In this very special issue of Patsy Walker, AKA HELLCAT, will she: A) Visit CONEY ISLAND with her cool and stylish pals B) Get into an adventure involving rollercoasters, or C) Kick a whole mess of butts? (Answer: All of the above!)
Kate Leth is a Canadian author and illustrator working in comics, animation, design, and feelings. A grown-up goth and pop culture devotee, Kate specializes in work for kids and teens. Their comics work includes Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat!; Girl Over Paris; Spell on Wheels; and Adventure Time, among others.
They live in Halifax, Nova Scotia with an absolutely ridiculous cat and several regrets. They are queer and genderfluid/non-binary, a fact that greatly influences their work. Kate uses they/them pronouns, but probably won’t correct you.
The storyline was very "meh" for this issue and the artwork really didn't do much for the story. The super friends take Patsy out to Coney Island because she's been stuck in her closet working for "five days straight!" like most adults.
They encounter Arcade and a game-themed battle ensues. The cutesy, child-like anime art style really made it hard for me to get into the characters. I was okay with the childish themes when the artwork was in juxtaposition with the storyline. With both super childish, it makes the whole issue seem like it was intended solely for kids.
We've also moved away from the empowering storyline - instead of Hellcat working through issues on her own terms, in her own way, she battles Arcade with his own rules. And only bests him by being stronger physically than he thinks she is (she does Krav Maga, dude).
Ian Soo comes out as bisexual (awkwardly in the middle of celebrating their win, but I'll take it - representation is important).
Bonus points for the Jessica Jones ending - appearing as they exit, sitting on a banana that specifically has a sign: "Please do not sit."
Natasha Allegri is my favorite artist currently working in comics and animation. I love this issue so much. I love the Rumiko Takahashi influence. 8sigh* It's all so dreamy! It looks great and it's a fun little side adventure for patsy and her friends.
Liked the cute anime style from a guest artist. The gang head to Coney Island for a day off, when they run into a bad guy stalking the games there. Can they beat him and rescue Tom?
//Note I read this out of order, I pulled 7 out of the bag and read it before this one. It's still great though.
So I was JUST complaining about art switch ups in Lumberjanes, and then Allegri doing this issue instead of Williams was a BIG switch up, but omg TOO ADORABLE and also Coney Island! So, I loved it.
Was not a fan of this art style AT ALL :/ I get why it was used, but I couldn't get into it. I loved the story though and Jessica looked really cool. Super excited for the next issue to see more Patsy and Jessica interactions!