Back Issue #83 Out Today!

With my Alpha Flight article!

Back Issue #63 - The British Invasion!

Back Issue #63, dubbed "The British Invasion!" and featuring an article by yours truly, will have a deluxe 25-inch long fold-out triptych cover, featuring the rare Mighty Marvel "Quadra-Poster" from 1976, by RON WILSON and DAVE HUNT.

Look for it in March 2013!

Back Issue #56 in stores next week!

This month's issue features my article on Roger Stern's Avengers...

BACK ISSUE #56 (84 pages, FULL-COLOR, $8.95) lets the “Avengers Assemble,” starring Marvel Comics’ mightiest super-team! This issue features: Writer ROGER STERN’S acclaimed 1980s Avengers run, West Coast Avengers, early Avengers toys, and histories of Hawkeye, Mockingbird, and Wonder Man. Featuring art by and/or commentary from JOHN and SAL BUSCEMA, JOHN BYRNE, BRETT BREEDING, TOM DeFALCO, STEVE ENGLEHART, BOB HALL, AL MILGROM, TOM MORGAN, TOM PALMER, JOE SINNOTT, and more. With a GEORGE PÉREZ cover spotlighting the Avengers’ “Big Three.” Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

You can download a PDF preview here: http://www.twomorrows.com/media/BackIssue56Preview.pdf

BACK ISSUE Magazine nominated for an Eagle Award!

BACK ISSUE (the fine magazine that I've had the pleasure of writing for) has been nominated for an Eagle Award for "Favourite Comics-Related Magazine." If you agree, please cast your vote for BI. http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/.

Child of Light and Child of Darkness - Part 1

Reprinting my Cloak and Dagger article from Back Issue #45 (November 2010). If you like the article, please pick up a copy of the magazine!

“The darkness and light are both alike … I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

            - Psalms 139:14

From their first appearance in the pages of Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #64 (Mar. 1982), it was plain to see that Cloak and Dagger were not your usual Marvel characters. They were two single-minded teenagers with incredible powers driven to root out the evils of the drug trade at any cost.

Cloak and Dagger were diametrically opposed, one of light and one of darkness, but forever bound together. Wronged and victimized, they didn’t set out as heroes, but rather as vigilantes, eager to extract their revenge. They struggled to be heroes as they tried to temper their vengeance with justice. They were devoted to each other, but often found themselves at odds. It was these conflicts, both internal and external, that made Cloak and Dagger so compelling.

The 1980s was the comic generation of the teen with titles like The New Teen Titans, The New Mutants, and Power Pack exploring real teenage issues. In 1982, Nancy Reagan kicked off her “Just say no” campaign against drugs and it drew world-wide attention. Drugs, crime, and justice were themes Cloak and Dagger dealt with regularly.

I recall not liking Cloak and Dagger when I had originally read their stories. Looking back on it now, I believe it had to do with the tone of their stories, rather than the characters. The Spider-Man titles were usually light-hearted and fun with a level of conflict you knew wouldn’t have any significant impact. But, the issues in which Cloak and Dagger guest-starred carried a certain weight to them. And I’m not saying that a weight or depth to a comic book is a bad thing, but it was a radical shift in the escapism I had sought out as a kid. Their relevant and hard-hitting stories didn’t hold any punches as they boldly and honestly discussed topics like prostitution, drugs, and violence. 

Enter Cloak & Dagger

It was initially difficult to understand Cloak and Dagger’s motivations through their early appearances in Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man. Writer Bill Mantlo successfully eroded any feelings of condemnation that a reader might feel as they witnessed Cloak and Dagger’s brutal methodology.

Cloak and Dagger were contrasted against Spider-Man, allowing both Mantlo and the reader to explore the role of vigilantes. They were children without colorful costumes or secret identities. They didn’t use witty banter to down play the seriousness of the violence they were perpetrating. While Spider-Man acted out of a sense of responsibility, Cloak and Dagger acted out of a sense of necessity, having no choice as they felt they were instruments of vengeance. They didn’t have the supporting cast that Spider-Man could depend on; they only had each other.

In their first appearance, Spider-Man couldn’t stop them from killing a drug dealer. He tracked down the dangerous and misguided duo only to discover they had captured the drug dealers responsible for changing them into Cloak and Dagger.

“It is not justice we want, Spider-Man. It is vengeance! These men must die!” Cloak declared. Protagonists killing bad guys, even though it was difficult to condone, was not seen in the pages of any Marvel Comics at that time (even the Punisher at that time was using his “mercy bullets” rather than live ammunition).

Cloak and Dagger blurred the line between villain and hero. Reading this issue, it was easy to sympathize with them and demand revenge. But, you could also feel Spider-Man’s point of view, believing the drug dealers had to be brought to justice and not murdered in cold blood.

Cloak and Dagger proved to be popular, spawning several more guest appearances in Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man. They tangled with the wall-crawler as they followed the drug chain, confronting powerful mobsters, like Silvermane and the Kingpin.

Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #82 (Sept. 1983) was a significant issue as Mantlo cleverly used the Punisher as another point of contrast to Cloak and Dagger. As the Punisher’s war on crime escalated, it took a toll on him, eroding his sanity and driving him into madness. If Cloak and Dagger continued on their reckless path of vengeance, would they spiral down into madness like the Punisher?

With the growing popularity of Cloak and Dagger, there was a noticeable decline in their unrepentant vigilantism. In their early appearances, Cloak and Dagger had no moral reservations about killing the drug dealers they preyed upon, but if they were to be heroes, that approach had to change.

