“Queen in Black #3” Review – Completely Great and Mildly Terrifying

The Run Down

In case you missed the previous issue of Al Ewing’s “Queen in Black”, it’s important to know two things. The first thing is that Hela has just launched an all-out attack on Earth, an army made of symbiotes on Super Skrulls. The second thing is our heroes are currently divided among two teams: Defenders of Light and Defenders of Dark. Keeping in theme, it’s appropriate that this review comes from both Shawn and I, so join us as we explore Ewing’s “Queen in Black #3”!

Writer: Al Ewing
Artists: Iban Coello, Paco Medina
Colorist: Guru-eFX
Letters: Clayton Cowles

The Writing

Shawn: Al Ewing continues his trend in the series of successfully managing a kinetic setting. There’s the global attack that our heroes are dealing with but Ewing takes the moments to bring us down to a more focused look on various groups shows us what they are handling. This could become very complex and convoluted but Ewing masterfully weaves the smaller stories into the much larger narrative.

Now, three issues in, I find myself enjoying “Queen in Black” more than I enjoyed “King in Black”. The segmented story works well that way that Ewing has set it up. “Queen in Black” #3″ provided a nice glimpse into what is to come in the story. I think the best part of this issue is a chance to see how close the Spider-family truly is.

Eda: If you’re anything like me, you’re a crazy person and went into this event completely unknowing as to what to expect. If you are like me, I fear you. However, I can also assure you that Ewing, along with the lettering of Cowles, makes this event easy to follow. While I’m unsure how they do it, the combination of Ewing’s writing and Cowles’ lettering makes this event super easy to follow. Not only does he manage to include a lot of lore and deep cuts, but whenever he does, there’s always sure to be a box. These boxes act as both guides to readers to the issue being referenced or as a breakdown of a character.

There’s also several things here that Ewing either does or creates that feel menacing or terrifying. In particular for me, it’s the creation of Super Skrulls boosted by symbiotes. The two of those things separately were already enough for our heroes to handle, but combining them heightens the stakes brilliantly. Ewing expertly finds new ways to make these characters work together in interesting ways that’re so much fun to witness.

The Art

Shawn: Iban Coello and Paco Medina do a really great job of managing the massive energy that flows through the panels of this issue. Coello and Medina really manage to capture the differences in the symbiote forms, ensuring that Toxin, MJ’s Vixen and even Sleeper are distinct with their unique abilities being shown. Despite some panels being crowded with heroes, Coello and Medina do a great job showcasing great art that still looks clean.

Guru-eFX comes in clutch with the coloring. Coloring like Nova’s energy makes a sharp contrast against the dark colors of the symbiotes. It’s the colors that really help you notice the atmospheric shift when you view another team. Clayton Cowles gets creative with some of the bubbles to separate the narration and does a great job with SFX.

Eda: While you’d never be able to guess it while reading, the art here comes from two different people and blends absolutely wonderfully. As Shawn mentioned prior, the pair really captured the look and feel of the symbiotes and did a great job at differentiating them. One thing that I particularly loved however was the detailing and shadow work within them and how they move or form around their hosts. They’re each given this really cool liquid-like effect and it’s used amazingly well here, showing them form at times from panel to panel.

As for the colors from Guru-eFX, they give every inch its own punch. The color work here truly makes this book feel alive and full of personality. There’s also several times throughout where they make the action and characters truly pop.

Final Thoughts

Shawn: I really like what Al Ewing is doing with this event. It’s nice to see some characters getting to shine that don’t always get to. The creative team does a great job capturing the “all hands on deck” approach helping readers understand the significance of this event.

Eda: The more I read from this event, the more I realize exactly what I’ve been missing. Ewing does a fantastic job of not just balancing all of these characters, but making the story feel grand, exciting and intense. As this continues on, I’m excited to see where the world of Marvel ends up after this.

Shawn’s Grade: 9/10
Eda’s Grade: 9/10
Overall Grade: 9/10

For more from Shawn, check out his articles and Instagram!

For more from me, read here and check out my socials!

Comments

Have you been keeping up with “Queen in Black”? What’re your thoughts so far? Let’s discuss in the comments below!