Black Cat, Vol. 4

The first few volumes of "Black Cat" introduced us to some of the mysterious knacks of Sven, Train's partner in sweeping. For example, his clairvoyant eye. And in the fourth volume of this quirky action series, Kentaro Yabuki sheds some light on Sven's bittersweet past. But he doesn't stick to poignancy for long, before heading for quirky comedy, sweeping for assassins, and a dinner party with a very unusual guest. While Train demonstrates his shooting skill to Eve, Sven pays a visit to the grave of an old friend, who "donated" his eye. He flashes back to his days as an inspector, with his kindly clairvoyant partner Lloyd, who could see vital events a few seconds in the future. When Sven was captured and half-blinded by a vengeful gang, Lloyd came to his rescue -- and sacrificed himself to save Sven. Then thief-for-hire Rinslet blackmails Train into being her escort at a wealthy, grand ball, whose hostess has a valuable "treasure. And she reveals that a top-level bounty, assassin Rugato Won, has also infiltrated the party -- which interests Train greatly. But Won is a devastatingly lethal assassin, and capturing him might be a problem even for the former XIII... and the "large treasure" turns out to be something very dangerous as well. It took Yabuki a little while to reveal why Sven always wears an eyepatch, and he wasted no time in explaining why the lackadaisical man only has one clairvoyant eye. It also deepens Sven's character, revealing that he now works as a sweeper to further Lloyd's life purpose -- to capture criminals like those that murdered his parents, and him. It's only a few chapters, but Yabuki infuses it with a poignant, melancholic inevitability. Fortunately things lighten up when Rinslet reenters the scene, blackmailing poor Train with food and sex appeal. Then we get horribly ugly rich ladies, swank hotels, and some subtle flirtations from Rinslet that go straight over Train's head. The megavaluable prehistoric "treasure" turns out to be kind of weird, and the sort of thing one would expect from a boy who's visited the museum too many times. But admittedly this series does have a lot of bioengineering plotting -- and it gives Eve a chance to show her bizarre abilities. And Yabuki's artwork doesn't hurt either -- he has a knack for elegant, clean-cut artwork with fairly realistic proportions and lots of gorgeous detail. The hotel is really stunning. And he really shines in the fight scenes -- the ongoing battle between Won and Train is kinetic and wildly acrobatic, but you can still follow it. And while our dear pal Sven gets most of the character development in this one, we do get to see a little growth for Rinslet, Eve and Train. Train gets to demonstrate what a lethal fighter he can be even without his Hades gun, and Rinslet hints at a hidden attraction to Train. Finally, Eve gets to demonstrate her own brand of strength and determination. The fourth "Black Cat" starts poignantly, but then switches quickly to the m

Probably as close as you'll get to American comicbook with that amazing typical flare for incredible choreography and interesting characters/ situations. Every volume of Black Cat just continues to amaze me as one of the few manga (and I read quite a few) that I simply have to read from cover to cover with few breaks. I've read some reviews that say BC is "not very deep". This is true. But, that's okay. There are some great things going for it.... great little conspiracy with Train's past/ Creed's (Train's ex-partner) grand scheme, mild flirtation with Train and Rinslet and some awesome action bouts with characters who can create flame, use blood as weapons and even a dinosaur in volume 4. I've been very impressed and think most hardcore and new fans of manga will enjoy this title with just one try. As with all manga it helps when the art is good and like my most favorite....black kat benefits from Yabuki sans clean art. I noticed in a sketch of Sven in Vol, 4 but I swear this guy reminds me of Joe Madureira. Great read...summer fun at its' best.