Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do
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Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do is a six-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics starring the superhero Spider-Man and his ally, the cat burglar known as the Black Cat.
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[edit] Publication history
Writer/director Kevin Smith began writing the Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do limited series in 2002. After the third issue, the series went on a hiatus until 2005, when Smith revealed he had finally finished writing the scripts[1]. Smith has stated "While I have zero defense for my lateness (particularly when folks like Bendis turn out great stories in multiple books on a monthly basis), I will say this: It's a much better story now than it would've been had I completed it back in '02."
The delay caused Smith to be heavily criticised, being considered both lazy and unethical for having been paid for something he had failed to deliver. However, in January 2006 Smith revealed that due to his own failure to submit the relevant paperwork, Marvel's then-newly computerized system for paying writers for their scripts had not created the relevant cheque. Due to Smith's failure to discover this until after the completion of the series, he did not in fact receive any payment at all for his work until it had been finished; in his own words, "Justice, in some weird manner, has been served, I guess." [2]
[edit] Story summary
The Black Cat, the former lover of Spider-Man, returns to New York City.
[edit] #1 - "The Evil That Men Do"
Spider-Man is looking for a missing woman named Tricia and investigating the death of Donald Philips. Philips was an honor roll student who died from a heroin overdose, despite a lack of evidence that he had ever used heroin. The drug dealer, when confronted by Spider-Man, reveals a certain actor who likes boys and a man called Mister Brownstone. Felicia Hardy goes out in her Black Cat outfit. Spider-Man overhears Hunter Todd make a phone call to a Mister Brownstone. From across the street, the Black Cat sees a dark figure snooping and decides to move in closer. She swings across the street and she sees it's Spider-Man. Together, they crash through the window. Spider-Man wants to know about Donald, Cat, about Tricia. As Hunter starts talking, his girlfriend dies of a drug overdose. Then they hear a voice from the phone that fell on the floor. The man on the phone's name is Mister Brownstone.
[edit] #2 - "A Ruse By Any Other Name..."
A man named "Garrison Klum" turns off a cellular phone and enters a stage at Carnegie Hall. Spider-Man and Black Cat start arguing. She leaves, and the two play a game of cat-and-mouse while swinging around New York City. At Carnegie Hall, Scorpia, a woman dressed as a scorpion, crashes the reception looking for Klum. Spider-Man and Black Cat arrive and start fighting. During the fight, Black Cat pulls Scorpia to the edge of a window, accidentally rips her tail off and falls, but is saved by Spider-Man. After returning inside, they hand Scorpia over to the police. Klum poses with Spider-Man and Black cat for the cameras. After hearing him speak, Spider-Man suspects that Klum is Mister Brownstone. Then he meets a guy name "Pavan". As Spider-Man was busy, he asked Pavan to do the work.
[edit] #3 - "Hate Crimes"
With Scorpia in prison, Spider-Man and Black Cat learn that she was hired by a Alberto Ortega, the head of a local drug syndicate, to assassinate Klum. However, Klum gets to the Ortegas first, causing them all to fatally overdose on heroin through mysterious means. Spider-Man and Black Cat discover this, leading to a disagreement on how to deal with the situation. Black Cat restrains Spider-Man with the use of his webshooters, and then goes after Klum on her own. Confronting Klum in his apartment, Black Cat discovers that Klum is a low-level teleporter, which allows him to transport small objects. Klum uses his abilities to put heroin into Black Cat's system, leaving her helpless. He pulls out a pocket knife and proceeds to cut off her costume...
[edit] #4 - "A Study in Scarlet"
Garrison Klum is dead. Felicia Hardy waits in prison at Ryker's Island, accused of his murder. Matt Murdock, also known as Daredevil, is chosen to represent her at the trial, and is trying to convince her to submit to a physical examination to prove that she was sexually assaulted by Klum in the previous issue. If she was indeed raped, they could plead self-defense, although Felicia continues to deny it. Spider-Man and Daredevil are still convinced of her innocence and decide to break her out of prison, although someone has beaten them to the punch: Francis Klum, Garrison Klum's lackey and younger brother. Francis has some powers of his own, using his mental powers to force Spider-Man and Daredevil to fight each other, before teleporting himself and Felicia away.
[edit] #5 - "Trickle Down"
As Spider-Man and Daredevil leave Ryker's Island, Francis Klum explains his history with Garrison to Black Cat. As it turns out, Francis was consistently raped by his older brother and forced to take part in his crimes, allowing Garrison to climb up the drug trade ladder. As it also turns out, Francis was the one responsible for murdering Garrison, teleporting himself inside Garrison and exploding him from the inside out, saving the Black Cat from being raped and murdered. Black Cat attempts to convince Francis to turn himself in. Conversely, Felicia reveals at the very end of the issue that she herself is a victim of rape.
[edit] #6 - "One in Four"
While Black Cat attempts to get Francis to turn himself in to the authorities, she tells the story of her sexual assault and how she became Black Cat. In flashbacks, Felicia was a freshman student at Empire State University who had a boyfriend who date raped her in his dorm room. Not reporting the incident to authorities and refusing to become "just another statistic," she trains in fighting techniques, intent on revenge on her attacker. However, her attacker ended up dying in a car accident before she could take her revenge. Feeling reckless, she developed an interest in thievery, following in the footsteps of her catburglar father. Back in the present, Black Cat reveals that she was able to trust people again after meeting Spider-Man, almost convincing Francis. However, Spider-Man and Daredevil arrive, misinterpreting the situation and a fight ensues. Francis falls from a great height but teleports away before hitting the water. As the issue ends, a disfigured Francis swears his revenge on Spider-Man, enlisting the aid of the The Kingpin, who sells him the suit formerly worn by Mysterio...
[edit] External links
| Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Films |
| The View Askewniverse: Clerks | Mallrats | Chasing Amy | Dogma | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Clerks II Other: Jersey Girl | An Evening with Kevin Smith | An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder Upcoming: Untitled Horror Project | Clerks: Sell Out Abandoned: The Green Hornet | Superman Lives | Fletch Won |
| Comics |
| Clerks | Walt Flanagan's Dog | Chasing Dogma | Bluntman and Chronic | Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do | Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target |
| Notable characters |
| Jay and Silent Bob | Dante | Randal | Banky | Alyssa | Leonardo | Bluntman and Chronic | Mooby | Buddy Christ | Brodie | Willam | Minor characters |
| Miscellaneous |
| View Askew Productions | View Askewniverse motifs | View Askew Media | The Flying Car | Clerks: The Animated Series | Clerks: The Lost Scene | Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash | Silent Bob Speaks | Sucks Less With Kevin Smith | My Name Is Earl |
