Issue #1: Hellcat (2016)
Title: (Patsy Walker, AKA) Hellcat #1
Writer: Kate Leth
Artist: Brittney Williams
The Buzz: Marvel made several genius moves with this particular title – announcing it just as Trish “formerly known as Patsy” Walker was winning hearts as the BFF with superhero aspirations in the Netflix series Jessica Jones, and putting together a fantastic creative team whose involvement practically creates its own buzz – writer Kate Leth is a Tumblr comics queen (kateordie.tumblr.com/) who has been making a name for herself in all-ages tie in comics like Adventure Time and Bravest Warriors. Brittney Williams is the current artist on Lumberjanes, one of the biggest hits of the recent wave of indie girl-centred adventure comics.
As a side note, apparently the biggest criticism that (male) comics “fans” can make about Hellcat is that it is “copying” Squirrel Girl and Ms Marvel by being a fun, kid-friendly comic about mostly women, and surely we have enough of those already? NO WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH, BACK IN YOUR CORNER! The biggest problem the comics industry has had over the last several years has been trying to aim all of their comics at a single (largely ungrateful) demographic instead of spreading the appeal a bit more widely, and the lack of comics suitable for the under twelves to read has been especially galling. Very few of us are going to shell out for 52 (or whatever) superhero comics every month, but aiming more than 2 at younger female readers, and trying to offer more in a similar vein to those readers who love Squirrel Girl or Ms Marvel makes a whole lot of commercial sense. (it’s not like we don’t have approximately a zillion comics about angsty punching dudes)
All You Need To Know: IT’S PATSY! Patsy Walker is one of Marvel’s oldest and quirkiest of superheroes. She started out as the sassy heroine of romance comics (like if Archie was a girl), only to be seduced over to the cape-and-magic side of the publishing arm. She’s had dark horrid stories and bright cheerful stories along the way, and her current Marvel backstory presents her romance comics past as fictional: her mother wrote & drew cutesy books about her youthful exploits, making her a teen celebrity. Yes, much like James Tiptree Jr. (In Netflix’s Jessica Jones, this was cleverly retold as the saga of a teen TV star with a pushy, abusive stage mother, who still gets remembered for her red wig and retro comics appearances) However, everything you need to know about Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat is pretty much here in #1.
Story: Patsy AKA Hellcat is having a bad day – her BFF and boss, lawyer Jennifer Walters, can’t afford to keep her on as firm investigator any more, and that means she has to move out of the storage cupboard where she’s been living. Oh, and it turns out that her teen frenemy has brought the old Patsy comics back into print without her permission… but things are looking up, too, with an old friend back in her life as well as a brand new friend – Ian, a hapless Inhuman on the verge of becoming a supervillain because the moneymaking opportunities for superhumans is weirdly scarce. And that’s when Patsy gets her brilliant new business idea!
This is a fun romp of a comic all about friendship and everyday shenanigans, which reminds me not only of the obvious recent ‘girl comics’ hits, but also fun superhero sitcom eras like early Justice League International. Patsy is a breath of fresh air, a bit of a scamp with a strong sense of justice. I literally just placed this in my daughter’s hands and ordered her to read it.
Art: Cute, bright and fun – as with the other comics in the current wave of success (including Batgirl, Gotham Academy and Black Canary as well as Squirrel Girl, Ms Marvel and Lumberjanes and NO THAT STILL IS NOT TOO MANY, the art style owes a lot more to indie webcomics than to traditional superhero comics art. Which means faces with lots of humour and characters, diverse body types, and a distinct lack of gratuitous physics-bending cheesecake. Gee, I wonder why female readers really respond to this style over “tradition”? There’s a lot of physical humour depicted here, and I was a little startled (but ultimately charmed) by Patsy’s occasional metamorphosis into a child-like figure instead of her usual twenty-something appearance, but I’ve read enough manga to get the visual joke of it – it only happens when she’s being especially kid-like or squeeful. I also appreciated that She Hulk is drawn in a similar style to her last title, which is respectful and still refreshing after decades of her being presented visually as a plus-sized model in artfully draped scraps of fabric. She’s far more power fantasy than sex fantasy these days, which is another element that makes the comic friendly to all-ages readers
But What Did I Miss?: Not much, this is a great introduction, though I highly recommend the most recent She-Hulk run (it’s only 12 issues) for more Jen and Patsy interactions – many of the supporting characters in this issue were first introduced there. Also, the recent Gwenpool Holiday Special (which I am kicking myself I didn’t read until after Christmas) – not only has a fantastic little Hawkeyes-and-Deadpool romp but revolves around the building where She-Hulk rents her superhero-friendly office space from Sharon. Partying with Hellcat will save the day!
Would Read Issue 2?: Why is it not on my iPad already???
Read it if you Like: The Unbreakable Squirrel Girl, She-Hulk, Justice League International, Justice League 3001, Gotham Academy, Kate or Die, Gunnerkrigg Court, Ms Marvel, Lumberjanes, Supergirl the TV series, or if you wished Netflix’s Jessica Jones had a comedy musical episode.