Mantlo added a new facet to Dagger’s light daggers, allowing them to purge the devastating effects of drug addiction rather than inflicting deadly force. Cloak and Dagger’s righteousness was also tempered as they focused on the enablers rather than the victims.

After their popular appearances in Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man, Marvel gave Cloak and Dagger their own miniseries in late 1983. Rick Leonardi drew the miniseries as Ed Hannigan and Al Milgrom were busy elsewhere in the Marvel Universe.

“Rich Leonardi has brought an intensity and excitement to Cloak and Dagger that is more than I ever could have hoped for,” gushed Bill Mantlo in Marvel Age #6 (Sept. 1983). “His design is daring and original. His characterization insightful. His draftsmanship a joy to behold.”

This miniseries allowed readers to enter the world of Cloak and Dagger and to learn more about this obsessed and troubled couple.

Sneak peek at Back Issue #55

Shipping in April 2012: BACK ISSUE #56, starring Marvel Comics’ mightiest super-team, the Avengers! Writer ROGER STERN’S acclaimed 1980s Avengers run [Flashback article written by me!], West Coast Avengers, early Avengers toys, and histories of Hawkeye, Mockingbird, and Wonder Man. Featuring art by and/or commentary from JOHN and SAL BUSCEMA, JOHN BYRNE, BRETT BREEDING, TOM DeFALCO, STEVE ENGLEHART, BOB HALL, AL MILGROM, TOM MORGAN, TOM PALMER, JOE SINNOTT, and more. With a GEORGE PÉREZ cover spotlighting the Avengers’ “Big Three.”

1983 - JLA/Avengers Crossover (also known as the Team-Up Controversy)

With the Superman and Spider-man crossover sequel and the Batman vs The Incredible Hulk Special all reaping significant commercial success, DC and Marvel decided to green light the next two crossover specials: Justice League of America and the Avengers, and the New Teen Titans and the X-Men.

Dick Giordano headed DC Comics editorially as did Jim Shooter on the Marvel Comics side. Already juggling a heavy workload, George Perez bowed out from the New Teen Titans and X-Men crossover to do the JLA and Avengers. Gerry Conway was asked to plot the epic story with Roy Thomas providing the script. The crossover special was scheduled for the summer of 1983.

Gerry Conway, who had written both the Avengers and the JLA, had come up with the basic plot he hoped balanced both companies’ characters and interests (grabbed from Back Issue #1):

“DC’s Lord of Time and Marvel’s Kang the Conqueror “coveted an infinitely powerful stone that was backtracking through the time stream. Kang and the Lord manipulated the members of the Avengers and the Justice League into combat in different ears, with the acquisition of the gemstone as the catalyst for each battle. Those clashes pitted heroes with similar powers against each other - Batman vs. Captain America, Superman vs. Thor, Green Arrow vs. Hawkeye, Martian Manhunter vs. She-Hulk, Atom vs. Ant-Man, the Flash vs. Quicksilver, you get the idea - affording each publisher’s heroes equal time.”

Jim Shooter rejected Conway’s general plot on February 25th (as detailed in Marvel Age #19, October 1984):

“I’m afraid that the first try at the Avengers/JLA plot isn’t acceptable, or even close. The problems are many, but there’s no point in listing them and getting bogged down in details because the whole things just doesn’t make sense. Why is any of this stuff happening (other than because the writer says it is) and why are all these people doing strange things? I find very few solid reasons or motives for the actions of the characters.”

When Jim Shooter learned that Perez had started to draw the issue, Jim Shooter sent Dick Giordano the following letter on May 18^th, 1983:

“Around February 25, I received a copy of the proposed story plot. I read it, found it entirely unusable, and sent you a letter to that effect, a copy of which is attached. Shortly, afterward, we spoke on the phone and you agreed that the proposed plot was not acceptable, and that a revised plot would be forthcoming. At the end of our conversation, anticipating the possibility of a missed communication on a project this complex, I stated that nothing should be considered approved by Marvel until you received approval in writing from me. I gathered that you understood and agreed.

“Some time later, I received a call from Len Wein who wanted to discuss my objections to the plot and work out possible solutions. We discussed a few of the flaws in the plot in some detail, but largely we spoke only in broad generalities. At the end of our conversation, Len asked if I felt comfortable enough with our mutual understanding of the revisions being made to allow work to begin on the art. I said no, emphatically, and insisted upon seeing a written out revised plot. I felt that our discussion had been too general to grant plot approval.

“Yesterday, I heard from various sources that George Perez had begun penciling the story, though I still hadn’t received a revised plot. I called you immediately...

“I will be glad to look at copies of the twenty pages that you say George has drawn, along with a revised plot. Possibly the pages will be useable or salvageable...

“Again, no work on this project is to be considered approved until you receive approval in writing from me.”

Giordano then provided Shooter with a copy of the revised plot, to which Shooter replied, dated May 20:

“What we have here is substantially the same plot that I rejected before with a few little touch-ups. As I stated in my first letter, this thing has major problems. It doesn’t make sense. It’s going to have to be written almost from scratch. Sorry.”

In the DC Comics’ “Meanwhile...” column from January 1985, entitled “Justice League of America vs. The Avengers: The Death of a Dream”, Giordano offered a rebuttal of Marvel Age #19 which he termed was “Marvel’s version of the events behind the JLA/Avengers team-up controversy”. Also, he pointed out that he was “mildly curious as to why no one is willing to take credit for the writing the Marvel Age article. (...) You’ll notice my byline at the top of this column, so at least you’ll know who is responsible for all that is printed here.”

 

Dick Giordano wanted the deleted parts of his letter to Jim Shooter of May 26^th published, which had been selectively edited for the article in Marvel Age #19. However, this version in the Meanwhile column wasn’t complete either. I present the Frankenstein, patchwork version of the letter for your consideration. The sections in normal text are taken from the Meanwhile article, which the sections in italics are from Marvel Age #19.

“The contract stipulates for example, that each company should appoint a staff editor to each project,... In this case, the editors so appointed were Len Wein (Dc) and Mark Gruenwald (Marvel) ... When the plot was delivered, you decided to become personally involved (counter to our previous team-up experiences) and forced my involvement at a hands-on editorial level.

“You had some problems with the plot. The motivation for the events was weak. I agreed with you and we set about to fix the plot. When we thought we had it de-bugged, Len called you with an outline of the changes, to which you responded positively, saving you felt the changes would work. Len reported that conversation to me with the request from you that a new written plot be submitted. I thought this request to be logical but largely a formality and ordered George Perez to start drawing before the new plot was typed. In doing so, I had no intention of ignoring your wishes. I understand your conversation with Len to be a tacit approval of our modifications and desired only to keep the project moving. I have since apologized to you for this seeming breach of protocol and trust that this unintentional mistake is note one of the reasons for your rejection.

“Yes, there still remain some questions left unanswered in the plot, but no more or less than are left unanswered in most plots. More often than not, these questions are resolved while the work is in progress and I’m sure that you’ll agree the levels of skill possessed by George Perez, Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and myself are sufficient to resolve these plot “holes” to everyone’s satisfaction, and I would surely submit the material in its subsequent more finished stages and welcome your input at that time.

“Incidentally, I’m sure that you recognize the difficulty in producing a script that is truly wonderful given the extreme limitations inherent in a team-up venture of this kind; everything and everyone must be left just as we found them and all events and actions must end in a tie. There were plot weaknesses in Chris’ X-Men/Teen Titans last year, but everyone who bought the book (all those people!) seemed not to care. I didn’t

“Finally (and at a more practical level), if you insist on starting all over, we will have to name a new creative team as previous commitments will force the withdrawal of all the current team members ... Further, I must then insist that you supply a detailed, written list of changes requested.

“The storyline makes sense to me and everyone else here and our contract stipulates that ‘Marvel and DC shall jointly agree on mutually acceptable modifications’ and I can hardly agree with your modification if I don’t know what they are.

“Perhaps we should jut put this back in the hands of Mark and Len and George and Roy and trust that these seasoned pros, three of whom have worked well for both companies, won’t embarrass themselves or Dc and Marvel. Whichever way you choose to go, I respectfully request that you respond as quickly as possible. TIMES A WASTIN’!

“Warmest Personal Regards,

Dirk Giordano

Vice President - Executive Editor”

Jim Shooter then provided Giordano with a list of his specific issues with the plot in a letter dated on June 15. Giordano then passed them along to Roy Thomas who rewrote the plot and delivered it to DC on July 28^thand a copy hand-delivered to Marvel Comics.

No further correspondence was heard from Marvel, not even an acknowledgement of the rewritten plot. Giordano met Shooter at the San Diego Comic Con that summer on August 4^th and Shooter had the draft, but hadn’t read it. This contradicts what was said in the Marvel Age article, which said that had Giordano given Shooter a copy at that Con. Shooter refused to approve the new plot over the Con weekend as he wanted Mark Gruenwald and Roger Stern to review it.

By August 22, Giordano had received no approval or rejection from Shooter. A frustrated George Perez pulled himself off the project.

However, Shooter had sent a follow-up letter dated September 28^th:

“These are the problems with the latest version of the Avengers/JLA plot:

- Ant Man should not be included. He isn’t an Avenger and would not be involved.

- Quicksilver must come from Attilan, where he lives, which is on the moon.

- Thor’s hammer cannot follow a trail through time. He lost all such abilities a while back.

- Hawkeye is married now, a fact which should be mentioned in the scene with Black Canary.

- vision has demonstrated emotions - he should not be affected by the Shiva Egg because he is non-biological, not non-emotional

- A Quicksilver/Flash race is ludicrous since Flash run at light speed and Quicksilver can’t even manage the speed of sound. Perhaps Flash should race Captain Marvel who can attain the speed of light in her energy form.

- Quicksilver would also be unable to help Flash energize the makeshift cosmic treadmill in any physical way.

- Firestorm and Captain Marvel are probably not evenly matched as mentioned since Firestorm controls nuclear energy and CM can become any energy, including nuclear.

“There are other small glitches, but they can be covered in dialogue. They don’t affect the pictures.

‘Presuming that you correct these minor problems, the only thing remaining to be settled before the plot is given to an artist is the selection of the artist. Don Heck, who you said was under consideration, is alright with us. If he’s the man you want go ahead and start. If you wish to propose someone else, we’ll be glad to listen.”

It wasn’t hard to see why Perez would draw the conclusion that Jim Shooter didn’t want this crossover with him, especially finally approving the story after Perez had taken himself off the project. He had the following to say in a British fanzine, Chain Reaction, on September 30th

“I do not want this taken wrongly because I am a fan of Don Heck’s work. But Shooter knows full well that Heck will never sell the book, not because of any inferiority in Don’s work, it’s just that he is not a fan favorite and with a fan book this is definitely important. He is doing everything in his power to sabotage this ...

