The King in Black, Knull, takes on his most horrifying transformation yet on a Superlog variant cover of King in Black #1. Part of a series of variant covers for the first issue of the five-issue miniseries, this cover depicts the fearsome Symbiote God Knull in his most shocking transformation to date. The double-sized issue, by the regular Venom creative team of writer Donny Cates (Thor) and artist Ryan Stegman (X-23) will be in stores in December.
King in Black is the culmination of two years' worth of storylines throughout Cates and Stegman’s Venom run. Knull, the god of the symbiotes, is an evil cosmic entity whose existence predates the universe itself. Knull was responsible for creating the symbiotes, and as such has immense power over them. Over the past two years, fans have seen glimpses of how powerful Knull is, with him being capable of killing Ceslestials with one swipe of his Necrosword. Issue #25 of Venom showed Eddie Brock warning The Avengers of Knull’s coming, stressing just how serious a threat he is. Long imprisoned, Knull was set free during the events of the Absolute Carnage story, and now the heroes of Earth, including The Avengers and The X-Men, must stand against him.
In exclusive preview art from CBR, the variant cover by artist Superlog depicts perhaps Knull’s most horrifying and disgusting transformation so far. Grown to huge proportions, Knull has sprouted tendrils all over his body, wielding his powerful sword in one of them. One of his other appendages seemingly oozes symbiotes. The spider symbol so prominent on Venom’s chest now adorns Knull’s. Perhaps the most striking detail about the transformation is there are faces on his kneecaps, giving Knull a truly creepy, otherworldly feel.
The art is part of a series of variant covers for the first issue. Stegman will contribute one, as will artists Lenil Francis Yu (X-Men) and Peach Momoko (Ghost Spider). Even writer Donny Cates will be contributing a cover as well.
Since his introduction two years ago, Knull has been quickly positioned as a major threat in the Marvel Universe. Part of his appeal has been his immense power. He is capable of killing and enslaving gods and has complete control over the symbiotes scattered throughout the Marvel world. There is also his ability to transform and take new shapes, with this new cover showcasing the most terrifying one yet. While it is not known if he will take this form in the series, it still gives readers a glimpse at Knull’s awesome (and horrifying) powers.
Source: Comic Book Resources