Patsy Walker: Hellcat #3 (of 5)

Surely there is no more eccentric comic being published by Marvel than Patsy Walker: Hellcat. Before I tackle that, let's run down some basic background for a character with a somewhat complicated history.

Patsy started her comic book career as the title character in a teen comic, styled in the vein of of Archie Comics. She and her pal Hedy even made a cameo appearance in Fantastic Four Annual #3, wherein Reed and Sue were married. She reappeared in, of all places, the short-lived series that starred the newly-furry former X-Man, The Beast. She followed him into The Avengers, where she took ownership of The Cat's costume and renamed herself Hellcat (which seems odd, since she's such a good girl that you wouldn't expect her to say the word "hell." This is the hero who says "Jeepers," after all).

From there she eventually made her way into The Defenders, and after that it all gets kind of fuzzy, but I believe she married the Son of Satan (never a good career move) and was eventually killed. Silly, I know. Thankfully, Kurt Busiek cashed in some reincarnation chips and Patsy was reborn as her flighty, fun-loving old self. She's made some guest appearances and was featured in a mini-series a few years back, which brings us (more or less) up to date.

There's every reason to dislike this miniseries. It removes Patsy from the mainstream Marvel Universe (which is to say, New York) and ships her off to Alaska, though so far she hasn't met the governor. She immediately becomes involved in some kind of mystical quest that involves a number of odd creatures, including a rock with a face, a gigantic wolf, and a water lemming (among others). They're looking for someone who's been kidnapped - but I have to admit I'm not sure about the specifics.

And yet, despite all this, I don't hate this series. In fact, I actually kind of enjoy it. Let me quickly add that it's certainly not for everyone. If you're looking for mainstream, Skrull-bashing, rock 'em sock 'em action, keep looking.

But Patsy is just so irrepressibly fun, just bubbling over with energy and confidence and breezing through the whole experience like it's one big party. Kathryn Immonen captures Patsy's voice perfectly, and the vivid art by David Lafuente is an excellent match for the mystical story that's unfolding.

So mark this one down as a guilty pleasure. You have to like a comic that has its heroine snuggling next to a giant wolf, smiling and saying, "You're a little bit stinky."

Grade: B-