The King of Wakanda is dead. This has sparked the Dora Milaje to search for someone with answers. Their search has led them to Everett K. Ross. What Ross speaks takes their conversation into the past. It references a certain point in T’Challa and his son Ketema’s lives. All parties brace to what secrets are uncovered.
Marvel Knights: The World To Come #2 by Christopher Priest, Joe Quesada, Richard Isanove, Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith continues its’ journey back to the past.
Let’s take a closer look at what is unfolding now.
Marvel Knights: The World To Come #2 by Christopher Priest, Joe Quesada, Richard Isanove, Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith (Marvel Comics)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The world through the eyes of Ross is a disturbing place. Considering the places he has been, Ross is a very jaded and broken soul. The writing shows how he’s not afraid to dance with the Devil. It also shows the trail of mistakes made. Readers watch as the tangled web weaved with Noelle Adams provides dark humor and heavy drama. Priest doesn’t let Ross stray too far from his history. It’s not long before Wakanda comes calling.
Resolving the trial of combat isn’t Ross’s specialty . The writing shows how his actions affect an already unstable fight. Ketema and T’Challa’s brawl is unforgiving. The brash young man speaks with much anger in his voice. Knowing the wild history involved, readers can sense his pain. The writing never shies away from this aspect. It plays a good counter to Ross’ internal demons. Everything gets turned when the final chapter starts. A move is made that causes a direct ripple effect. How the final page is going to play long term. In the meantime, this mystery is only getting more intense by the moment.
Quesada and Isanove start off the art with two very different full page panels. The first picks right up where issue one ends. Seeing the brutality commence makes a statement. The following page makes a completely different one. Ross has his issues and this doesn’t back away from it. It plays into the dark humor mentioned previously. Ross’s life is anything but cheery from here on out. The panels with Noelle show his slow breakdown. Readers see how the verbal weight becomes too much and sets forth his new past. Unfortunately for him, his past won’t leave him alone.
The full page view of the Wakandan ship makes a bold statement. It leaves Ross questioning the actions. Readers get caught up on T’Challa’s time during this phase. The heartbreaking pain of losing a child is presented in an emotional flashback. This pushed the time jumping for a few pages. It was nothing that readers were lost in. With Quesada steering the ship, the panels moved very easily. The roads finally lead back into the trial of combat. There’s plenty of intensity to go around during these panels. Readers watch as this leads into the shocking end. A simple panel of two words changes everything. It leaves readers with a full final page that will have the shops buzzing. Nothing is pulled when dropping another exclamation point on this chapter’s end.
OVERALL GRADE: 9.2
The world according to Everett K. Ross provides many avenues of drama leading to a show-stealing end. Priest blends the humorous times in a heavily focused drama. Quesada and the art team shine in bringing out the pent up feelings of all involved. “The World To Come” is definitely one not to sleep on.