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Black Cat and Mary Jane Watson/Jackpot, two of the most prominent and powerful women in Spider-Man's corner of the Marvel Universe, are teaming up in their own limited series, which puts Black Cat's bad luck powers alongside MJ's chance-based Jackpot powers.
Written by Celeste Bronfman, with art from Emilio Liaiso and colorist Brian Reber, and letters by Ariana Maher, the story pits Black Cat and Jackpot against a "mystery villain" who manages to set the entire city on their trail.
Newsarama spoke with Bronfman ahead of Jackpot and Black Cat #1's March 27 release date to dig into the question of who's behind it all, the strength of Black Cat and MJ's budding partnership, and more. But first, here's an early look at pages from the first issue by Liaiso, Reber, and Maher along with the cover by Adam Hughes:
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Newsarama: How would you tease the story of Jackpot and Black Cat in a few sentences?
Celeste Bronfman: Jackpot faces her biggest challenge yet as a mysterious app begins blackmailing the citizens of New York City. Black Cat is one of the app’s victims, and when she’s threatened into pulling a heist, Jackpot comes to Felicia’s rescue. But both soon get tangled up in a dangerous plot – one where any innocent citizen can turn into a deadly assassin with the receipt of one text.
Felicia and Mary Jane’s interpersonal relationship has varied over the years. What’s their dynamic like in this book?
It’s definitely been a journey for the two of them! When we catch up with MJ and Felicia in this book, we see that they’ve formed quite a tight bond. Felicia is the one who inspired MJ to take up the mantle as Jackpot, and MJ’s leaned on her ever since. But even though MJ’s opened herself up to Felicia, Felicia hasn’t completely dropped her guard. She’s still keeping things close to the chest, which will come into play in a major way as they work together.
How is Mary Jane adjusting to her new life as a superhero?
She’s feeling much more confident these days! We’ve seen her adjust to her powers and work with a team of iconic superheroes - not bad for your first few months on the job! But what MJ’s really going to be tested on in this book is how far she can and should go to help a friend. What is that line?
What can you tease about the mystery villain facing them?
This mystery villain is quite the genius, because instead of finding a few hired goons to do their bidding, they’re using every single person in the city as their army. This makes it almost impossible for MJ and Black Cat to escape and puts them in a massive amount of danger.
What qualities does artist Emilio Laiso bring to this book?
Emilio Laiso has brought so much depth and nuance to both MJ and Felicia. There are some pretty heavy emotional beats throughout, and he nails them, giving them plenty of room to breathe. He’s also just so passionate about these characters. It’s a real pleasure to collaborate with him.
What do you hope readers will take away from reading Jackpot and Black Cat?
I hope they have a blast with some of the wild situations Jackpot and Black Cat find themselves in, and that they enjoy discovering new layers to their friendship along the way!
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