“I am not going to let Jim Shooter get away with this, and I’m going to use every available means to let people know what Jim’s done. If people don’t believe what I say, at least I’ve gotten it out of my system.”

Shooter in the Marvel Age article vehemently denies stalling the project to remove Perez from the book.

Sadly for the fans, Marvel and DC let the project die, each pointing the finger at each other, claiming that they were waiting on the other party.

Michael Eury in his article on the JLA/Avengers crossover in Back Issue #1, presented his conclusions:

“If I must assign blame as to why this greatest of stories was never told, the culprit is: A clash of editorial styles. These two editorial camps were incompatible.”

References: 

• Back Issue #1, October 2003, TwoMorrows Publishing
• Marvel Age #19, October 1984, Marvel Comics
• Meanwhile, January 1985, DC Comics

Cover to Back Issue #53

Had to share the beautiful Simonson Thor cover for the upcoming Back Issue #53. You'll have to wait until December to read my interview with Tom DeFalco, former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief, and Ron Frenz!

Never Let The Black Cat Cross Your Path (Part 4)

THE BLACK CAT RETURNS

After their breakup, Black Cat drifted off into that Negative Zone where second string characters go, waiting to be called upon again. And she did return with a vengeance a year later in Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #112 (Mar. 1986) under writer Peter David.

While reprising her role as a costumed vigilante, the Black Cat’s tone changed from her usual self-absorption to something altruistic. She found a compromise between the thrill of her former criminal lifestyle and being a superhero by adopting a Robin Hood like role, stealing from the bad guys and turning over the loot to the poor and needy.

However, despite making it on her own as a superhero without Spider-Man, life threw Felicia a curve. Her bad luck powers had suddenly disappeared (Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #115, June 1986). It turned out that Spider-Man was still suffering the lingering effects of Black Cat’s bad luck powers and sought out Dr. Strange’s help. Dr. Strange freed him of those influences by going directly to the source and eliminating them.

After taking a serious beating as she’d come to depend on those bad luck powers, a new Black Cat reasserted herself. She marked this new direction by donning a new Black Cat costume.

Felicia tracked down Dr. Strange and learned that he didn’t actually eliminate her powers, but rather altered them. Her physical abilities were all heightened in proportion to a cat, including night vision and retractable claws. 

She then confronted Spider-Man in Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #116 (July 1986) and blamed him for the loss of her bad-luck powers. Their heated argument allowed Felicia to unload all of her pent-up anger and frustration over how their relationship ended.

Shortly after, the Sabretooth attacked her, but Spider-Man came to her rescue. Felicia was offended by his rescue, feeling that she could have handled Sabretooth.

However, in Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #119 (Oct. 1986), Felicia got her re-match against Sabretooth. One of the side plots Peter David was exploring was how the Black Cat was more than a secondary character. Before their battle, Felicia purged herself of her unhealthy feelings towards Spider-Man and accepted their new status as friends. That commitment was quickly put to the test as she knew Peter was watching her fight with Sabretooth. Although Sabretooth came off as a cathartic punching bag, their brutal battle ended with Felicia’s triumphant victory. She topped off this emotional moment by winking at Spider-Man who had come onto the scene late.

Unfortunately, she again fell prey to a new mysterious adventurer, the Foreigner. She agreed to work with him to make Spider-Man’s life miserable. As she helped bring the Foreigner’s plans to fruition, she realized that she still had strong feelings for Spider-Man. She double-crossed the Foreigner and saved Spider-Man’s life. Fearing for her safety, Felicia fled to Europe to start fresh.

ROMANTIC JEALOUSY

In the late 1980s, donning her classic costume, Felicia returned to North America and set her sights once again on Spider-Man (Amazing Spider-Man #331, Apr. 1990). She was mortified to learn that in her absence Peter Parker had married Mary Jane Watson. 

The news was devastating to Felicia. She loved and adored Spider-Man and believed that he loved her despite her flaws. To see him in love with or even care for someone else, amplified the pain of the loss of their relationship and what might have been.

Insanely jealous and determined to make Peter realize he had married the wrong woman, Felicia started a relationship with Peter’s longtime friend, Flash Thompson. Felicia’s game put Peter in an awkward position as Peter couldn’t tell Flash what was going on without risking his secret identity.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and Felicia and Peter are forced to patch things up as a series of threats required their combined efforts.

Roger Stern saw the Black Cat “relating to Spider-Man as Mary Jane Watson related to Peter Parker. They both fit the role of the sometimes-girlfriend who would waltz into his life just often enough to turn things upside down.  I never saw either Felicia or Mary Jane as the marrying kind.  If they were really true to themselves, Mary Jane wouldn't get serious until the last party was over and the Black Cat could never settle down as long as there was still one great caper to pull off.”

What actually undid her this time was her feelings for Flash Thompson. In Spectacular Spider-Man #209 (Feb. 1994), Felicia proposed to Flash, realizing she was actually in love with him. However, Thompson refused her proposal not because she used him, but because he felt it would only be a matter of time before she left him or resented him for tying her down to a normal life.

What Thompson didn’t know was that she was ready to settle down, feeling that she could love someone normal. Confronting this issue was difficult for Felicia as well, realizing that had she been able to come to terms with it earlier, she might still be with Spider-Man.

ORIGIN REVISITED

In 2002, Kevin Smith penned a new Black Cat miniseries, Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do. While this miniseries was infamous for its delay, which finally saw completion three years later in 2005, Smith had retconned her origin. The miniseries revealed that when Felicia was a freshman student at Empire State University, she had been raped by her boyfriend, Ryan. Refusing to report the assault, she channeled her anger into training and learned a variety of martial arts. She dropped out of school and focused solely on preparing to kill Ryan.

