četl.
První obrovská výhoda je, že je to čitelné jak pro lidi, kteří mají načteno, tak pro nováčky, případně lidi, kteří superhrdinský žánr nečtou. Jediné důležité infromace pro tento comics je, že čtenář ví, kdo je Spider-Man, což je prostě něco co si troufám tvrdit, většina lidí, kterých se týká popkůltůra vědí a že, má bývalku, kerou je právě Black Cat, což se hned na začátku dozví. Na sečtělé znalce to místy pomrkává a hlavně je to canon, žádný Elseword nebo podobně. Celý příběh je zasazený do konkrétního období Petrova života (někdy během Straczinského runu, kdy byl Parker učitel ve škole).
Děj je překvapivě drsný a co se mi na tom líbí je, že staví Spider-Mana proti skutečnému problému, který není jenom o tom, že prostě někoho zmlátí. Ještě tak závažnému, jako je sexuální násílí. Kevin celý problém bere neaktivisticky bez levičáckých keců a právě proto je poselství naléhavější a srozumitelnější.
Kresba Terry Dodsona je v pohodě. Spíš průměr, ale svému účelu slouží dobře.
Rozhodně si to pořídím v nějákém důstojném vydání.

[Matěj Komiksumec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tohle bylo dost příjemné překvapení. Po slabším prvním sešitu se rozjíždí vcelku dospělý příběh s fantastickou chemií mezi Spider-Manem a Black Cat. Kresba je taky pěkná, líbí se mi temnější Cartoonový styl Terryho Dodsona. Možná jsem čekal epičtější lépe vypointovaný závěr ale jinak fakt super.

[bri 🧸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely couldve used a few trigger warnings ngl

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This whole book requires a massive content warning for sexual violence and drugs.

And it is handed terribly.

The book is dated as all hell and wasn't even in good taste when it came out. It's hypersexualized, for a series that ends up being about sexual violence. It's got disgusting 'humour'. It maybe be one of the worst Spider-Man books you can ever read, and that's saying something.

It's a terrible book that tries to be meaningful and ends up being offensive.

Don't read it, even as a joke.

[Café de Tinta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy grande, lo he devorado! Me ha gustado conocer esa parte de la historia de Gata Negra.

[Gisele Putti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um HQ que aborda um assunto bem polêmico e de uma forma muito boa. Gostei muito.

[Alejandro Orradre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se nota la calidad del guionista... y el parón a media mini-serie.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin Smith. Yes, it’s no secret that I am a pretty big fan of the guy. I’ve watched all of his films countless times. I’ve read books and magazine articles as well as follow him on Twitter. However, I’ve always been curious about his comic career and after reading the odd graphic novel, I have decided to give him a shot.

Spider-Man has always been primarily known as a superhero the whole family can enjoy. He’s been around for decades, been the subject of some of the biggest grossing movies of all time and has sold millions and millions of dollars in merchandise. The same can be said about Batman. Batman started off as a “goody two shoes” and had a popular TV show on during the 1960s that depicted the caped crusader as a kid friendly superhero with colorful villains and zany story lines. Enter the 1980s, Frank Miller resurrects The Dark Knight and we get a darker more violent Batman, something that has not exactly been tried with Spider-Man.

While this is not your Miller-esque darkness, it’s a tad more grey than the average Spider-Man story. Spider-Man still uses his sense of humor for his off-beat wise cracking remarks while beating up baddies, but his enemies this time around are not flying around in colorful suits and robbing banks (or stealing MJ and placing her on a high structure). No, Spidey is dealing with street thugs and heroin dealers. Accomplices in the form of The Black Cat and Daredevil stand by Spider-Man’s side as they try to take down one of the most powerful drug pushers in New York.

Smith accomplishes what he set out to do, make an entertaining Spider-Man arc and still show his unique style and trademark wit. In all honesty, this is the first Spider-Man graphic novel I’ve managed to take in, so I have very little to compare it to in terms of holding up to the work of others. However, I’ve got more than a few cartoons and movies to back me up in saying it’s pretty good. I’d like to see him give it another shot and see if lightning can strike twice.

Cross Posted @ Every Read Thing

[Wojtek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Podoba mi się podejście Smitha do historii o Spider-manie. Nie jest to lektura lekka, bo temat gwałtu tu przedstawiony jest naprawdę ciężki i na szczęście scenarzysta nie ucieka tu do żartów znanych ze swojej filmowej twórczości. Dialogi są odpowiednio błyskotliwe, postacie mają ciekawą motywację, a całe show skrada tu wątek Black Cat. Rysunki stają się naprawdę dobre dopiero po zmianie rysownika, wcześniej wizualnie jest średnio.

[danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

cant stop thinking about felicia in lingerie <3

[Tesutamento · Rating 3 out of 5]

İyi bir yazar için tonu tutturmak ve anlatılacak şeye hakim olmak çok önemli. Bu kitabı okurken kafam karışıktı diyebilirim. Çizgi roman okurken kolay kolay yaşamadığım bu durum bence yazarın yapmak istediği şeyleri nasıl yapacağına tam olarak emin olmamasından kaynaklı.

Kısaca hikayeye değinecek olursak iki karakterimiz de kendi cinayet araştırmalarını sürdürürken aynı şüphelide buluşuyorlar ve olaylar gelişiyor. Gücünü bir türlü anlayamadıkları bir uyuşturucu baronun indirmek için mücadele ederlerken Matt Murdock da onlara yardımını esirgemiyor.

Spider-Man ve Black Cat hikayesi yazılacağı zaman aralarında var olan o çekim, bir türlü gideremedikleri yöntem farklılıkları ve bundan çıkan kavga eksik olmaz. Spider-Man'in sık sık aklı karışacak, aralarındaki o çekime kapılmamak için bolca ter dökecektir. Biraz karakterlere aşina her okuyucu bu iki karakteri yan yana gördü mü ne beklemesi gerektiğini aşağı yukarı biliyordur. İlk iki sayıda kitap tam da bunu sunuyor.

Geri kalan sayılarda ise durum farklı. Hikayede aile içi cinsel istismar, pedofili ve tecavüz konuları işlenmeye başlanıyor. Bu hadiselerin kurbanlarının yaşadıkları, neler hissettikleri ve nasıl baş ettiklerini görüyoruz. Bence hikaye burda afallıyor. Bütün hikayenin tonu burda değişiyor ve anlatılan her şey çok basitleşiyor. Baştaki suçla mücadele ve ikilinin hafiften flörtleşmesi tamamen kayboluyor. Yerine ise kurbanlara nasihatlanan"paylaşsan rahatlarsın" teması geçiyor. Sonlarına doğru "her x dakikada y kadın tecavüze uğruyor" sözlerini duyunca kamu spotu tadını da iyice almaya başlıyorsunuz.

Çizimleri genel olarak başarılı olsa da bazı önemli karakterlerin fazla özensiz çizilmesi gözden kaçmıyor.

[Riccardo Caputi · Rating 2 out of 5]

After having a few laughs in the first issues, the reader is confronted with rape, in a way that made me really uncomfortable. Maybe this theme isn't really handled in a problematic way, I'm not sure. However, I'm more than convinced that inserting this theme in a seemingly traditional superhero plot without any real build-up is, at the very least, a narrative mistake: the fact that the last issues consist more of exposition than anything else should prove this.

[Ade Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

Per quanto io possa amare Felicia, questo fumetto mi ha messo a disagio in una maniera indescrivibile.
Un argomento così delicato come lo stupro, credo sia stato affrontato malissimo e senza tatto.
Ho messo una stella solo per la presenza di Felicia e di Matt, per il resto... Ne ho letti di migliori.

[Toonfactory · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story, dialogues and sequences were top notch but the sixth issue is a punch in the gut. Kevin begins the story in a true blue Shane Black style.. a rom-com/buddy thriller.. the hyper sexualised images might make some readers frown, the same goes for some of the dialogues.. by the time this story reaches its pinnacle it becomes something else.. I know a lot of reviewers didn’t like the switch in tone of this book back in the day when they were released but now when you read you can see all the sensitivity in writing was heartfelt and sincere.
Goes without saying Dodson’s art shines.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kocham Black Cat i Spider-Mana, tęskniłam za nimi potężnie, a jeszcze fakt, że pojawił się tutaj Nightcrawler???? It makes it so much better

[Jules]

Redactată - TBC

[Nuria · Rating 4 out of 5]

3'5/5🌟

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounded to 5. Trigger warnings for the book: rape, incest, child sexual abuse.

I'm not surprised that reviews for this are so polarised. I am surprised that so many people are upset about how sexualised Black Cat is. I've only read a few Marvel arcs, all of them including Black Cat (Spider-Man Noir, The Trophy Hunters, Long-Term Arrangement, and now this one), and I don't find Cat significantly more sexualised here than elsewhere. There's a gratuitous shower scene, but that's hardly unexpected in comics, sadly. Aside from that, the only way in which Cat is more sexualised here is that she actually makes reference to her revealing outfit, which honestly I found refreshing compared to it just being taken for granted.

Anyway, the reason I'd deduct a half-star is that as others have noted, there's a pretty abrupt tonal shift in the three-year gap from issue 3 to issue 4. The first half has serious material, but is also fun, with Spidey and Cat verbally sniping at each other, while there's really only one funny line in the second half. With the introduction of the rape storylines, it also gets really heavy - and difficult to read, at least for me - really fast. On a similar note, the storylines that got Spidey and Cat involved pretty much disappear, wrapped up with a single line. It's almost like they needed an extra issue, or an expanded issue, to fully wrap up all the storylines.

