Hello and welcome to another edition of Ye Olde School Café! You know, when you think about it, there are so many stories that have been labeled as mediocre by some, that have so much more value than initially thought. Case in point, the Black Knight limited series from 1990! Anyone that enjoys Arthurian lore can appreciate a good story about knights, myth, and magic! Roy Thomas has a history of making great comic books, especially ones that have a mystical side to them (Thor, Conan, etc.). This, along with the artistic talents of the late Tony De Zuniga, made a story that holds up to this day!
The story continues as Victoria and the Black Knight head to the headquarters of Excalibur. They kind of break in, then are greeted by Captain Britain! They explain to him that Morgan Le Fey and Mordred are planning some nefarious scheme, and they need his help to stop them. They board Victoria’s plane, and head out in search of the evil duo. On the plane, Sir Percy explains how he was chosen by Merlin to use the magical Ebony Blade and its accompanying armor to deal with Mordred and Morgan. He then tells Captain Britain about a battle between Morgan and the Avengers, more recently. They then land at the original grounds where castle La Fey once stood. They get a greeting from British troops, but Captain Britain gets them out of that jam.
As they search the grounds, they run into a young boy. He asks if they’ve come to investigate the “weird lights,” but before they can answer, the boy is frightened by the sight of Captain Britain. He becomes so unhinged, that he leaps off of the cliff! The Black Knight swoops in to grab the young Irishman, and even Captain Britain is impressed. He tells them that he doesn’t trust British people, so Captain Britain agrees to let them go without him to the area with the strange lights. The young man introduces himself as Sean Dolan. They fly away on Aragorn, but land soon after. Sean needs to rest, and Victoria tells Sir Percy that he should calm down, too. As he rests, she creeps up behind him and removes his helmet. She has a theory that if the helmet is removed, that he’ll turn back into stone. Well, he doesn’t, but he does revert back to the persona of Dane Whitman!
As the two are sharing an embrace, a flash of light comes directly at them. It’s a blast from the lance of DreadKnight, and Dane knows of him through his Avengers partner Iron Man. They begin an aerial battle for the ages, but Dane is almost overcome by the curse of the Ebony Blade. It causes him to get knocked off of his winged horse. Victoria runs to his side, and just as DreadKnight is swooping in for the kill, she tries to put the helmet on him. DreadKnight sees this, and sends a blast from his lance their way. As it is about to hit them, Captain Britain dives in front of it. Dane then decides it’s time to put the helmet on and give this enemy the challenge of facing a true knight! Sir Percy then throws his Ebony Blade and knocks DreadKnight out of the sky! He punches him out, and vows to stop Mogan Le Fey and Mordred, no matter what the cost!
Well, that’s it for now, but be back next week to see the Master of the Mystic Arts, Dr. Strange, and Valkyrie join the fight against this supernatural team! See you next week!
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net