The Black Cloak #1 is a perfect fusion of fantasy and mystery and highlights the best of both. Our 10/10 review. Read Full Review

Black Cloak #1 starts its narrative off in an excellent fashion. It introduces memorable characters and surrounds them with both a plot and a world that is begging to be explored. Read Full Review

Comparisons abound, when made are purely metaphorical. The idea of a disliked police force and a multi tier society can be seen in any number of movies and books. By taking this road, Thompson is showing her writing mettle for those that may think she is just all about a certain Carol. I am massively impressed by the setup of this book and look forward to how things play out. Read Full Review

A great mixing of genres, Kelly Thompson and Meredith McClaren create a deeply intriguing and lore filled opening chapter for those who like some murder mystery and political intrigue in their DnD. Read Full Review

'Black Cloak' combines elements of sci-fi, fantasy, and noir into something wholly original and compelling. Move over, 'Saga.' This is my new obsession. Read Full Review

Black Cloak is top work from a very exciting creative collaboration. Read Full Review

McClaren delivers some fun and entertaining visuals with a great style that plays well with the premise of the story and the world of its characters. Read Full Review

There will no doubt be comparisons to books like Saga and rightly so. ButBlack Cloak is so much more than that series less graphic equivalent. The near-seamless blending of crime procedural and fantasy epic create a genre all its own, with characters that are both truly fantastic yet utterly relatable. The world-building is top-notch and its cliffhanger ending will leave you reeling til the next issuewhich reminds me, I need to go add this to my pull list, like, yesterday. Read Full Review

Black Cloak was the first new comic Ive read in 2023 and Ill be happy with the bar that this has set. After first read I had to immediately dive in again, not because I felt like I had missed something, but because I enjoyed it so much. Tempering expectations a little, my concern is whether this story will be able to maintain the feel and fantastical mystery as the story is revealed. If the team can keep this up, Black Cloak is set to be a book Ill be happy to keep coming back to. Read Full Review

Black Cloak #1 ticks the right boxes for sci-fi storytelling, hooking readers in to see its mystery unfold. Read Full Review

Im sure there will be many fans of Black Cloak #1, but it just didnt click with me. Too much jargon, confusing art and a lackluster mystery made the book tough to get through, but theres hope in main character Phaedra Essex, whos the highlight of the book and manages to partially save it. Read Full Review

Not sure I can live with the art.

Solid start with interesting world building from Thompson, plus it's hard to complain about a triple sized first issue. I'm not sold on the Saga comparisons at all, other than the fact that a lot of the character-types are pulled from the fantasy realm and are placed in a more modern futuristic setting. There's way more of a noir vibe going on here, which came as a bit of pleasant surprise. The lead detective, or Black Cloak, Phaedra is has a variety of complex relationships that we're introduced to and Thompson does a good job of not making it feel too overwhelming.

But my biggest problem might be that I didn't completely connect with the art style. Everything looks a bit too soft, a bit too rounded, and slightly too simple. McClaren definitely has talent, but unfortunately her style isn't my cup of tea. more