MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY- King in Black: Captain America #1

This is one of the “King in Black” tie-ins I was most anticipating in the recent weeks, mainly because I wanted to see Captain America in action, together with Winter Soldier and Falcon. As WandaVision is about to conclude, the whole world is gearing up for the start of the new upcoming series starring Winter Soldier and Falcon. And the best way to get these two some spotlight before the main event is to put them right in the middle of an intergalactic war against symbiote space-dragons. And they end up being the key to bringing Captain America out of the darkness.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

King in Black: Captain America #1

STORY BY: Danny Lore

ART BY: Mirko Colak

COVER BY: Salvador Larroca, Butch Guice,

Ernanda Souza, Patrick Brown

Captain America is in a brutal battle to win the streets of Manhattan back from Knull’s forces, aided by the Winter Soldier and the Falcon…but there’s a darkness inside Steve that he’s struggling to shake. Can his closest friends help him through, or will he succumb to the shadows? Danny Lore (IRONHEART 2020) and Mirko Colak (DEADPOOL, PUNISHER) join forces for a twisted and terrifying story at the heart of the war against Knull!

THE WAR IS JUST BEGINNING!

PROS:

• Captain America already got infected by Knull and his evil symbiotes. But Venom’s son was able to rescue Steve. That is a fact. But the more important truth is that even though you are freed from a symbiote’s grasp, the darkness it leaves lingers. And while Captain America is usually a beacon and symbol of light and hope, in this issue we see the turmoil plaguing Captain America’s mind when tragedy befalls him and all around him. This was a unique peek into the workings of the inner mind of Captain America. He reflects on how the shield, the costume and the name feel so selfish. Every time he puts them on, he is a beacon, a symbol, but also a target. And Cap struggles with that internal conflict because he fears he becomes the wrong kind of beacon time and time again. And in this issue, the enemy quite literally wears his face, the villain reaches out his hand and the monster answers their cries. And ultimately, his presence no longer inspires. And there lies the deepest, darkest burden that Captain America carries.
• Winter Soldier and Falcon get a lot of screen time in this issue, almost as much as Captain America himself, and this is excellent exposure as the world readies itself for the new MCU series. In this comic, we as readers realize how crucial and important these two are to Captain America. They are able to save Cap and pull him out of his own darkness, the remaining influence of Knull and his symbiotes. They are able to relate to Captain America, in the sense that he is not alone in feeling like he is losing himself. Bucky said it himself, that even now, he still hears those dark voices. But at the end of the day, the moral of the story is that you have to believe in yourself, and that you can be stronger than that dark voice which just will not go away.
• Passing the shield around was epic.
• Those sound grenades are pretty awesome.

CONS:

• The only con I really see is that there was not much set-up for readers who are coming in cold with this one. Even the setting and environment were not clear from the beginning. The usual introductory page always helps in Marvel Comics, but a few more pages could have been dedicated to briefing new readers on what was happening to Captain America and his comrades.

FINAL GRADE: A

There is always a greater sense of doom when the brightest of heroes goes down. In this case, Captain America succumbing to the hold and sway of Knull signals to the rest of the galaxy that there is no escape from the alien invasion. But luckily, Winter Soldier and Falcon prove that no threat is insurmountable if you have a couple of super-friends to pick you up when you’re down, and raise you up when you are drowning in despair.