A long time Marvel staple getting his own book, post Secret Wars. Let’s see how this plays out…
Written by Frank Tieri
Illustrated by Luca PizzariWhat do you do when it’s your destiny to be damned? For centuries, that is the question that has plagued each wielder of the Ebony Blade… with all of them eventually meeting untimely ends due to the sword’s curse. And it is the question the current Black Knight, Dane Whitman, must ask himself as his addiction to the blade grows ever stronger and he finds himself in the aptly named Weirdworld. What are the circumstances that brought him to leave Earth and enter this strange and dangerous realm? And what do the Uncanny Avengers have to do with it? Find out here in this new ongoing tale of sword, sorcery and one man’s struggle to not lose his soul.
To be bluntly honest, I had no idea who the Black Knight was prior to this review. While I have a passing familiarity with the Avengers titles, I will not say I was an avid reader. Coming into this one I had no expectations whatsoever or reservations for that matter. In the interest of full disclosure, I have also not read any of the “Secret Wars” series or the numerous tie-ins. In this case, for this issue, I am the new reader Marvel is looking to hook in post “Secret Wars”.
The story begins with a brief introduction to the man behind the Black Knight attire, Dane Whitman. He gives an nice summation of how he is a part of the mythology of the Black Knight and that he does not see himself as a true hero. While he is explaining this, he is in the middle of a battle inside of Weirdworld. His enemy is a threat but it is unclear as to why that is the case. As the battle completes, the story cuts to the present where Dane is sitting in his quarters retelling the tale to a tape recorder. Upon his completion of the recording, Dane is visited by one of the Black Knights of past to warn him of the ebony blade and its power.
For my first introduction to the Black Knight, it was a little lukewarm to say the least. Frank Tieri throws the reader right into the story with a timeline jump about half way through the book. While it certainly opens up Dane’s personalities and creates a nice fish-out-of-water scenario, there really is nothing else to speak of. Fundamental questions about why Dane is there or why he has been there so long are a mystery. Tieri keeps Dane wisecracking and irritated, which comes off a little childish at times. I am supposed to believe that the Black Knight is a great warrior, which does not come off that way at all. Beyond that, the narrative shifts from Dane being a hero to him potentially being a villain. While I find that notion interesting, it doesn’t fit in this book that is so short on explanation. Perhaps if I had read “Weirdworld” or “Secret Wars” prior, this might make some more sense. I can safely say, this book does not appear to be new reader friendly, which contradicts my point earlier about Marvel’s intentions.
Story failures aside, Luca Pizzari is a rising star with his art on this book. There is a lot of background details going on in the pages, Pizzari uses every inch of the panel to his advantage. The front half of the book is where the battles are occurring which is a great way to start. Weapons are swinging, blood is flying and the perspective is right from ground level. This makes the reader feel right in the middle of the action, which is simply awesome. Surprisingly, Pizzari is given the chance to do this without any sound FX on the pages, letting the art do the talking. Later on, Pizzari keeps things rolling with the flashback sequence shown in black & white. It is a subtle touch to show that the Ebony Blade can have some evil outcomes for even the noblest of wielders. One thing Pizzari does not get the opportunity to do is show Dane not being the Black Knight. There are a few scant moments, but not enough overall to get inside of Dane’s emotions. Hopefully future issues will open this up, but that was certainly a disappointment.
Continued belowI found this book challenging to criticize properly, because it feels like two totally different books in one package. Tieri has a cool mythology ready to go in the book, that is only touched on briefly. There is also a lot of emphasis on Weirdworld, which really takes a backseat to mindless action. While the action is drawn perfectly, it feels like filler because of how little anything is mentioned. I find it to be problematic coming out of a crossover event to throw a book like this out. Yes it is cool that it is something different, but what was the point besides saying it? That might sound like sour grapes, but I am frustrated because like me, other readers are looking to get more understanding of who the Black Knight is. The book does very little to offer that up, think of it like an episode of Saturday Night Live, some part are good, some are bad and overall it was ok.
Maybe it would have made more sense to prime the reader ahead of time about the whys of the Black Knight. The summation early on is very good as to the origin from years ago, but there is not a whole lot outside of that. Dane Whitman really has no personality of his own, which is odd to say given he is the star of the book. It feels as if the Black Knight could be anyone, leaving Dane out in the cold in terms of star power. This is a disappointing development that puts the “Black Knight” on the bottom of the list for the new Marvel Universe. I thought there would be far more character bits, alas that was not to be. There is a very odd twist at the end, that seems to reflect a larger problem Marvel has. If the Black Knight is meant to stand by himself, why are other brought in at the end of issue #1? It seems that Marvel is not fully confident in the character’s abilities, or maybe I am misreading that entirely.
Credit where credit it is due, this was a risk to publish. While the success of the book is fleeting, adding this level of diversity will certainly help Marvel’s overall product. The “Black Knight” certainly fits into the “different” part of Marvel’s all-new, all different credo. But different does not always equate to good, even if it is something totally beyond the norm.
Final Verdict: 5.7 – A meandering plot keeps the “Black Knight” from going beyond the basement of the Marvel U. Although, seeing great art from a rising star was a pleasant surprise and pallet cleanse for a serious misfire. Buy for the art, not the story.
