The Black Knight always pursues justice … no matter how far she must go.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Terry Kavanagh
Artwork: Sergio Ariño
Colors: Robby Bevard
Letters: Saida Temofonte
What They Say:
Do you have what it takes?
The entity that Nadia answers to is coming to Earth. Even if the Black Knight can stop it, that might not be the true threat. Nadia gets what she craves, but she should be careful what she asks for. Peyton Parks is about to pay a high price to learn what it takes to be a hero.
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
In the end Nikolai was a brave man protecting what he thought was right, but while he may have been courageous even this strength could not guard him from the ferocity of Nadia’s top assassin Sirin. It is only now does Peyton realize she was partially accountable for his death, her role as the Black Knight allowed her to see justice as not black and white but the law is also about personal choices and accepting responsibility for decisions made in the heat of battle. It is only now while mourning and confronting shame before her father’s grave does Parks now see the truth in these thoughts, all as the drenching rain attempts to wash away any guilt she may still feel, all while his widow gains what little retribution for her pain against the woman who was supposed to defend her husband. But as the pain subsides, the Black Knight knows the conflict is not yet over and one more battle must be settled before true justice can prevail for all those involved.
However as Sirin licks her wounds at the Brighton Beach headquarters of the Vasiliev family and Nadia attempts to comfort her last true soldier that revenge against her rival will come soon, this aging leader finally has what she needs to complete her vile plan. With all the Grigor males now slain she finally has the blood needed to complete the ritual for her master the Lord of the Order of Shadows to emerge from the depths of his prison, but will a certain intruder allow this ghastly ceremony to begin – namely the Black Knight. While both are surprised she was able to find the mansion so easily, it is the ebon winged white haired murderess who strikes first in a vain attempt to protect her employer and guard the monstrosity which attempts to come through the gate. Although even as Nadia tries pull her master from the portal, she is surprised this abomination wants nothing to do with this petty mortal, only wanting to consume the sanguine offering which awaits on the other side. However as Sirin tries her best to secure safety for this menace, Peyton knows they must not succeed … not matter what the cost.
In Summary:
After we were initially presented with a lackluster court room procedural to open The Black Knight, I was hoping writer Terry Kavanagh would later shift the title to take advantage of Peyton’s magical origins, and yet as the story progressed the monotony of the tale became worse as it degraded into esoteric issues and relegated our heroine to hacking and slashing her way through the series; I can understand how difficult it would be to integrate a medieval knight into modern standards, but as we are thrust into a bravta war which on the surface appeared to have nothing to do with Peyton aside from protecting her client, the absurdness of the narrative became lessened once Sirin was introduced, but not by much. It is only after Nadia’s intentions are fully realized does Parks’ involvement begin to have some begrudging implications, but to proclaim it has a coherent meaning within this frame of reference would be understated. However as the full breadth of the Vasiliev’s family involvement is unfolded within this finale, the incongruity of a crime boss wanting to use magic to further her ambitions seems ludicrous especially when nothing of her intentions were mentioned until the final two books, even failing to mention the gathering of blood for the ritual. If Kavanagh wished to weave mysticism into the story, then why not drop some hints of the inner workings of Nadia’s plan earlier instead of delaying its integration for closing the story, especially when he never introduced this leader’s true master; then as if add insult to injury he uses the ultimate stereotype as the grand villain when you mention mystical and Russian in the same sentence – the Mad Monk himself. Why stoop to this cliché in order to add validity to a tale which lacked magic until the end? It was almost as if Kavanagh wanted to create some superior evil but once he remember the narrative’s background he decided to resort to a trite plot device all to bring everything together, thus creating a conclusion which was too convenient and contrary to the heroic ending which The Black Knight deserves, and instead resulting in a story which stumbles in the end.
Even when scripted via such a skewed and slanted narrative, you cannot deny this series was a pleasure to visually appreciate all thanks to the captivating excellence of Sergio Ariño’s dynamic illustrations and the inspirational and emotionally anchored palette of Robby Bevard. All through out the title we are stunned by the grace and presence of Peyton, to either watch her beauty emphasized by a black business suit framed by her luxurious blonde hair or the suggestive ebony plate armor which was just as revealing or more so than any costume wore by most Zenescope heroes, but made impressively menacing by hiding her face within a full helmet. And yet even when her alter ego was shown, the strength and determination of her character was front and center by allowing the determination of fighting for justice be her main appeal. However while in previous issues Parks was always stern to a point as being overbearing, in this finale we cannot but endeared to her newly found tenderness once we are subjected to a painful past of a lost father and her reason for fighting against injustice. You cannot but be touched by Ariño’s brilliantly rendered somber expression as she kneels before his gravestone, the once appealing mane of gold now dampened by equally touching rain to compound her sadness; and yet it is the grey shadow of compassion from Bevard’s heartfelt colors which permits the audience to sympathize with Peyton’s pale skin tone and sullen state, allowing the reader to see a new side to the rough exterior she normally projects, thus letting us understand her personality all the more fully. But even as this profound moment introduces us to one type of tenderness, on the opposing side of emotional devotion we are thrust into the fanatical allegiance built from fear and expectation. To watch Nadia and Sirin’s uncompromising strength etch a lucid madness onto their faces is frightening, but once we are exposed to the blinding crimson of the portal it brings a bloodlust which gradations of blacks and red cannot make any more impressive, allowing for simplicity to show its own power. It is powerful graphic conclusions like this which make such a rousing moment memorable to the series and hopefully one which will lead to even more to come in the future.
While other fairy tale based Zenescope heroines have been successfully integrated into modern times, one cannot but feel The Black Knight appears out of place with a story seemed gauged as a conveyance to show off Peyton’s sexy costume with no real tie to her mystical origins. Although her normal life is engaging, Parks’ alter ego seems more geared as being an interesting side story meant to entertain us until we resume a more civilized pursuit for justice. And yet while the artwork creates this impressive world, it is up to the narrative to compose the characters into something which is remarkable from both fronts and sadly this title only succeeds depending on which side of the aisle you enjoy more … which is a shame since the premise did have promise if only both personalities were permitted to share equal screen time.
Grade: B
Series Grade: B
Age Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: March 13, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
