Black Knight is back, and he’s sadder than ever. But this time he’s got a cool sword! Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade #3 is written by Si Spurriur, drawn by Sergio Dávilla, colored by Arif Prianto with Chris Sotomayor, and lettered by Corey Petit.
Si Spurrier and Sergio Dávilla’s descent into Black Knight history and the depths of Dane Whitman’s self-loathing continues, with Elsa Bloodstone and new character Professor Jacks along for the ride. Curse of the Ebony Blade #3 is very much a middle point issue, both literally given its 5-issue length, and structurally. No huge revelations or new guest stars arrive, the action is plentiful if a little padded, and the characters all get time to really establish their roles in the story. It’s just a top-to-bottom textbook example of miniseries storytelling structure, and while that prevents it from feeling like a mess, there are still some missteps on this Arthurian quest that keep me from shouting from the rooftops about it.
First and foremost is Dane Whitman himself. Spurrier’s darkly humorous take on Dane’s profoundly deep problems with self-image, self-worth, and depression was easily the highlight of the series when it debuted, but now that we’re over halfway finished it is feeling a bit well-worn. The jokes are still funny and every time Dane tries to be A Big Man and immediately falls on his face I cringe appropriately, but nothing new is being done here and it’s getting stale. Given the issue’s ending, it seems as though CotEB #4 is going to force some serious self-reflection in Dane, so hopefully that livens things up a bit. But no matter how fresh and exciting seeing the mental health struggles of Black Knight placed front and center was, the series needs to start changing it up.
The other problem of the issue is a perfect example of what I am calling The Elsa Bloodstone Constant. I love Elsa, for the record. She’s a mean, snarky British lady with a bunch of guns, a love of fighting, and zero patience, there’s no chance I couldn’t. Evidently, I am not alone, as she is a consistently used guest star in series, most recently Deadpool, and it is becoming increasingly evident that the character is in the unfortunate place of being widely beloved by writers but not popular enough to sustain her own series. This leads to situations like this issue, and very much in Deadpool, where she is given so much page-time and prominence that she starts to edge out the actual stars of whatever book she’s appearing in. It isn’t a massive problem: Spurrier writes a good Elsa and has shown he gets the character as far back as his Marvel Zombies miniseries during Secret Wars, but when the lead of the series is starting to flounder like Dane in this issue it certainly sticks out a bit.
While I’ve got complaints, I still overall enjoyed Curse of the Ebony Blade #3, and a large part of that is due to an outstanding flashback scene showcasing a showdown between Sir Percy, the first Black Knight, and Thor, centuries and centuries ago. Rather than indulging in the thoroughly exhausted media-friendly idea of Arthur’s Knights being perfect, pristine warriors defending their kingdom against a barbaric world, Thor and his party of Viking warriors arrive at Kamaelot, one of the old French derivatives of Camelot, seeking the source of some unknown evil magic their seers have sensed. The fight itself is Dávilla’s best work yet in the series, kinetic and thrilling while getting a little more experimental with the panel layouts. Hopefully, this energy keeps going forward, as while the art has been nowhere near bad, it rarely steps beyond your standard superhero structures. In the fight itself, Thor engages in the arrogance and brash actions his younger self is infamous for, but neither he nor the Vikings are the aggressors, and Sir Percy’s cursed berserker rage is what leads to the escalation of violence. An outstanding bit of subverting media trope expectations, and a showcase of the blood-stained, trauma-filled legacy of the Black Knight title.
As a whole, Curse of the Ebony Blade has been a good time so far. It’s providing a long underserved character with a new direction and place in the Marvel Universe while providing rough chuckles and bombastic action along the way. CotEB #3 may be the weakest issue yet, but ultimately its flaws aren’t enough to drag it down, and I am confident the last two issues in this series will help justify the choices made in this issue. If not, well, it’s hard to argue that an ultimately disappointing and frustrating end wouldn’t be appropriate for the saddest boy in the Marvel Universe. At least he’ll have his sword.
Zoe Tunnell is a 29-year old trans woman who has read comics for most of her adult life and can't stop now. Follow her on Twitter @Blankzilla.