That being said, I have to give Kevin Smith a lot of credit. He gave Cat (and to a lesser extent Spidey) more depth than I've seen elsewhere, and handled the issue of sexual abuse pretty well. My one issue is that Felicia brushes off Francis' raping the sex worker - but it seems that was supposed to be an accident, but wasn't written well so seemed deliberate. He also gave us a canonically bi Felicia (God BLESS the man), and Spidey and Felicia's dialogue in the first half is just sparkling.

It's a heavy, but totally worthwhile, socially aware comic. Speaking as a Black Cat stan, I'm glad it exists!

[Tatiana Alejandra de Castro Pérez · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I bought the first issue of this series, I didn't know who Kevin Smith was. Years later, I do, and also I read the whole story. The main plot is about a dead boy and a missing girl. Both cases are related and Black Cat and Spiderman will team up to solve them. The book is full of references both to American pop culture and comic culture and the main idea is good. It even has a condemn about raping culture... but the "evil men" are not so charismatic. The artwork is not great: it has many flaws in the anatomy of the characters. For instance, in a couple of drawings Black Cat has chest and not boobs or those impossible poses for the characters. Maybe you want to read it for the story and that's cool, but the whole (image + story) is not for me.

Hace más de diez años me compré el primer número de esta serie... sin saber quién es Kevin Smith. Por fin he podido leer la serie completa (y ya sé quién es él y he visto varias de sus películas) y bueno, entiendo que la gente tiene varios tipos de quejas. La historia en si me parece buena: Spiderman está buscando al asesino de uno de sus alumnos y Gata Negra a una amiga desaparecida. Ambos casos tienen relación y se alían para solucionarlos... y de paso hablar de su pasado juntos. Además de esto tenemos muchas referencias a la cultura estadounidense (Trump, Oprah, etc.) y además a los cómics de Marvel, lo cual es un buen añadido. ¿El mayor fallo? Para mi no es que los dos últimos números hablen sobre violaciones, pues eso me parece valiente y una forma de acercar el horror al público, sino los dibujos. Dogson tiene posturas imposibles para la anatomía humana y "despistes" en esa viñeta donde Gata Negra tiene pectorales y no senos. Las proporciones de esta buena mujer parecen cambiar entre viñetas, lo cual es una pena porque tiene cosas buenas, pero otras hacen que te den ganas de prender fuego a la obra. La historia es buena, con su punto de denuncia social y bromas sobre EEUU, pero la parte gráfica hace que para mi su calidad global baje bastante.

[Xen · Rating 3 out of 5]

actually enjoyed the storyline, the characters and the potential, but I have to critique, and I know it's a comic favorite and must have for many people, but I think this story could have been better if written by a woman/multiple women.


felicia's potential as character, her backstory, the actual point of the story and within that the "evil, men committed", would've been severely improved if the main authors would've been solely female. just imagine the layers of feminine rage, complexity in womanhood or even the sexual assault topics written from the female perspective, it could've added so much.

[Ondra Král · Rating 3 out of 5]

Druhé přečtení po 7 letech a názor se nemění. Zlo v lidských srdcích strašně trpí tím, že si Smith dal mezi třetím a čtvrtým číslem několikaletou pauzu.

První půlka je skvělá. Bezva hlášky, zajímavá zápletka, výtečná chemie mezi Spideym/Cat a sexy kresba Dodsonových. Jenže pak se úplně mění pojetí příběhu... Na povrch se dostávají vážná témata a řeší se věci, které v začátku vůbec nebyly. Samo o sobě by to mohlo být fajn, ale ty dvě části absolutně nedrží pohromadě.

[Matt Shaqfan · Rating 1 out of 5]

terry and rachel dodson's artwork is great - as usual. but fan-favorite kevin smith just keeps sucking it up...this book is basiclly about how felicia hardy was raped, which apparently was her motivation for becoming the black cat. ??i know, WTFUCK? oh yeah, and there's incest too...not funny, not intersting, not 'bad-ass' or 'dark'. BIG dissapointment.

shut-up kevin smith!

[evan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the first half and had already decided to rate it 1 star before starting on the 2nd half (which was completed many years later). Thankfully I convinced myself to not read it and just skim it.

Oh god is it it sexist as it overly sexualizes women. When the topic drifted towards rape, well, no, I didn't think it was going to be handled well. Maybe I *can* stop being a completionist...

