Description
Black Cloak #1 – Eisner Award-winning writer KELLY THOMPSON heads to Image for the first time with BLACK CLOAK.
Eisner Award-winning writer KELLY THOMPSON heads to Image for the first time with BLACK CLOAK, an all-new series with artist MEREDITH McCLAREN! Blade Runner style mixes with SAGA-esque drama in a delectable fantasy/sci-fi blend as two Black Cloaks try to solve the murder of a beloved prince in Kiros, the last city in the known world, before his murder tips the city into war. The mystery begins in a spectacular TRIPLE-LENGTH FIRST ISSUE!
(W) Kelly Thompson (A) Meredith McClaren (CA) Meredith McClaren
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Image Credits
In-Article Image Credits
Black Cloak #1 - Original First Printing Cover A (Mcclaren) via Image Comics with usage type - Product photo (Fair Use)Featured Image Credit
Black Cloak #1 - Original First Printing Cover A (Mcclaren) via Image Comics with usage type - Product photo (Fair Use)
Joe Aven –
I read this last week but just getting round to writing a review for it, before I say anything else I recommend giving it a try if you haven’t already!
A great first issue, especially given the decently expanded page count for only $4.99, there’s a lot of grounded covered here but it doesn’t ever feel too bloated, overwhelming or generally like it’s too much. I thought it was a nice balance of establishing the world, the characters, and the main plot thread(s) this first arc at least will be following.
It’s not out yet, but this comes up in my Joe Talks Comics podcast interview with Kelly and Meredith, but one element I particularly liked is all the casual world-building and character backstory dropped and weaved into the story through various lines of dialogue. It creates a satisfying puzzle that’s gradually filled in and put together as you read the issue and realise what the dialogue is referring to, both in terms of aspects of this new world we’re discovering as readers and the main characters, their own backstories, relationships and dynamics, and how they fit into this larger world being created.
Then I hadn’t heard of Meredith McClaren before this, but I enjoyed seeing their art for my first time here and how it brought this world and its characters to life. I love the contrast within it, where it’s got a very animated style and ethereal atmosphere to it, and yet there’s lots of solid, distinct outlines on the characters, settings and everything else. There’s a warm, soothing vibrancy to the whole thing. Like I just mentioned everything is very lined and definite, but in such a soft and fluid way with the colors, as opposed to something hard, rough and jarring. It’s really intriguing and exciting to me.
We also talk in that interview about blurring the lines between sci-fi and fantasy, how there shouldn’t be such firm lines between them, and that’s something that I feel comes through both with this art, and just with this comic in general. I also think the lettering by Becca Carey conveys this exceptionally well. Everything I just mentioned comes through for me with the font used. The location tags are such clean design features to inform the reader in a practical convenient way, and I can’t think how to compliment the lettering other than I think the font is perfect for the style and atmosphere this comic is going for. It’s creative, it’s stylish, it just works! Becca is doing just as exceptional work over at Radiant Black, so it’s so great to see her elsewhere as well.
Pick this up and give it a try if you haven’t already!
Allison D –
Maybe it’s the fact that they had 64 pages to start this story but damn do they build a magical world filled with great character design, story, and a fantastic end that will leave me wanting more for the next month.