Saturday, November 21, 2015

The Black Knight #1

   Perhaps the most surprising survivor of the eventual end of the Secret Wars is revealed in this issue starring The Black Knight.

   No, it's not the knight - it's the world he finds himself in: Weirdworld.

   For mysterious reasons, Dane Whitman, the modern-day owner of the mystic Ebony Blade, finds himself in command there, fighting strange monsters and trying to hold together his fragile coalition of fighters.

   I've always liked the Black Knight (both in the original, King Arthur-era version and in the modern day hero), but he's another character that no one seems to know what to do with.

   Because he uses a sword, it's tough to put him to work fighting modern bad guys - he spends a lot of time hitting them with the flat of his sword.

   So it's a great idea to put him in a mystic, medieval setting where the fighting is more brutal (sword edges are allowed) - though for now the whole environment is just chaotic.

   I'm still warming up to artist Luca Pizzari and color artist Antonio Fabela. The work is solid, but the color is so muted and grim that it's sometimes difficult to follow events.

   So it's a decent start to this new series. I'm hoping for bigger and better things in the months ahead - The Black Knight has a great hero pedigree and deserves the best.

Grade: B+

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