King In Black #1

Event\Storyline: King in Black Writer: Donny Cates Artist: Ryan Stegman Publisher: Marvel Comics Release Date: December 2, 2020 Cover Price: $5.99 Critic Reviews: 19 User Reviews: 80
8.5Critic Rating
8.9User Rating

DARKNESS REIGNS!
After a campaign across the galaxy, Knull's death march arrives to Earth and, worse yet, he hasn't come alone! With an army of hundreds of thousands of symbiote dragons at his command, the King in Black is a force unlike any Earth's heroes have ever faced. EDDIE BROCK, A.K.A. VENOM has seen firsthand the chaos that even one of Knull's symbiotic monsters can wreak - will he survive an encounter with the God of the Abyss himself?
From Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Frank Martin and VC's Clayton Cowles comes the definitive chapter in their two-year-long VENOM saga that changed everything you thought you knew about more

  • 10
    Monkeys Fighting Robots - Matthew Sardo Dec 3, 2020

    If you love how comic books make you feel like a 12-year-old kid, you need to read KING IN BLACK #1. Read Full Review

  • 10
    But Why Tho? - CJ Dec 2, 2020

    King in Black #1 is the gold standard for event books, pitting the heroes of the Marvel Universe against an utterly terrifying force. Fans of Marvel's heroes-Venom in particular-will want to read this series. Cates, Stegman, Mayer, and Martin are an immensely talented creative team, and I can't wait to see what else they throw at the Lethal Protector. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Horror DNA - James Ferguson Dec 7, 2020

    I was predisposed to like King in Black, as I've been a huge fan of Venom and all of its tie-ins since this creative team took over the title a couple years ago. This book has exceeded my expectations in every way. More importantly, this is an event that surprised me. We've seen huge attacks on the planet before, but there was always a way out. The stakes were never all that high to begin with because it was clear the heroes had a path to victory. That doesn't exist in King in Black. This is a decisive and swift attack that has decimated every hero, big and small, across the entire planet. If this is the opening salvo, where can this possibly go next? Read Full Review

  • 9.4
    The Comicbook Dispatch - Dispatchdcu Dec 1, 2020

    If you're a MARVEL COMICS fan, you need to read this. There is something for everyone in this story. If you're a VENOM fan, it would be pure lunacy to not read KING IN BLACK #1. Cates has rewritten the mythos surrounding the Symbiotes and has anchored them deep within the entire Marvel Universe. The impact of this event will be felt throughout a variety of comics across all of Marvel, which is ultimately why this isn't just a VENOM event. Read Full Review

  • 9.2
    The Super Powered Fancast - Deron Generally Dec 2, 2020

    Ryan Stegman thrills with the art in this issue. The characters look amazing and the action is beautifully done. I was blown away by the scope and scale of the scenes and how Stegman stages the panels to keep the story character focused while also delivering huge action. Read Full Review

  • 9.1
    Word Of The Nerd - Brent Jackson Dec 2, 2020

    Knull is here in King in Black #1 and his arrival does not disappoint. With so many events happening recently in the Marvel Universe, it can be easy to get burnt out. You could possibly see this issue and all the tie-ins and think “I should skip this”. I wouldn't blame you and maybe, yeah, you should skip those tie-in issues. But King in Black #1 absolutely delivers; from art to story, it builds something truly epic! I was not really too excited about this event. I mean, with Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman, I knew it would be good, but it truly lives up to the hype. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    AIPT - David Brooke Dec 1, 2020

    After shaking off the feeling Marvel is addicted to invasion events, this is a satisfying first strike from the King in Black team. It balances Venom with the rest of the main Marvel characters, features multiple shocking moments that'll get you talking with your friends, and sets up a villain that seems impossible to defeat. King in Black is an event that is audacious, viscerally gripping, and hellbent on raising the stakes. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Major Spoilers - Christopher Rondeau Dec 8, 2020

    Eddie as a hero is a dynamic character that I never expected would work. This book proves how wrong I am. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Beyond The Panel - Jideobi Odunze Dec 2, 2020

