A cosmic fever dream that turns brutality into poetry.
Knull #3 doubles down on what has made this series so fascinating so far: it refuses to treat Knull as just another dark god to be punched back into the void. Instead, this issue frames him as something uglier, stranger, and far more compelling — a fallen tyrant clawing through humiliation, obsession, and wounded pride while the universe keeps trying to define him before he can redefine himself.
What follows is less a straightforward chapter of conquest and more a delirious cosmic chase, one that pits Knull against forces of light, death, destiny, and control in a story that feels equal parts mythology, nightmare, and character study.
PROS:
What really stands out here is how the book weaponizes contrast. Knull, a character born from darkness and dominion, spends much of this issue trapped in blazing environments of fire, light, and revelation. The book is visually drenched in molten golds, burning whites, and hellish oranges, creating the sense that Knull is being dragged through a reality that rejects everything he stands for. That choice gives the issue a strong identity immediately. This is not simply “Knull escapes and fights people.” This is Knull being spiritually and physically stress-tested in hostile creation itself. The result is a comic that feels huge, but also intimate in its cruelty.
The Thanos material is especially strong because it gives the issue its most theatrical energy. He doesn’t merely oppose Knull physically; he belittles him philosophically. Their confrontation becomes a clash of worldviews dressed up as a cosmic beatdown, with Thanos speaking in grand, almost poetic declarations while treating Knull like a failed pretender rather than an equal. There’s something deliciously mean about the way the issue handles him. Thanos isn’t just trying to win — he’s trying to define the terms of the universe in front of Knull, and the book gets a lot of mileage out of that arrogance. And the fight between the two godly beings is one that will live on forever, both in history and in the readers’ hearts. Thanos definitely gives Knull a beating he will never forget, but it is Knull that gets the last laugh, showing who the alpha here really is.
But for all the spectacle, Knull #3 is at its most interesting when it hints that the larger war may not be decided by brute force alone. The closing reveal involving the Illuminated version of Eddie Brock is the kind of twist that instantly re-frames the series’ momentum. Suddenly, this cosmic struggle feels less like a simple power climb and more like a collision between mirrored destinies. That final page lands because it introduces possibility, and possibility is exactly what a series like this needs when it’s dealing with characters who can easily drift into abstract god-talk and endless escalation.
Artistically, this issue is gorgeous in a way that almost overwhelms the senses. The pages don’t just depict action; they burn with it. The layouts often feel like illuminated manuscripts dragged through a supernova, which is fitting for a story so invested in legend, prophecy, and divine violence. There’s a scale here that suits the material, but there’s also enough ugliness in the faces, enough damage in the bodies, and enough fury in the expressions to keep it from feeling sterile. Even when the dialogue gets lofty, the art keeps it savage.
CONS:
If there’s a weakness, it’s that the issue sometimes feels more interested in mood and mythmaking than in grounding its emotional beats long enough for them to hit at full force. Even the clash of titans might have seemed a bit too quick for some. Some readers may find the dialogue a little too operatic or the plotting a bit dreamlike. But honestly, that also feels like part of the book’s appeal. Knull #3 is not trying to be clean, tidy, or conventional. It wants to feel like a violent scripture being written in real time — and more often than not, it succeeds.
FINAL GRADE: A
CONCLUSION:
In the end, Knull #3 is a bold, visually hypnotic chapter that understands the power of scale, but also the power of making gods look desperate. It is cosmic Marvel at its most theatrical, most surreal, and most viciously beautiful. And with that final reveal, the series now has something even more valuable than spectacle: intrigue.
English (US) · 