Writer – Frank Tieri
Artist – Luca Pizzari
Colours – Andrew Crossley, Antonio Fabela
Letters – Joe Sabino

Due to recent events, Dane Whitman – the Black Knight, now finds himself locked up and separated from his Ebony Blade. Even so, Dane is still having visions of his ancestor Percy who thinks that Dane should just kill all the Avengers and be done with it. Dane of course says no to that option and soon enough, he finds himself a free man thanks to his loyal subjects, something which the Avengers are unable to prevent. Frank Tieri has crafted a very captivating story so far, one that is more a character study than anything else, though there is a fair amount of action to be had as well. When you boil it down, this is a story about Dane Whitman and the addiction/corruption between him and the blade. It is a cursed object and he knows that it is affecting him in ways that are not wholly good, yet he also understands that it is as much a part of him as any of his limbs and that no other man can wield it safely. Tieri portrays Dane as a man who is strong in body and mind, even if he does talk to ghosts, as the man is able to rule a kingdom on a strange world and able to unite the various tribes under one banner. Even so, when the book ends, Dane is left a broken man as Steve Rogers and the rest of the Uncanny Avengers take the Ebony Sword back to Earth and leave Dane to rule his realm on Weirdworld. It is an interesting contrast, to see Dane so sure of himself during the beginning of the book and then completely humbled by its end. Luca Pizzari provides some wonderfully different pencils to most other books under the Marvel banner and draws everything from the native citizens of Weirdworld to the strange creatures that inhabit it with great aplomb. With only one issue to go before Dane’s latest adventure comes to an end, you have to wonder if he will reclaim his weapon or if he will learn to live without it.

4 out of 5