Black Order #1: Gives us Death, Destruction, and Pure Delight

There’s no doubt that without the smash success of The Infinity War film, the Black Order would be one of countless names among Marvel’s evildoer’s list, sprinkled here and there for various appearances and effect. Instead, the film has propelled them into the spotlight as fans want to know more about the murderous lot. It appears Marvel is listening. With a rare foray into a book that features the villain as the main cast, the publisher is testing the waters to judge if the Cull Obsidian can gain a legion of their own followers and more importantly sustain their own title. If Black Order #1 is any indicator of what we can expect consistently from the title, I believe they can at that.

The 5 issue mini series gives us a much more intimate look at the five members who have now been given their own platform without being attached to Thanos and given the spotlight by the absent yet motivating figure from behind the scenes, the Grandmaster, who along with the Black Order were the main protagonists in Jim Zub’s Avengers storyline, No Surrender. Indeed, Black Order sets the stage for Corvus Glaive, Ebony Maw, Black Dwarf, Proxima Midnight, and Black Swan to step forward from being relegated to a simple one-dimensional villainous force to breathing individual backgrounds and life into each of them

As there have been no prior solitary installments for the ragtag bunch, I had no idea what to expect from the storyline. After the first issue, breadcrumbs are dropped here and there but we still have four more issues to learn about their true motivations and purpose.

Derek Landy handily provides insight into what will surely be an in-depth development story behind the group’s mission to wipe out an intergalactic empire and supplant their ruler. A simple caveat that no doubt lays the foundation of the Grandmaster’s true plans for the Black Order and readers alike. Landy has begun to weave what promises to be an enthralling tale.

Fan-favorite Phillip Tan gives us a straight injection of pure adrenaline through is crisp and intricate artwork, leaving not even the smallest of visual details unfinished. Tan provides fans with a knockout, action-packed, visual cornucopia which harkens back to a style reminiscent of the 90’s splash pages. Combined with the vivid colors of Jay David Ramos, Marc Deering, Guillermo Ortega & Le Beau Underwood, Black Order is, in my opinion, one of Marvel’s strongest releases for the month of November. Certainly, no small feat considering the much more established titles are hosting their own massive storylines like X-Men’s “Extinction”, the return of Uncanny, the Fantastic Four and so on. The Black Order is in an of itself a unique comic book that features unknown characters vastly different in both visual and literal context than any other of Marvel’s lineup and brand new stories where other comics regurgitate the same plots over and again.

One which makes me yearn for the second issue.