However, she was robbed of her revenge, learning that her ex-boyfriend was killed in a car accident. With nothing to lose, she turned to a life of crime.

     This update conflicted with her basic character. Black Cat’s flirtatious behavior and relationship-pattern didn’t fit well with the trauma and emotional suffering she endured. However, her Black Cat identity provided that escape, allowing her to become someone different: “I didn’t think about what had happened with Ryan [her ex-boyfriend] anymore. I justified it to myself. Something was stolen from me … so I started stealing back. I built myself a new identity. From then on, I was Felicia Hardy, thief extraordinaire.” (Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do #6, Mar. 2006)

WRAPPING UP THE ANALYSIS

While Felicia carried unresolved issues from her childhood, she is sane from a reasoning and cognitive point of view. Felicia is capable of experiencing guilt, accountability, and compassion. She knows the difference between right and wrong, but doesn’t always make the right decisions. While guilty of making wrong and self-serving choices, there’s little evidence of any true psychological disorder.

It’s also important to keep in mind that over the years, Felicia’s character has been handled by many writers, each with their own take on her. In fact, it wouldn’t be hard to argue that most comic book characters have mild forms of schizophrenia or multiple personality disorders.

A solid testament to her character is how she has become an integral part of Spider-Man’s life, accompanying him through comic book revamps and alternate versions, and into other media like TV shows and video games.

And as for her relationship with Spider-Man, now that Mephisto has conveniently undone Peter and Mary Jane’s marriage, perhaps Felicia still has another chance at winning his heart.

REFERENCES

Osterweis, Marian, Bereavement: Reactions, Consequences, and Care, National Academy Press, 1984.

Pines, Dr. Ayala M., Romantic Jealousy: Understanding and Conquering the Shadow of Love, St. Martins Press, 1992.

Shulman, Shmuel and Seiffge-Krenke, Inge, Fathers and Adolescents: Developmental and Clinical Perspectives, Routledge Press, 1997.

Never Let The Black Cat Cross Your Path (Part 3)

IDENTITY COMPLEX

            Roger Stern felt that “the Black Cat should be interested in Spider-Man, but not so much in Peter Parker.  Up to that point, it was always Peter who had the on-again/off-again romantic entanglements.  I thought it would be fun to add a few more complications to his Spider-Man identity.”

            And that’s exactly what Bill Mantlo did in the pages of Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man. Black Cat was Spider-Man’s girlfriend, not Peter’s.

As their relationship progressed, Spider-Man decided to let Black Cat into his life and she was underwhelmed by his humble apartment: “Lover, you’re Spider-Man – famous the world over as a fearless fighter of crime! How can a hero like you live here??! Here??!”

            In Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #87 (Feb. 1984), Peter boldly revealed his secret identity to the Black Cat. She was the first girlfriend he had unmasked himself to.

            Until that point, Felicia was always uncomfortable and reluctant to see Spider-Man unmasked. She feared that the thrill and excitement of their mysterious romance would be lost if she knew who he really was. Her fears became concrete.

            “We all look for something in a relationship,” Tom DeFalco, former Spider-Man editor and writer, explains. “Felicia was looking for the excitement of the relationship. Whenever you start a relationship, it’s full of excitement as you’re pursuing the other person. Once you settle down, that’s where the difficulty occurs. Felicia was the kind of person that loved falling in love, but wasn’t so crazy about being in love.”

            Unfortunately, her reaction is one of shock and disbelief. “Y-your mask … Please … Put your mask back on!!! (…) “Wearing that mask, you’re my man of mystery. You’re the night and excitement and death-defying adventure!”

            The panel sequence and framing of this scene amplified Black Cat’s reaction. Artist Al Milgrom focused on Felicia with no background and pulled away from her in an almost Hitchcock-like progression, as if her fictional world was collapsing in on itself.

            “It’s funny, Felicia is almost like the Lois Lane, liking Superman but not Clark Kent,” Al Milgrom reveals. “That set up this weird love triangle where Felicia liked the hero identity more than his civilian identity.”

            It isn’t difficult to see how the internalized romantic image of her father was transferred to Spider-Man. In him, Felicia saw the partner of her dreams. The only problem was that romantic image of Spider-Man didn’t include the boring and ordinary, Peter Parker.

            In the off-beat Amazing Spider-Man #246 (Nov. 1983), “The Daydreamers!”, Roger Stern gets into Felicia’s head. This story taps into Felicia’s daydreams and shows us her ideal version of Spider-Man who is a lovable rogue, her perfect companion-in-crime, and ridiculously wealthy. And to top it off, when Spider-Man takes off his mask, Cary Grant’s face is revealed and the classic movie, To Catch A Thief, is alluded to.

           Roger Stern “saw her as a more casual romantic interest.  If things had gone the way I'd wanted, the Black Cat would have become the woman who would show up now and then in Spider-Man's life.  The rest of the time she'd be off in some exotic locale.  And I thought that she might occasionally lure Our Hero off to one of those locales. It would have made for a nice change of pace to get him out of his usual element.”

INFERIORITY COMPLEX

            After her brutal beating at the hands of Doctor Octopus, Spider-man had thought it best not to have a partner that didn’t have powers. However, Felicia convinced him otherwise.

            In her criminal days, to live up to her name’s sake, Felicia would set traps or obstacles in the area where she planned to commit her burglaries. For example, rigging shelves to collapse on her pursuers, allowing her to escape.

