By Anna Bailey — Mary Jane Watson and Felicia Hardy have what you’d call a tense relationship. Complex, if you will. But they’ve always bonded over one thing – Peter Parker. Marvel is teaming up Black Cat and Mary Jane Watson in Jed MacKay and team’s Mary Jane & Black Cat: Beyond #1 to see if, together, they can save Parker.

Sometimes, superheroes need a break and sometimes, superheroes take breaks through unintended hospital stays. Peter Parker–Spiderman–is recovering from an accident that landed him in the hospital. Luckily, Parker’s always had amazing women by his side. Felicia Hardy and Mary Jane Watson are keeping Parker safe in one place until The Hood has other plans.

After finishing up Black Cat, MacKay really gets to play around with his beloved character in this one-shot. The dynamic between Hardy and Watson is entertaining. Once Parker Robbins convinces Hardy to find his missing hood, the Hardy & Watson crew forms. The arguing, the banter, the explaining.…everything is reminiscent of a buddy cop TV show.

But what really makes this issue so fun is finally getting to see Watson become a superhero in her own right. When Hardy comes up with a plan to get the Hood’s hood back from Tombstone after dealing with other villains for the past few hours, Watson’s right in the middle of it. As Hardy says, “A lot of people make fun of the mask [...] And so, the Oscar for “Best Performance in a Criminal Endeavor”? Mary Jane Watson.” For one quick heist, Watson puts on the catsuit and plays the bad girl.

With little time to spare, the Hardy & Watson crew delivers the hood to The Hood but not before Hardy makes a compelling argument, “You can get anything in this world, if you know what someone wants, and if you can get it for them.” And what Hardy and Watson both want is The Hood away from Parker so the bag-demon (which is where they found his hood) takes care of him for them.

And much like the beloved enemies-to-lovers trope, once the evil has been defeated and everyone is safe, the two women are sitting together up on the rooftop sharing their thoughts. For me, this is the heart of the issue. We get to see vulnerability in both Hardy and Watson, admitting to one another their doubts. Their night together just bonded them forever. Mary Jane & Black Cat: Beyond #1 makes me excited to see where the future of Mary Jane Watson and Felicia Hardy goes (hopefully in the same direction, together).

A word about the writing and interior: MacKay does a good job at getting the readers from Point A to Point Z in as few words as possible while still keeping the story engaging but C.F. Villa is the real star of the show. The artistry it takes to capture hours’ worth of time in a single page is amazing, but to also keep it cohesive and easy to follow is another task in and of itself.

This issue has everything fun and good about comics, and I can’t help but wonder where Mary Jane Watson and Felicia Hardy will end up next.

Overall: Mary Jane & Black Cat: Beyond #1 is fun, refreshing, and cinematic. Even for those who don’t follow along with Spiderman’s story, this issue is worth the read. 9/10

REVIEW: Mary Jane & Black Cat: Beyond #1

Mary Jane & Black Cat: Beyond #1
Writer: Jed MacKay
Artist: C.F. Villa
Colorist: Erick Arciniega
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Black Cat has been kidnapped, and the only person who can save her is…MARY JANE WATSON?! Mary Jane has never liked Felicia Hardy, and now she has to save her life?! But remember, this is the Black Cat we're talking about. Things are never quite what they seem
Price: $4.99

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Anna Bailey is an email marketer that exclusively watches horror films. You can follow her on Twitter at @annuh_bailey to see all her favorites.