My Rating
“The Know-It-All”
The last thing Patsy remembered was staring daggers at Hedy Wolfe as her inner demons began taking control of Hellcat’s soul. Then the bullets hit. Three rounds from the San Francisco police officers’ 9mm Berettas tore through costumed flesh. Then—blackness.
Patsy awakens to the smell of sulfur and burning embers. It is a scent that has become far too familiar for a woman once married to the Son of Satan. From a nearby pile of rubble emerges a greatly diminished version of her ex-husband, Daimon Hellstrom. Some powerful curse has transformed the former Son of Satan into a living children’s toy—a powerless stuffed bunny forced to endure the humiliation of remembering what he once was. Patsy scowls at the familiar face as the realization sinks in. Hellcat has returned to Hell proper!
Back on Earth, the disavowed Dream Police investigator known simply as Sleepwalker confronts the son of Mephisto at an abandoned lighthouse near Point Bonita. The structure was built over a mysterious node of dark energy sometime during the 19th century. Before his death, Spalding Grantham had been using the site to construct a strange arcane machine designed for one purpose—to open a gateway to parts unknown. With the inventor now dead, Blackheart has arrived to evaluate the situation personally.
Will Sleepwalker finally discover who murdered Spalding Grantham? Could Sleepwalker himself somehow be connected to the slaying? What exactly was Grantham trying to unleash through his mysterious gateway? More importantly, can Patsy Walker, a.k.a. Hellcat, claw her way out of Hell once again? Collect the series to find out!
Review
Things are getting interesting as Hellcat begins unlocking more of her supernatural abilities. Just how powerful has Patsy become? Is she turning into some kind of full-on demon capable of going toe-to-toe with the heavy hitters of Hell? I still miss the fun-loving Patsy from the 2015 series, but I suppose when you marry into crazy, some of that craziness is eventually going to follow you home. Hopefully Sleepwalker can help straighten things out. Unfortunately, old Sleepy has problems of his own, and the growing conflict with Rick Sheridan appears ready to boil over.
On another note, Patsy Walker had one seriously f%cked-up childhood! Dorothy Walker was apparently selling readers a complete fantasy through those old Patsy Walker comic books. Then we have Joshua Walker. What’s up with this guy? Daddy Walker is a complete d-bag, and considering the supernatural direction of this story, I’m starting to wonder if there is something more sinister hiding behind that smiling face. Mephisto in disguise? At this point, would anyone really be surprised?
Alex Lins continues to deliver some great artwork, and the Hell sequences give him plenty of bizarre material to work with. My biggest problem is the murder mystery itself. We are already three issues into a five-issue miniseries, so I need some real answers about Spalding Grantham sooner rather than later. There are plenty of interesting pieces on the board—Hellcat, Sleepwalker, Blackheart, Daimon Hellstrom, the Dream Police, and Patsy’s increasingly disturbing childhood—but it is time to start putting them together. I’m giving Hellcat #3 three out of five stars.