            Teaming-up with Spider-Man, she quickly developed an inferiority complex. She was only human, operating at an Olympic level in terms of her agility and speed, but still no match for the proportional powers of a spider.

            In Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #88 (Mar. 1984), during a battle with Mr. Hyde, Spider-Man told her to stand down. Her reaction was sour: “This is the last time I’ll be shunted off to safety, my Spider-Man! The last time!” And later that issue, “As long as I possess no super-powers of my own, I’m a liability to him!”

            Felicia’s inferiority complex drove her to obtain super powers at any cost. While the Secret Wars had whisked Spider-Man away, Felicia went on a quest to gain superpowers. An underworld scientist, succeeded in unlocking Felicia’s latent power and enhancing it. However, Felicia was mortified to discover that the scientist was employed by the Kingpin and found herself awkwardly in his debt.

            The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Volume 2 #2 (Jan. 1986) defined her new powers as follows: “[her] bad luck tricks subliminally affect probability fields, causing improbable things to occur within her line of sight. This talent would seem to be a natural unconsciously-controlled ability to manipulate probabilities in extremely localized areas which is triggered when she is in a stressful situation (such as fighting or escaping).”

            With her new bad luck powers, as well as enhanced agility and speed, she rejoined Spider-Man with a renewed confidence. However, Felicia kept the truth of who was behind her powers from him. This secret became increasingly difficult to keep as those powers began to affect anyone around her, including Spider-Man.

RELATIONSHIP ISSUES

            While Felicia and Peter had relationship issues to deal with, the general fan response to their relationship was rather loud. From the letter page in Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #92 (July 1984): “We were literally swamped with mail on PETER PARKER #87, all of it with advice on what poor Peter should do about his love life. Now we know what Ann Landers must feel like!”

            While the response was overwhelming, it wasn’t clear how readers actually felt about their relationship. From the letter page in Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #82 (Sept. 1983): ”But you might be interested to know that not all our readers share your enthusiasm for a permanent Black Cat/Spidey union.” I was unable to aggregate any real numbers on fan opinion, but it wasn’t hard to see that it was divided.

            Having been an avid Spidey fan in the 1980s, my thirteen-year-old mind frame didn’t fully grasp the implications of their relationship. As someone who dreamed of being Spider-Man, I was similarly attracted to the Black Cat. At that age, or any age, who wouldn’t fantasize about the Black Cat being his girlfriend? Peter Parker was the nerd that readers could associate with and having such a glamorous and beautiful girlfriend was almost unthinkable.

            It was one thing being Spider-Man’s girlfriend, but being his crime-fighting partner was something different and never fit for me. Until then, it was Peter Parker that had girlfriends, like Gwen Stacy or Mary Jane, and he couldn’t share both sides of his life. But, with Black Cat, Spider-Man ceased to be a loner and joined the ranks of other crime-fighting couples, like Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman or Hawkeye and Mockingbird.

            You couldn’t help but be happy for Black Cat and Spider-Man as they seemed to have found something special in each other. However, it didn’t last. Unlike the other couples mentioned above, Black Cat wanted nothing to do with the Peter Parker side of Spider-Man’s life. Her reaction was the flip-side of his Peter Parker relationships who wanted nothing to do with Spider-Man.

            Their relationship came to a head in Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #100 (Mar. 1985):

            “It’s not that I don’t love you, Felicia – ‘cause in a way I do, you’re the most glamorous exciting girl I’ve ever known. But we’re so different … too different. You’re … I don’t know … Too amoral. I like adventure as much as anyone, but I do care about which side of the law I get my kicks on!

            “For you, there is no Felicia Hardy! Only the Black Cat! You want it to be the same way for me, want me to be Spider-Man all the time! I can’t be… won’t be … the person you seem to want me to be: a mysterious masked adventurer out of some romance novel. I’m sorry, Felicia, but we’ve got to stop seeing each other!”

Back Issue! #47 out today

The final interview with the late, great DAVE STEVENS headlines BACK ISSUE #47, our “Thrilling Days of Yesteryear” issue (84 pages with 16-page COLOR section, $7.95)! Also, the film version of Stevens’ Rocketeer is discussed in a “Pro2Pro” interview with DANNY BILSON and PAUL DeMEO. Plus: The Phantom, Dominic Fortune, Man-God, Miracle Squad, and Justice, Inc. With art by and/or commentary from JIM APARO, HOWARD CHAYKIN, TONY DeZUNIGA, LUKE McDONNELL, MARK VERHEIDEN, and more. And featuring a Rocketeer cover by DAVE STEVENS! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

You can download a sneak peak here:
http://www.twomorrows.com/media/BackIssue47Preview.pdf

Never Let The Black Cat Cross Your Path (Part 2)

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE?

The Black Cat returned almost a year later, in Amazing Spider-Man #204 (May 1980), when her criminal exploits once again caught Spider-Man’s attention. Her interest in Spider-Man escalated and bordered on obsessive compulsive as she stole a variety of love-inspired object d’art to add to her Spider-Man collection. 

In the following issue, when cornered by Spider-Man in her hideout, Felicia proudly displayed a shrine devoted to him. Spider-Man was caught off guard by her obsession. 

Looking at this development, it isn’t hard to conceive that her emotional balance was shattered by the death of her father. Her mother didn’t approve of her following in her father’s footsteps, so there was no doubt Felicia was carrying around a lot of emotional baggage. A reasonable way to deal with such stressors was to turn towards the only other person she looked up to.

