Initially this book’s appeal was solely based on the combination of Greg Rucka’s wife and Javier Pulido art. But, as the series has progressed Jen Van Meter’s writing style has displayed itself in an almost perfect manner; she is talented, certainly, and perhaps even as good as her husband in terms of character building. And this conclusion to her Black Cat mini-series is the capper to an all-around perfect story.

By making the Black Cat’s thieving lifestyle more of a business enterprise than a hobby, Van Meter has added a new layer to the character of Felicia Hardy. Her crew, who assist her throughout the mini-series, are some of the best new creations within the Marvel Universe for a while; adding quirky humour and much needed aid to the heroine.

The fact that this whole mini-series has tied in to the Grim Hunt event from Amazing Spider-Man is also something to be applauded. For people who don’t even have a passing interest in that arc, this mini-series is still an essential purchase; it completely sidesteps the original narrative and builds itself up to the point of perfection without needing to rely even slightly on the core Spider-Man title.

Javier Pulido’s artwork is, as ever, absolutely stunning throughout this issue; in fact, this series has showcased some of his best work – a cartoony style that manages to remain fresh and exciting. It is absolutely stunning to behold.

Now that this series has wrapped up, the desire for more Black Cat stories has become suddenly overwhelming. We can only hope that Marvel has the sense to bring Van Meter back to pen another mini-series, or perhaps even an ongoing, preferably with Pulido handling the art chores.