Title: Black Cat Vol 9
Author: Kentaro Yabuki
Publisher: VIZ
ISBN: 9781421510385
May Contain Spoilers
The Chronos assault team Cerberus confronts Creed, only to find themselves in a desperate fight against a werewolf! Using nanotechnology, Creed has developed a vicious weapon that can regenerate, making it virtually unbeatable. As the team battles Creed and his gang, Train drops in on the party, determined to rescue Rinslet. Will he be able to ignore his hated enemy, or will he find himself caught up in the fray between Creed and the Cerberus team?
Black Cat is a rather generic title that dishes out fast paced action and plenty of fight scenes. It just doesn’t feel much different from the stack of other shonen titles crowding the market right now. As a new reader to this series, I was grateful for the synopsis at the beginning, but since the fighting took center stage, I never felt that I connected with the characters. Motivations for the forces driving their behavior were only briefly touched on, and as a result, I felt a little alienated from the plot.
Certain elements did draw me in; I’m fascinated by Eve, and wanted to learn more about her, but she was only featured on a few meager pages in this volume. Still, it’s always cool when somebody suddenly sprouts a pair of wings. Shaolee, with his ever changing features, seemed like he might be more than a match for Train, but again, he appeared near the end of the book, and only all too briefly.
I enjoyed the art, and found Kentaro Yabuki’s fine lines well suited to the fight sequences that dominated the book. He got a little carried away with speed lines, but his illustrations gave the battles a feeling of frantic motion. I found the character designs, though a little unimaginative, pleasing, and felt a little envious that Creed and Echidna were graced with such luscious locks of hair. Train, on the other hand, should demand a new wardrobe. Why is he forced to walk around in public with Krispy Kremes attached to his jacket? It must be hard being a tough guy when you’re dressed in such silly looking duds.
Grade: C
Rated for Older Teen
Review copy provided by VIZ
August 15, 2007 at 8:46 am
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