Time for the next part of this Dark Web tie-in!
Wait, what did you say? Dark Web is over?
Oh
...
Well here is three more issues of it anyway!
Full Spoilers:
- Spoiler: show
- S'ym immediately guesses that Mary Jane and Black Cat were sent by Belasco to get the Soulsword. S'ym is after it too because he is tired of Earthers coming in here and ruling Limbo with their colonialism. Black Cat says they need it to get out of here so why don't they just team up for now. S'ym agrees because he is worried about the Guardian he will have to get past and also he doesn't really know the way. MJ and Black Cat can lead the way with the soul-compass Belasco gave them. Whoever gets the sword also has to get out past various gangs, everything from demons to AIM, who wait outside the tower just to mug whoever comes back out with the weapon. So the trio continue on together while openly talking about how they will betray each other in the end. Black Cat has no real plan but MJ feels confident with Felicia as her partner. This increases the anxiety of Felicia who has guilt over keeping her relationship with Peter Parker a secret. The group gets past various obstacles and demonic birds until they get to the Guardian, which is a giant fanged worm monster. MJ spins for a power and gets the ability to generate colored smoke. This is obviously not helpful. MJ then comes to the realization that she has had bad luck since she has been around Black Cat. But Felicia's powers should only affect enemies, which means MJ is being perceived that way. Mary Jane knows she didn't do anything wrong to Black Cat, and correctly guesses this is all really about Peter. She comes to this realization as the giant worm monster is about to throw them all in its mouth.
As an X-fan I enjoy the inclusion of classic foes Belasco and S'ym but honestly this may for me be the weakest of MacKay's Black Cat stories. This issue we find out that Mary Jane's powers, which for those who don't know never appeared previous to this series and have absolutely no explanation, are clearly a plot device created just to have a physical manifestation of Black Cat's anxiety over the secret between them. And it's a bit of a bridge too far for me lol. MacKay is being too clever by half and it just makes me smh. I partially blame Wells though who is responsible for renewing the Hardy/Parker romance after MacKay had built up better possibilities in his own volumes.
