Heist

Black Cat #11

Black Cat #11 comic reviewThe comic’s opening arc continues as Black Cat has managed to steal all the pieces for the Randall Gate. Now all that’s missing for Black Fox‘s planned heist of the Thieves Guild is the key to turning the thing on. In a comic that has featured Felicia breaking in to the who’s who of the Marvel Universe, could there be anywhere else to retrieve it but Stark Unlimited?

Despite my having serious doubts about Stark security not being able to recognize Felicia Hardy in a wig, I’ll admit the comic has fun with Felicia playing on Tony Stark’s weakness for both redheads and women who enjoy verbally sparring with him. With the help of a little tech allowing her to temporarily pass for Stark where the building’s automated systems are concerned and a patsy to drag Iron Man’s attention elsewhere, Felicia is able to work her way to the Stark Nanoforge and forge the Dimensional Resonator.

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The Mandalorian – The Prisoner

  • Title: The Mandalorian – The Prisoner (Chapter 6)
  • wiki: link

The Mandalorian - The Prisoner television review

“Chapter 6” offers a fun heist episode that also introduces a few characters from Mandalorian‘s (Pedro Pascal) past. However, it’s not without some head-scratching problems. The Mandolorian answers a call from his old crew led by Ranzar Malk (Mark Boone Junior) that coincidentally comes at the exact moment when the Mandalorian is looking for some quick cash. Learning the job is breaking out a prisoner from a New Republic Prison Ship, that the crew want to use the Razor Crest for their getaway, and the job doesn’t even pay well enough to cover the gas are all reasons enough for the bounty hunter to walk away (plus, you know, not trusting any member of the crew from shooting him in the back or stealing his cargo). While the episode needs our protagonist to to accept the job, the writers don’t cover themselves by properly selling that job to either the Mandalorian or the audience.

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Black Cat #8

Black Cat #8 comic reviewBlack Cat #8 features a guest-appearance by the Beetle who Felicia recruits as back-up for her latest thievery of a Marvel hero. The pair have a fun patter as Beetle repeatedly attempts to sell the Black Cat on joining a group primarily made-up of all Spider-Man villains. I do think the Black Cat works best when there’s room for dialogue and the art by Dike Ruan proves to be an equally nice match for the tone of the issue.

As for the job, the comic keeps to its format with Hardy targeting Iron Fist who is legitimately amused by the entire situation, finding it refreshing to deal with a thief rather than the regular type of villains who usually target him.

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Black Cat #3

Black Cat #3 comic reviewBlack Cat #3 wraps up the heist of the Sanctum Sactorum as Black Cat an her team struggle just to make it out alive of Doctor Strange‘s home after losing control of their wizard Xander. Getting out of Doctor Strange’s home is challenge enough without a crazed power-mad wizard trying to kill you.

Even with Felicia and her henchmen in survival mode for the entire comic, there’s still plenty of fun to be had including the unlikely help of Doctor Strange’s ghost dog (yes, I said ghost dog) who mistakes the intruder for Silver Sable (an error that Black Cat does nothing to rectify and quickly enlists the mutt’s help in her escape).

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Hobbs & Shaw

  • Title: Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
  • IMDb: link

Hobbs & Shaw movie reviewThe Fast & Furious franchise has produced a series of films over the past two decades that range from fairly okay (Fast Five and Tokyo Drift) to largely forgettable (see everything else). Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw may not have a lot going for it but it does have Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham who take their bickering to the next level when forced to work together on a joint CIA and MI6 assignment (despite neither one working for either agency).

The plot steals more than a little from M:I-2 when an agent (Vanessa Kirby) injects a deadly virus into herself rather than let it fall into the hands of terrorists. Hobbs is tapped to find the agent, who our suped-up super-villain (Idris Elba) and his super-secret villainous organization have framed for the theft and deaths of her team. Ryan Reynolds gets a fun, if largely unnecessary, cameo to bring the hero onboard. Shaw‘s motivations are far more personal.

The film offers plenty of chase sequences but far less muscle cars and heists than the usual Fast & Furious flick. In fact, other the the forced family theme shoved down the audience’s throat at every turn, Hobbs & Shaw feels like a rather purposeful departure from the franchise which spawned it.

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