Share this
Creative Team – Kelly Thompson(writer). Meredith McClaren(art and colors). Becca Carey(letterer). Rian Hughes(design). Meredith McClaren(cover art).
Published by Image Comics
“Faces from the past bring both pleasure and pain as Essex, Pax, and rookie Black Cloak Alden II make big moves to uncover the secrets behind the killings. But what they unearth suggests more than just a monster. Sometimes monsters are easier.”
Submerged in Problems
Kelly Thompson sets the tone of Black Cloak #9 with what seems like a safe space for our team in the Lagoon. Essex, Sashenka, Pax, and Aldin submerge themselves underwater when they realize they’re being stalked by the Dragyern. Quick thinking from Sashenka saves their lives as they finally make it to shelter. The problem is that the shelter they’re in is a closed space with no way out, so there’s no fleeing from the Dragyern. The Dragyern continues to stalk them from the outside looking in as the team tries to think of another plan to get them to safety.
In the nick of time, a teleport portal appears and out walks Valerie accompanied by someone who’s able to use their magic to deter the Dragyern. But after great use of her power, she collapses onto the floor. With so much commotion happening at once, everyone is understandably confused.
After some discussion, they find out who the mystery woman is and why she has such powerful magic. But her identity is the least of their problems. They still have a Dragyern to escape from, they have little to no magic, and they just found out about another death. They come to the realization that with the amount of deaths in the time frame they have, someone is for sure cleaning house.
The Writing
Kelly Thompson does really well with stories with a lot of moving parts. In Black Cloak #9, there’s quite a few problems going on for our characters, but Thompson does a great job at keeping the story moving while addressing those problems. I really was intrigued by Valerie showing up with her mystery partner, which adds even more dynamics to the run. Overall, it was a fun read with a great deal of continuation for the overall story.
The Art
I found the artwork of Black Cloak #9 to be a great representation of the story. With a variety of different color tones in each scene, the artists did really well in making each page feel the emotions of the story. There are quite a few things I really enjoyed like how adorable the Taka were or how menacing the Dragyern was.
8.2/10
This article was written by me, Megan from Vigilante Vibes: A Marvel Podcast! If you liked my review, be sure to check out my other reviews! Let me know what you think of Black Cloak #9, or tell me what comics you’d recommend me trying out! Find me on my socials, and check out my Marvel podcast, Vigilante Vibes, by clicking here!
