King In Black: 10 Best Comics From The Marvel Event

The King In Black event, which is currently taking place at Marvel, puts a focus on the company’s many alien Symbiotes and their ancient God, Knull. Created by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman, it’s a one-of-a-kind narrative, which has involved a great deal of the ongoing titles from the publisher. With Knull now attacking Earth, its heroes and villains must stand up to protect it, by any means necessary.

It’s a bleak story, but one with some absolutely standout comics which fans have been greatly enjoying. Whether it puts the spotlight on some underrated characters or utilizes them in unique ways, these titles are all worth checking out when getting up to date with the King In Black crossover.

10 King In Black (Issues 1-5)

The main event of the comic crossover can be found in the pages of the miniseries, King Of Black issues 1 to 5. It’s really where the majority of the action takes place and vital reading for any fan who wishes to see the overall narrative from the most important point of view.

With Knull finally arriving on Earth, his Symbiotes have immediately begun to cause havoc globally. Many of Earth’s mightiest heroes fall in the first act and indeed despite the efforts of the X-Men, the Avengers and of course Venom, the comic starts off with a bleak view of the future. It’s exciting, compelling, and extremely dark work from Cates and Stegman.

9 Symbiote Spider-Man: King In Black (Issues 1-5)

Fans of the webhead will know that he has a long history with Symbiotes. This miniseries entitled Symbiote Spider-Man actually takes readers back in time, to an age where Peter Parker would don his black suit before heading into battle.

It’s a fun nod to a past enemy and one that ties the character further into the events of King In Black. What’s more, there are some clues in this book as to how Knull can ultimately be defeated, plus some fantastic cameos including one from the Black Knight, Kang, and Rocket Raccoon. It’s written by Peter David, with art from Greg Land.

8 Union (Issues 1-2)

The United Kingdom has been featured a little more regularly in Marvel comics in recent times and its heroes are once again in the limelight during King In Black. A new team is forming known as The Union, which established some of the nation’s most premium warriors.

The issue is that as this new team forms, with well-known Marvel characters like Union Jack and Britannia on the roster, the Symbiotes attack throwing the UK into disarray. It’s a story that launches the team into action and establishes them as a great set of crime fighters across the pond. It’s written by Paul Grist with art from Grist and Andrea Di Vito.

7 King In Black: Namor (Issues 1-5)

While MCU fans have been hoping for Namor’s appearance in the MCU for quite some time now, the comics are revisiting his earlier days as a young Prince and looking at the impact that Knull has had on the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and beyond.

With the all-consuming darkness spreading across the bottom of the ocean, some of the heroes beneath the waves such as The Tide are mutated into monstrous beings. Atlantis holds a dark past because of these events and the comic does a great job of exploring this history, alongside Namor’s relationship with Attuma. It’s written by Kurt Busiek with art from Ben Dewey and Jonas Scharf.

6 King In Black: Black Knight (Issue 1)

Speaking of British heroes, the Black Knight is also a mainstay within Marvel Comics and a great representative for the United Kingdom. What’s more, his blade and his own history are deeply linked to the Symbiotes and Knull, as seen in Symbiote Spider-Man. 

The character is getting a bit of a restart from Marvel and his first issue sees him within the King In Black conflict before the character marches on to new adventures. It’s a great jumping-off point for fans of the character, to see how the Knight will evolve going forward. The story is written by Simon Spurrier and features art from Jesus Saiz.

5 Black Cat (Issues 1-3)

Black Cat is often overlooked as a character. Perhaps due to her villainous ties or the lack of respect she gets amongst Marvel’s heroes, the spotlight isn’t on the rogue as much as it should be. In her new book though, Black Cat has a very important mission.

Set on the task by Captain America himself, Black Cat and her group are going to have to steal something which could turn the tide in the war against Knull. Without any spoilers, this is a great use of her skillset and creates the perfect role for Black Cat to fill. Writer Jed MacKay and artist Carlos Villa worked on this book.

4 Miles Morales: Spider-Man (Issue 23)

Spider-Man is of course vital to any story about Symbiotes, but one of the more modern members of the Spider-verse also has his part to play in the fight against Knull. Miles Morales has previously come face to face with this alien species.

They know how to target his weaknesses and Miles is on a rescue mission, facing off against some of his most dangerous foes and trying to save his closest friends. With a few Champion cameos that won’t be spoiled and a very emotional arc, this is a must-read for any Spidey fan. Writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Carmen Carnero contributed their talents here.

3 King In Black: Planet Of The Symbiotes (Issues 1-3)

The Planet Of The Symbiotes is a miniseries that looks at an infested world, focusing on some of Marvel’s other characters from this alien race. With anti-heroes like Scream standing up against Knull, it’s an interesting story to watch unfold.

This really is the best way to explore the Symbiote species further and there are also some brilliant inclusions in the comic that fans might not be expecting. The appearance of American Kaiju for instance is a noteworthy one, especially due to his large-scale combat against the aliens. The team of writer Clay McLeod Chapman and artist Guiu Vilanova worked on the title.

2 King In Black: Black Panther (Issue 1)

While the Dora Milaje have once again been highly featured in Marvel content in recent times, for Shuri, Wakanda, and these warriors King In Black: Black Panther is the perfect one-shot to check out. It’s a complex story, involving the invasion of the African nation.

With the Black Panther torn between his duties as an Avenger and as a King, he must choose where his loyalties lie in the battle against Knull’s forces. It’s an action-packed adventure and one that has Wakanda’s impressive defensive capabilities on full display. This was written by Geoffrey Thorne and features art from German Peralta.

1 Venom (Issues 31-34)

As if there was any better comic to pick up during this King In Black event, Venom is the title that has been building up to this moment for so long. It’s really the culmination of an impressive run and the anti-hero has finally met his match in the God of the Symbiotes.

The first issue of this King In Black story actually opens off the back of the King In Black comic and details a shocking series of events. With the Symbiotes either rebelling against or reuniting with their former master, everyone in Venom’s world has their back up against the wall. Cates worked alongside artist Iban Coello for this book.

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