If the pandemic has taught me anything when it comes to my pop culture intake, it’s that I’m more than happy to watch anything Marvel does from the comfort of my own home going forward. Thanks to the high quality of WandaVision (not that I expected anything different) I don’t feel the need to see the MCU on the big screen, just on my fairly large television with my own speakers and nobody chatting in front or behind me. Black Widow? Come to Disney+! Shang-Chi? You know where I live! The Eternals? It might be a tight squeeze, but we’ll make it work.
None of us have to wait long for our next hit of the MCU, as Friday, March 19th sees the arrival of The Falcon and The Winter Solider, a six-episode mini-series picking up on Sam and Bucky’s adventures post-Endgame. On screen and in the hands of Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, this duo have a great dynamic, one that I was actually really happy to see show up in one of last week’s King In Black tie-ins.
King In Black: Captain America #1 picks up following Cap’s possession and release from the symbiote God, Knull. The entire storyline has been one of the darker tales of current Marvel comics continuity, and seeing the sentinel of liberty taken over by a demon definitely had its horrific moments. Throughout this issue, writer Danny Lore and artist Mirko Colak do an excellent job of depicting the after affect of Steve Rogers’ possession, giving the reader some solid internal back and forth dialogue between Knull and Cap, often depicting the demonically possessed hero doing some nefarious actions. Are they real or just in his mind?
While the comic is Captain America’s story, Lore and Colak lead off with the Falcon and the Winter Solider doing their best to save citizens and take down the symbiote dragons that have overrun New York City. The creative duo easily capture the rapport these two characters share on the page and on the screen. They’ve may have been brought together because of their shared history with Captain America, but along the way they’ve forged their own unique bond. After all, only a few characters know what it’s like to wield both the shield and the name.
While King in Black: Captain America #1 is tied in to that massive Marvel crossover, the creators do a solid of making it a fairly standalone issue. If you’re excited for next week’s new MCU show and want a taste of what the Falcon and the Winter Soldier have been up to in the world of comics, this is a fun issue to drop in with.