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta mini-serie siento que trata de aspirar a darnos algo más que un casual encuentro entre Spidey y Black Cat, dado que trata de ir un poco más lejos, por lo que nos interiorizamos en los personajes, viendo su pasado y comprendiendo el mensaje qué trata de expresarnos el autor. Pero antes de dar la opinión, siento que es importante destacar dos cosas; la primera es que estamos en una editorial para público adolescente (en su mayoría), por lo que tratar temas como asesinatos, drogas y violaciones no es lo común, e incluso podríamos decir que esto está fuera de la línea editorial; y la segunda es Spiderman, por lo que es un personaje demasiado cercano al público familiar, por lo que no se trata de contar historias sombrías, todo lo contrario.

Ya aclarado lo anterior, hay que decir que la historia es una declaración de intenciones sobre Kevin Smith. Por supuesto que habrá personas que estarán de acuerdo y otras que no, siendo la crítica fácil la hipersexualización de Black Cat. No quiero defender esta crítica, pero este punto se encuentra en la mayoría de los cómics de Marvel, salvo alguna excepción, por lo que señalarlo es una crítica en contra toda la editorial, no sólo con este personaje en particular. ¿Podría haberse reducido? Sí, por supuesto. ¿Podría haberse cosificado menos a Felicia? También. Pero el autor no trata de apuntar a eso, dado que eso va más en la línea editorial, sino darnos un mensaje sobre el pasado de dos personajes. Hace algún tiempo hice una reseña de Spiderman: Blue donde quedé muy enojado justamente por este tema, y ahí sí me molesta muchísimo, porque el guionista no le interesa dejar una crítica sobre algún tema, sólo quiere recordar lo atractiva sexualmente que es MJ.

Pues bien, yendo al mensaje del autor, siempre es delicado tratar temas de violación, independiente del medio: libros, películas, series, pinturas, cómic; siempre. Una de las razones, y me parece lógico, por lo difícil que es tratar el tema, dado que puede tocar la fibra del lector o la lectora. En este caso,se puede sentir que muchas veces se habla de forma muy abrupta y forzada, por lo que no descarto que podría haberse hecho quizá una transición más sutil. Pero también (así como Felicia dijo) de situaciones felices ocurren este tipo de situaciones, por lo que defiendo la búsqueda de pasar de un momento de coqueteo entre ellos dos, a temas tan íntimos como su pasado. Por lo que no me parece mal plantearlo de esta forma más visceral, la cual por supuesto es dura, pero a su vez necesaria.

Así mismo, el tema de la violación lo tratan de abordar trascendiendo el género, pero deja evidente que siempre es el hombre quién lo efectúa con el fin de satisfacer sus deseos. Por lo que el mensaje es claro, no tiene matices, y el autor lo sabe, porque su público también no busca tramas complejas, sino historias entretenidas y simples, donde el trepamuro es su zona de confort. Dado esto, la historia trata de ser directa, siendo explícita incluso en el título. El debate moral que posteriormente se realiza sobre la víctima es muy interesante, porque nos deja la pregunta sobre: ¿hay que juzgar a la víctima por querer matar al victimario? Desde mi perspectiva no, uno puede empatizar perfectamente sobre cuál es el asunto del tema, el querer sacar la verdad es difícil, por la sociedad que estamos englobados, y por otra parte, la impotencia y rabia nos lleva a realizar diferentes actos. De no haber sido esto, quizá Black Cat no existiría y Felicia tendría otro camino, como 1 de 4 mujeres. E incluso como la misma Felicia dice, aunque la cifra sea errónea, aunque sea 1 de un millón, ya es algo que dejará marcada a esa persona de por vida, independiente de sus acciones futuras. Por lo tanto, ¿qué hacer luego de esto? La respuesta no es clara, recién hoy en día se habla más el tema, pero hace unos años se hablaba poquísimo, por eso digo que el autor es consciente de esto.

La segunda razón por lo que me parece difícil tratar estos temas, se debe al público, quienes tratan de idealizar demasiado situaciones, siendo que la vida real no es así. Es cosa de ver el caso de Gwen Stancy cuando dijeron que tuvo sexo con otras personas que no sea Peter, y la trataron de puta, siendo que está en todo su derecho a hacer lo que quiera. Si se justifica bien o no con el guion, es otra cosa, pero es más que normal juzgar a las personas por este tipo de situaciones. Por lo tanto, muchas de las críticas las comprendo, hay que ser crítico con lo entregado, pero de ser así, debemos ser conscientes que esto ocurre en todo el mundo comiquero y recién ahora está cambiando el rol de las mujeres en las viñetas, lo cual me alegro enormemente. Por otra parte, son temas que muchas veces la gente no quiere leer, porque es más difícil y pesada la lectura, pero nos deja un mensaje, y nos invita a reflexionar para que no hayan más violaciones, como la que le ocurrió a Felicia. Quizá quién sabe, podría haber sido sólo Felicia y no Black Cat, como ella reflexiona, y su vida habría sido distinta. No lo sabemos, pero lamentablemente e injustamente fue otra persona quién tomó esa decisión, no ella.

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much gratuitous rape.