Queen In Black #2 – Catch Up on The Hyped Series!

Hela has become the Queen in Black. As her armies rise, Tony Stark assembles the Defenders of Light and the Defenders of Dark to battle not only Hela but also the former King In Black, Knull. Unable to stop Hela’s attack on Earth, a new threat emerges as the Symbiote invaders launch a Symbiote Intelligence.

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Shawn!

Catch up with my review of Queen In Black #1

Creative Team

Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Paco Medina and Iban Coello
Color Artist: Guru-eFX
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Cover Penciller: Ryan Stegman
Cover Inker: J.P Mayer
Cover Color Artist: Frank Martin

Writing

Al Ewing does a really good job in Queen In Black #2, juggling several moving parts at the same time. It’s a credit to his writing talent that he’s able to bring readers to the various fronts in Hela’s war against Earth while maintaining the momentum of the story. Throughout the story, Ewing manages to capture the unique idiosyncrasies of each character. Captain Alliance discovering how painful Spider-Man’s “humor” can be was a real treat. Ewing also drops a little high-level ribbing into the conversation between Cable and Tony Stark

Such joking forms a nice contrast with the encounters shared between Dylan Brock and Mary Jane. There’s a certain level of emotional weight that their interactions bring to the story. Ewing also really combines some deep cuts of Marvel cosmic lore well. Whether it’s Asgardian runes or Kree intelligence, Ewing manages to weave lore into the stories without dragging down the pacing and still keeping Queen in Black #2 accessible to readers.

Art

Paco Medina and Iban Coello put together a really strong issue. The way both artists allow the story to flow seamlessly between the dialogue scenes and the action scenes is perfect. Even when the scenes are packed with tendrils from all of the symbiotes, the linework feels clean and crisp.

Guru-eFX effectively uses the color palette to establish the scene. This makes it easier for readers to shift from scene to scene as Ewing shifts the narratives. The colors act as a visual trigger, helping to reinforce that the scene has shifted. The art team collectively puts together some dynamic panels that are both bright and dramatic.

Final Thoughts

This was another great entry into the Queen in Black story. I really love that Ewing can move you around the battlefield almost cinematically to help you see all the moving parts of this battle. The art stuns, helping the reader easily move from one setting to another with distinct visual cues.

Overall Grade: 9 / 10

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