Queen in Black: Hela #1 — Al Ewing and Pasqual Ferry hand the crown to the Goddess of Death
Al Ewing turns the spotlight onto Hela as she settles into her role as the Queen in Black. With the Rainbow Bridge fallen and Knull caged, the death goddess faces questions from Balder and Karnilla that could shake her reign. Pasqual Ferry's cover and Carlos Magno's art frame this pivotal debut.
Al Ewing has spent years weaving Norse myth into Marvel's DNA, but here he's shifting the lens to the one figure who usually lurks in the background. Hela isn't just claiming a title anymore; she's taking ownership of a throne. This debut feels like a masterclass in character reinvention, where the death goddess stops being the obstacle and starts being the architect. If you love watching a character own their power, you're going to feel right at home here.
The setup is rich with questions that have been simmering since the Knull saga. Hela and Tyr were on Midgard when the Rainbow Bridge fell, and now we get to see why. The book asks how she managed to cage the God of the Void in the first place, and which Thor tried to stand in her way. Balder the Brave is going to Karnilla of the Norns to dig up the truth, but trust me, he might not survive the interview. It's a story where the past comes back to bite the present, and Hela is determined to control the narrative.
Carlos Magno is bringing a distinct visual language that makes the Norse myth feel fresh and dangerous. You can feel the weight of the crown in his line work. And with Pasqual Ferry handling the cover, this stack is going to look incredible on your shelf. Ewing isn't just retreading old ground; he's building the foundation for Hela's era. This is the issue that changes the board state for everything else in the Queen in Black line.
The Pasqual Ferry cover is going to be the one everyone looks for, and these variants move fast, so keep that in mind. Also, keep an eye on how Ewing handles the interaction between Hela and the Norns; that dynamic is going to color everything coming after. This is the book I'd hand to anyone who thinks they know the Queen in Black only to show them how much deeper the rabbit hole goes.