Knull has undergone quite the transformation, going from the god of darkness to the god of light. The miniseries has seen him beat Thanos while Hela grows stronger with his powers, and the series wraps up with Knull #5. It’s an issue that features one more round with Thanos and a story that brings us nearly to the start of Queen in Black. As a prelude to the summer event, it works, but how does it stand on its own?
Knull #5 does a lot to set up Queen In Black, starting with the very first page. The issue opens on Hela, who has gained all of Knull’s powers, and yet is not happy in the slightest. One could say it’s a side effect of gaining the powers of the void, but maybe it’s also the fact that Knull has turned himself into the opposite to thwart her. The opening scene sets up Hela’s relationship with her second in command, while also pining for Thanos to end Knull for good. Pairing this opening with the final panel, one can see Hela’s trajectory from space god with great power to a god hurtling to Earth to get an edge.
The main attraction of this issue is Thanos vs. Knull round 2. Somewhat surprisingly, Thanos isn’t too worried about defeating Knull, even though Knull beat him with far less King in Black powers. This allows writers Al Ewing and Tom Waltz to lean into his bravado with powerful punches and plenty of overconfidence. More than once, he has the edge, and yet Knull perseveres.
Through the fight, we get some key info from Knull, who makes it quite clear why he’s fine being the god of the exact opposite. “A void is a void,” as he says, which, when you think of it, makes the void of light somehow just as scary as a void of darkness.
Hela is looking prime!
Credit: Marvel
Once the battle with Thanos is over, the last five pages are mostly set up for the upcoming event. While it can be frustrating to have so much setup for a story not taking place on these pages, it does work, as this miniseries was the origin of Knull’s new look and powers. Better to see how these last few pages play out than to have these moments occur off-page.
Art by Juanan Ramirez continues to be excellent, with great godly lighting from Erick Arciniega’s colors. The opening page of Hela makes her seem ethereal and otherworldly. The darkness of her costume makes her a perfect fit for the role of the Queen in Black. For superhero comics, Ramirez gets to lean into the fun with a great double-page splash of Thanos and Knull, and another full-page splash features that cool godly lighting, but also a Knull with his tongue out as he enjoys blasting Thanos. How utterly metal of him.
Knull #5 closes out the miniseries with spectacle and clear intent. The Thanos rematch brings the energy, while Hela’s arc adds a looming sense of danger heading into the next story arc. The issue leans heavily on setup for Queen in Black, which can pull it away from feeling like a fully self-contained finale, but it still succeeds in defining Knull’s transformation and place in the story going forward. Strong art and bold ideas carry it across the finish line, even as it shifts focus toward the bigger event ahead.
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