King in Black: Iron Man/Doctor Doom #1
- WRITER
- Christopher Cantwell
- Artist
- Salvador Larroca
- Letterer
- VC's Travis Lanham
- Cover Artist
- Guru-eFX, Salvador Larroca, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain
- Publisher
- Marvel Comics
- Price
- 3.99
- Release Date
- 2020-12-30
- Colorist
- Guru-eFX
With the crossover event King in Black in full swing, the Marvel Universe is facing apocalyptic stakes as Knull, the dark god of symbiotes, engulfs the planet. And in the wake of Knull claiming more victims as he continues his conquest of Earth, Iron Man and Doctor Doom go on an impromptu team-up that turns out to be a Christmas to remember in the backdrop of Knull's all-out assault on New York City. And with Christopher Cantwell and Salvador Larroca at the helm, the King in Black: Iron Man/Doctor Doom special tie-in issue is one of the most hilarious, entertaining comic books Marvel has published all year.
In the immediate aftermath of having not one but two different strategies to best Knull fail, Tony Stark holds himself personally responsible for the dark god easily overpowering the assembled heroes in Manhattan. As Tony mourns the string of defeats, he finds an unlikely source of consolation in a visiting Victor Von Doom who arrives to motivate the Armored Avenger to go back into battle. And in the midst of Doom's surprise pep talk, the two longtime frenemies find themselves in a confrontation with a yuletide icon, corrupted by Knull's corrosive grasp leading to an epic Christmastime adventure across the Manhattan skyline.
As the writer on both the new volume of Iron Man and the recently concluded Doctor Doom series, Cantwell has more than proven he has an especially strong handle on both fan-favorite characters, and seeing him play the two off each other here is a special treat. There is plenty of symbiote-fueled action while Tony and Victor verbally spar with one another and Cantwell crafts this conversational interplay well; this is the closest we'll get to a buddy-cop adventure in the Marvel Universe and Cantwell is taking full advantage of this special's unabashedly ludicrous premise to lean into full comedy. There is still plenty of pathos emitting from Tony's nagging sense of culpability, matching the one-shot's high-flying action, but this tie-in special really is a comedy, first and foremost. Fortunately, Cantwell makes all those jokes land as effectively as the punches and verbal jabs.
Larroca is no stranger to bringing the Armored Avenger's adventures to visual life after an acclaimed run alongside Matt Fraction on the Invincible Iron Man. Working with color artist Guru-eFX, Larroca brings plenty of action to one silent-night-gone-horribly-wrong as Christmas takes a darker turn under Knull's influence, with Guru-eFX's choice in color palette providing a vibrant splash in contrast to the nocturnal setting. From the quieter, more introspective moments to Iron Man and Doctor Doom's yuletide escapades in the New York skies, the art team keeps the readers' attention riveted and this is one of the more gorgeous tie-ins to King in Black overall.
Cantwell proves himself to be just as strong a storyteller in the comic book medium as he is for television and King in Black: Iron Man/Doctor Doom #1 is one of the most genuinely fun stories he's crafted for the Marvel Universe yet. From an entertaining team-up with the two characters that the creative team has an extensive history with to a welcome amount of humor in what is largely a dark, somber affair, and stands as a great showcase for Iron Man and Doctor Doom, merely using King in Black as the springboard and backdrop for a freewheeling team-up that fans of either character shouldn't miss.