Black Cat 19 cover image

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Train Heartnet, AKA “Black Cat,” gave up his life as a ruthless assassin for the secret Chronos organization.  With his partner, Sven Vollfied, a fellow “sweeper” (bounty hunter), the thief-for-hire Rinslet Walker, and Eve, a living weapon created in a nanotech lab, Train lives life on his own terms as a sweeper.  Train is also seeking vengeance against Creed Diskenth, the villain that killed his dear friend, Saya Minatsuki.

In Black Cat, Vol. 19 (As a Sweeper), Train begins his final showdown with Creed, but not before the Chrono Numbers (of which Train was once a member) get the first shot.  However, Chrono Number I, Sephiria Arks, discovers that Creed is nearly impossible to defeat, having become nearly indestructible and declaring himself a god.  Meanwhile, Sven and Eve take on The Kiseitai-the Demon Star Force, Creed’s nanotech-enhanced super warriors.  In a bonus story, readers learn how Sven met Train.

THE LOWDOWN:  Indicating to readers that a particular manga title is a shonen (boys’ comics) title may mean little or nothing to anyone besides the audience at which shonen manga are aimed.  So I’ll describe Black Cat in a way that is familiar to North American comic book readers.  Black Cat is a superhero comic book.  When I first heard of it, the description of the lead character alone suggested (to me, at least) that this was probably a kind of shoot ‘em up/action title like Marvel Comics’ The Punisher.  After reading Black Cat for the first time, I wasn’t sure of what to make of it, but after a few more volumes, Vol. 19, in particular, I can safely write that Black Cat is a superhero comic book masquerading as a manga.  Imagine Warren Ellis’ The Authority (DC Comics/Wildstorm) with those classic Chris Claremont-John Byrne X-Men vs. Hellfire Club stories (Marvel Comics), and you have the general idea of this title’s mood and its edge-of-your-seat thrills.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Not only will fans of “Shonen Jump” titles enjoy Black Cat, but it’s also accessible to superhero comic book fans.

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