Hellcat
Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat! returns the long-running character to the spotlight. First arc Hooked on a Feline is now available in a collected edition.
Hellcat finds Patsy Walker at a crossroads. She’s trying to move on from a complicated past, just as she loses her job as the in-house investigator for She-Hulk’s law practice. An encounter with telekinetic NuHuman Ian gives Patsy the idea to start an employment agency for people with powers who want to use them productively but aren’t into jumping into the “hero vs. villain” fray. Patsy and Ian become roommates and she reunites with childhood pal Tom (now running a Brooklyn bookstore), as she takes on odd jobs to help fund her start-up. Casiolena, a long-lost Defenders foe, tries to recruit young people with powers to form an army. Meanwhile, one-time best friend/rival Hedy Wolfe has obtained the rights to the romance comics that Patsy’s late mother wrote about her teen years and put them back in print against Patsy’s wishes, making her a retro-celebrity. A tangle with Arcade at Coney Island is almost a relief.
After “Trish” Walker made an impression on the breakout Netflix series Jessica Jones, it made sense for Patsy to return to the spotlight. Writer Kate Leth embraces all the divergent strands of the character for Hellcat, no matter how loopy. She presents Patsy as a survivor trying to chart her latest re-invention, with help from her pals. Patsy is a fun, breezy character, all the angst of her “married to the devil’s son” years long in the past (though not forgotten). Leth cannily mixes elements from all the stages of Patsy’s long history into an engaging, very modern action comedy, with interesting things to say about celebrity, technology, dating and figuring out your life.
Characterization is key. Not only does Leth make Patsy an engaging lead, she quickly and vividly establishes the supporting cast and guest characters, giving Patsy’s world a lived-in feel. Numerous familiar faces flit through Hellcat. She-Hulk and Valkyrie are big presences, and other friends like Howard the Duck, Jessica Jones and Doctor Strange, among others, make memorable appearances. But they never overshadow the lead. Leth keeps the focus on Patsy, showing her off to strong effect. It’s a very character-based approach that’s in step with Marvel’s recent approach to slice-of-life solo series.
Brittney L. Williams is the primary artist for Hellcat. She deploys a cartoonish style, deliberately exaggerated and influenced by anime. She adds lots of interesting, entertaining details to her panels and doesn’t get fussy with layouts, using a straight-forward approach that moves the action along quite nicely. Williams does some nice design work in bringing Patsy’s environment to life and nails a lot of the visual jokes with verve. Colorist Megan Wilson is an ideal match, using a bright, warm palette that perfectly captures the tone of Patsy’s adventures. Natasha Allegri steps in for the Arcade issue and takes the series full-on Anime as an interesting detour.
If there’s one issue to the art, it’s Williams’ apparently deliberate choice to constantly play with Patsy’s stature. In years of prior appearances, Patsy always appeared as an average-sized woman. Under Williams, Patsy’s size seems to morph almost constantly. She’ll appear of normal stature in one panel, then seem oddly diminutive in another. At points, she’s practically child-sized. It’s a curious artistic choice that’s likely to be divisive and not necessarily something you’ll get used to.
Overall, Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat! is a fun, enjoyable spotlight for the long-time character that fits perfectly into Marvel’s line of contemporary, personality-driven series.
Originally published at thunderalleybcpcom.ipage.com on June 16, 2016.
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