“I like the men in my life to be a little mysterious!” Felicia remarked about Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #194. How can you get more mysterious than a masked superhero? With her father dead, Spider-Man became a substitute father figure and new role model in the fictitious world she chose to wrap around herself.

However, on another level, you can put together a theory that she was merely feigning her emotional issues to try and get out of having been caught.

Former Spider-Man writer, Roger Stern fills us in: “the Black Cat had already been shown to be clever and conniving, right up until the end of Amazing Spider-Man #205.  That's the issue where Spider-Man cornered Felicia in her lair, and discovered that she had a whole wall of photos devoted to him.  He jumped to the conclusion that she had a psychotic obsession with him.

“As I later revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #226, the Black Cat had realized that Spider-Man was about to capture her, so she let him think that the pictures she had used to study his moves was a "shrine" to him.  Spelling out how Felicia had faked her illness -- in order to plan her next moves and her eventual escape -- was my way of showing just how clever she really was.”

Roger Stern definitely cast the Black Cat in another light. In her next appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #226 (Mar. 1982), he added more depth to her character, making her more intelligent and devious. Her ruse to feign mental illness was motivated by the fact that it was easier to escape from a mental ward than a highly-guarded prison.

As for Roger Stern’s take on the Black Cat, he had this to say: “I'd been reading a lot of old Milton Caniff and Will Eisner stories at the time, and I thought it would be fun to establish some crafty, challenging female adversaries for Spider-Man.  I'd already introduced Belladonna in Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man, and I thought that the Black Cat was too good to waste away in an asylum somewhere.  Spider-Man had more than enough enemies who were crazy.”

HERO COMPLEX

The Black Cat got embroiled in the Owl-Octopus war that ran through the pages of Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man in early 1983. Black Cat exploited Spider-Man’s feelings for her and used him to protect her from the Kingpin who she had recently robbed.

Both readers and Spider-Man were kept guessing as to whether or not Felicia’s feelings were genuine.

“Oh, for crying out loud! You’re brave, Cat, and beautiful, but you’re also as nutty as a fruitcake!” announced Spider-Man in Peter Parker the Spider-Man #75 (Feb. 1983). “She may be more crooked than curvaceous, but she’s my lady!”

During the climax of this storyline, Doctor Octopus and his goons savagely beat the Black Cat. Fortunately, Spider-Man got her to the needed medical attention to save her life. Over the weeks she spent in the hospital, her feelings for the web-head solidified. She looked forward to his visits and the neutral setting of the hospital forced her to think about her role and how she wanted to be a part of Spider-Man’s life.

“I’m going to go straight! No more cat burglaries – no more crime! I’m going to start living solely for the man I love!” She told Spider-Man in Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #78 (May 1983). A few issues later, she drove their relationship in a new direction, hoping “when I was well again that we could continue as a team!” (Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #78, May 1983).

This new direction not only had her playing on the right side of the law, it had her enforcing it as a superhero. Interestingly, their relationship continued without Felicia knowing Spider-Man’s true identity; a fact that didn’t seem to bother her.

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

From Comic Scene #8 (Mar. 1983), Bill Mantlo highlighted the appeal of Spider-Man: “… being Spider-Man is a lot of fun – wisecracking, joking, feeling the exuberance of swinging through the air on a slender webline. That experience, being something we mere mortals can never hope to do, has got to bring out a certain excitement in the reader.”

Obviously, not only in the readers, but in Felicia as well, as that level of excitement was infectious and drove her attraction to him. Felicia is human, no different in feeling vulnerable and insecure, but, when she met and fell in love with Spider-Man, those feelings magically disappeared.

Interestingly, when you compare and contrast Felicia Hardy/Black Cat and Peter Parker/Spider-Man, they’re dual opposites. And, of course, opposites attract.

Felicia Hardy is terribly self-absorbed whereas Peter Parker is giving to a fault. She’s reckless, while his responsible nature is his character’s cornerstone.

Felicia loves the thrill she gets from her unlawfulness antics whereas Spider-Man respects the darker side of his vigilantism.

She has no secret identity; the Black Cat is simply Felicia with a mask. Whereas Spider-Man is Peter Parker's alter-ego. Peter becomes a different person when he puts on Spider-Man’s mask. Felicia has nothing to hide while Peter’s secret identity protects everyone he loves.

Bill Mantlo elaborates this point later on in his interview in Comic Scene #8: [Spider-Man]’s joking to cover up his own fear, his own hesitancy, his own awareness of his limitations against maniacs who will stop at nothing.”

The Black Cat provides us with a mirror image of how Spider-Man might have turned out had he not had the steadying influence of Uncle Ben.

Never Let The Black Cat Cross Your Path (Part 1)

Now that the rights for my Black Cat article have reverted back to me, I thought I'd share it with out. It was originally published in Back Issue! #40. If you enjoy it, please pick up a copy of Back Issue! magazine the next time you're at your local comic book store.

 

Never Let The Black Cat Cross Your Path

There are villains that you love to hate, villains that are plot-device punching bags, and villains you truly sympathize with. Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, is one of the latter. Classifying her as a villain is a bit of a misnomer though. While she’s broken the law as a cat burglar, Felicia is more of a self-absorbed rogue than your typical Spider-Man villain.

Throughout the Spider-Man titles of the 1980s, the Black Cat’s life became intertwined with Spider-Man’s. As with all good characters, she was defined by her weaknesses and flaws and how she dealt with them. Her all-too human side was no better portrayed through her efforts to cope with a variety of psychological issues. To properly understand who the Black Cat is, let’s start at the beginning and explore the forces that shaped her.

