What the what?! A new cat is being introduced. Yeah, the cover says it all, so I am not ruining anything for you. I have to say that Bandit looks pretty freaking cool (although if you’ve been keeping up with Hero Cats then you probably recognize this feline), but still has that cool cat vibe going on. Can’t wait to dive into this issue and you shouldn’t wait either. So let’s talk about Bandit before we jump into the issue. He is more of a tech cat. Although not as advanced as Rocket, Bandit uses his tech for the fight rather than for the data. Not to mention that at the end of this issue, we get some pages about just how cool Bandit’s gear is. He is smart and witty, and of course Ace doesn’t trust him. It is suspicious that this new cat just showed up all of a sudden when needing some help to solve a case, but with his flashy charm you soon forget that Bandit isn’t part of the team.
That brings me to the real plot of this Hero Cats chapter; The Crow King. My one big thing about Hero Cats is the inconsistency in the storyline. I wanted something to stick, and Kyle Puttkammer wanted some introductions and some teasing of a supervillain before jumping in... well now I am certainly hooked. I think this will give fans something to hold to and keep them buying issue after issue. Bandit is actually the dude that knows The Crow King, and he doesn’t seem like the nicest man in the world. To be honest, I don’t know if he even is a man. It looks like he is half bird and half man, so that should be interesting moving forward. You’ll have to keep on reading to see what will happen to this dude.
The real star of this issue is the art! I can’t get over how awesome every panel, splash page, and color is. The artist behind this series, which consist of Marcus Williams, Ryan Sellers, and Omaka Schultz, have taken the superhero cat to a whole new level. Down to the little things, like the cats’ expressions. You can see when Rocket is excited, Cassie is upset, or Ace is angry. Having all these different cats has got to be crazy, but everything is balanced so well. Every cat gets a chance to shine and it all falls in place.
All in all, if you have been jumping around on Hero Cats, or haven’t tried it all, this is a great jumping off point. We get about a page of background to get you up to date, but who I am kidding? If you love cats, it doesn’t matter about background so much as it does just awesome cats doing awesome things. Did I mention lasers are involved too? Williams and Sellers put an all-out battle scene in this issue, so you get a little flavor of how cool the ultimate showdown will be. Honestly, the action is so cool, you will think that it is a final showdown. On top of lasers, there are cats, cats with rockets, feathers, flames, and a whole lotta other things to get you pumped. Plus, with a team of cats, you jump from action to convos to action again. The pace is fast and the reading is addictive. Just pick up this issue of Hero Cats already and watch your feline instincts come alive!
Score: 4/5
Hero Cats of Stellar City #7 Writer: Kyle Puttkammer Artist: Marcus Williams & Ryan Sellers Colorist: Omaka Schultz Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 8/12/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital