Queen in Black: Defenders of Light and Dark #1 – Secret Weapons

The necessity of tie-in comics to major Marvel events wavers with each and every one. Due to the rather contained nature of Queen in Black, its additional titles fare better in terms of importance to the main story, which does run the risk of undercutting the satisfaction of those who may solely read the core title. While Defenders of Light and Dark #1 does steal some important moments away from the core book, it focuses its character writing on Cloak & Dagger in a way that doesn’t pull any emotional beats away from the main story.

Ze Carlos is the main artist on this book, dovetailing out of his work on Queen in Black #1. For an issue that’s all about spectacle on the surface, he does a fantastic job depicting two simultaneous fights against cosmic titans with weight and impact. His panel pacing lends itself well to crowd-pleasing showdowns, and the fluidity of his art keeps the action mobile. That being said, as the issue moves into its second half, it shifts its focus to Cloak and Dagger, whose powers and relationship are intrinsic to shutting down our big, dumb cosmic villains.

Their anxiety over handling a major cosmic event lends a great deal of weight to the story’s stakes, with the revelations that follow working to ground the violence of this book in something tangible. The limited number of tie-ins allows them to have a major impact in this way, and giving two heroes who have been underserved as of late a role in this tale that’s penned with some level of depth is a pure joy.