ORIGIN

The Black Cat pounced on to the scene in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #194 (July 1979). Classic 1970s artist Dave Cockrum provided the initial design for the Black Cat bringing her to life in a voluptuous fur-lined, skin-tight costume and collar.

While Felicia Hardy’s costumed feline persona might remind you of DC’s notable cat burglar, Catwoman, Felicia is her own woman. While they share some obvious characteristics, such as being burglars and deriving pleasure from playing cat-and-mouse games with superheroes, the Catwoman actually wasn’t the inspiration behind the Black Cat.

“Oddly, I hadn't even thought of Catwoman,” creator Marv Wolfman admitted. “If I had, I wouldn't have done it. I was watching a Tex Avery cartoon called ‘Bad Luck Blackie’ that caused bad luck to a pursuing dog and thought that would make for a great villainess for Spider-Woman, which was where I was going to use her.”

“We did a cover [Spider-Woman #9 (Dec. 1978)] but before I wrote the story I decided to quit the book so I moved [Black Cat] over to Spider-Man. I made her more of an action character where the Spider-Woman character was designed to be a mystery villainess, very 1940s in design and very noir in approach. You can see the original Spider-Woman cover in the letter column of the first Black Cat story [Amazing Spider-Man #194].”

PARENTAL LOSS

Amazing Spider-Man #195 (Aug. 1979) provides us with some insight into what molded Felicia’s Black Cat persona. Felicia grew up believing that her father, Walter Hardy, a world famous cat burglar, had died in a plane crash.

Parental loss can leave a child, such as Felicia, with lingering doubts about their own self worth. Children can cope with the loss of a parent by idealizing that person.

From Fathers and Adolescents: Developmental and Clinical Perspectives, “The centrality of the father figure and a continuous need for the idealized father is evident even in cases where the father is not necessarily positive (…) even in cases where the father was absent or abusive, children exerted enormous efforts to preserve the ideal image. The negative image of the father may even be reconstructed into a positive and idealized figure.”

In Felicia’s case, she over-identified with her absent father. She developed an idealized fantasy life and drove herself to emulate that fictional lifestyle. This coping mechanism allowed her to deal with this emotionally traumatic event.

She learned everything she could about her father and was particularly interested in his criminal exploits. She used these elements to build her idealized fantasy.

Later, Felicia learned that her mother had lied to her about her father’s death. Walter Hardy was in fact still alive, but in jail. She took a bold step, making her debut as the costumed Black Cat to break him out.

An important facet of her idealized view of her father was how it altered her morality. Despite his criminal tendencies, in her eyes, he could do no wrong and she applied that perspective to her own criminal actions.

She wasn’t afraid to cross the line into unlawful territory, and proved to be resourceful, recruiting a criminal crew to assist her in the jail break.

However, things aren’t always as they seem. Her father’s jailbreak wasn’t motivated by any criminal intent or desire, but rather by love. It was only when she heard Walter was dying that she selflessly decided to break him out. She’s emotionally deeper than her flashy exterior might convey and that’s what keeps the reader and Spider-Man so interested in her.

What Felicia didn’t know was that her father was the one who wanted her to believe he had died in a plane crash. Walter didn’t want Felicia tainted by his lifestyle. Unfortunately, his efforts resulted in the exact opposite. Still deluded, she told her father that “You would have been proud of the way I trained (...) I perfected your every move. Learned your every trick.”

Dr. Ayala M. Pines in her book Romantic Jealousy: Understanding and Conquering the Shadow of Love tells us an “internalized romantic image” is developed “very early in life, based on powerful experiences we had during childhood. Our parents and other adults involved in raising us influence the development of our romantic image in two ways: the way they express, or don't express, love toward us; and the way they express, or don't express, love toward each other.”

Felicia’s carefree and thrill-seeking rogue persona is an internalized romantic image of her father. Her attraction to a masked adventurer, like Spider-Man, follows that romantic image. Similarly, you don’t have to look far down her relationship list to see that pattern, The Foreigner, Thomas Fireheart (The Puma), and even the heroic jock, Flash Thompson.

(to be continued...)

Shameless Plug - Back Issue! #45

Forgot to plug Back Issue! #45 which should have hit your local comic book shelves last week! It has my Cloak and Dagger article.

Download a free preview here: http://twomorrows.com/media/BackIssue45Preview.pdf

Back Issue! #45
84 pages - November 2010

Now shipping 8 times a year, with 16 color pages each issue! In BACK ISSUE #45 (84 pages with 16-page COLOR section, $7.95), we feature “Odd Couples,” headlined by an in-depth look at DENNY O’NEIL and NEAL ADAMS’ award-winning, groundbreaking Green Lantern/Green Arrow—plus an examination of the real-life events that inspired these relevant stories. The unusual pairing of one of Marvel’s hottest writers of the ’70s with DC’s Justice League of America is explored in an exclusive interview with STEVE ENGLEHART.

Also: Daredevil and Black Widow, Power Man and Iron Fist, Vision and Scarlet Witch, Cloak and Dagger, and… Aquaman and Deadman (?!). With art by and/or commentary from TERRY AUSTIN, GENE COLAN, GERRY CONWAY, DENYS COWAN, DICK DILLIN, RICHARD HOWELL, RICK LEONARDI, STEVE SKEATES, and more. And a glorious recreation of the cover of Green Lantern #76 by NEAL ADAMS! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.