    By the end of King In Black #1, I would dare to say that this creative team made a believer out of me. This story so far not only changes everything you once knew about symbioses, it changes everything you thought you should fear from them too. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Comics Bookcase - T.W. Worn Dec 2, 2020

    King In Black #1 is the wailing, heavy metal riff we have been building up to. Like a stack of SUNN0))) amplifiers, it blows me a way into reverberating bliss. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Graphic Policy - Brett Dec 2, 2020

    King in Black #1 kicks things off with jaw-dropping moments and unexpected twists. But, it's the heart of it all where things succeed. Eddie Brock brings a touch to the story that we can all relate to. And, more importantly, he brings a character we can empathize with and feel sorry for. He's likely sacrificing himself to save the world and his kid and knows it. Yet, he goes through with it. King in Black #1 is the shift of Eddie Brock from anti-hero to true hero willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. It's the start of an event but also the next step for the character that Cates and Stegman have been adding depth to for years. Read Full Review

  • 8.5
    Weird Science Marvel Comics - wolfcypher Dec 1, 2020

    This book explodes with chaos, and the art does not disappoint to sell on the catastrophe Knull's arrival brings to Earth. We're finally free to see Knull in action, and Cates writes him with all the menace and calamity a world-ending villain needs to deliver, especially after years of building towards his arrival. This event needs to be a blockbuster, and Cates's is bringing out nukes. Read Full Review

  • 8.5
    Comic Book Revolution - Kevin Lainez Dec 6, 2020

    Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman do not waste anytime kicking things off as big as possible with King In Black #1. This first issue set the tone that Knull is not messing around as the God Of Symbiotes makes it clear to all the Marvel Universe's heroes they cannot stop him. With how things turned for our heroes by the end of King In Black #1 I cannot wait to see what happens next in Marvel's big event. Read Full Review

  • 8.4
    Comic Watch - Mike Eakins Dec 2, 2020

    Make no mistake about it, King in Black will be Marvels highlight series of 2020 and beyond. For about the past year we have seen a stellar campaign announcing this event and if the first issue is any indication of how the rest of the series will play out... buckle up because this is going to be huge and talked about for a long time to come. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    ComicBook.com - Charlie Ridgely Dec 2, 2020

    Stegman brings out the best in Cates, and vice versa. They make a formidable duo capable of telling some of the most imaginative and death-defying stories in the modern era of superhero comics, even when the premise seems simple to start. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Comics: The Gathering - Harlan Ivester Dec 2, 2020

    It’s not without its missteps, but King in Black #1 is a promising start to the next big thing for Venom and Marvel. It’s rare that a writer can make the stakes so believable in one of the line-wide events that seems to come and go every year. The visuals are fantastic as well. There are many moments that will make readers pause so they can soak in everything there is. Read Full Review

  • 6.8
    Multiversity Comics - Quinn Tassin Dec 8, 2020

    "King in Black" is an epic, narratively uneven, visually stunning affair that seems to be setting itself up for something even better. Read Full Review

  • 6.0
    Geek'd Out - Nico Sprezzatura Dec 2, 2020

    That being said, Im interested in checking out some of the upcoming tie-ins, such as the aforementioned The Union, Return of the Valkyries, and Iron Man / Doctor Doom, which apparently has the odd couple teaming up against a symbiotic Santa Claus? If that doesnt sound like a true Christmas miracle after the hellish year that was 2020, I dont know what does. Read Full Review

  • 6.0
    Newsarama - Pierce Lydon Dec 2, 2020

    For fans of Cates' Venom work, King in Black stands as an exciting continuation of his symbiote story. But if you step back, it feels like Cates is almost going through the motions compared to what we've seen from him before. We know that he's a student of the genre and is looking to deliver a story worthy of the ones that came before him. But it often feels like he's playing at remastering them with some new glossy sheen. He'll remind you of the originals but isn't doing anything more than making them shinier. This opening issue isn't a bad place to start but it lacks the urgency of great events that have come before it. Read Full Review

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