Webcomic / King of Shades

Defeat the Radiance and consume the light...?

King of Shades is a Hollow Knight Fan Webcomic set immediately after a fusion of the game's "Embrace the Void" and "Dream no More" endings. It primarily follows Hornet's quest to stabilize the kingdom in the wake of the infection, while also caring for the newly-freed and heavily-traumatized Hollow Knight.

The comic is hosted on ComicFury and can be read from the beginning here.

---

King of Shades provides examples of:

• After-Action Healing Drama: Upon encountering a gravely wounded^note (both from all this time containing the Radiance and from Hornet piercing their mask) Hollow after Ghost's battle with the Radiance, Hornet rushes to Dirtmouth to buy a Soulcatcher and, once infusing it with Soul, gives it to Hollow to heal themselves.
• Alt Text: The chapter frontispieces have hover text that refers back to their Roman numeral titles.
• Back-to-Back Poster: The comic's cover features Hollow, with a similar figure (most likely Ghost) behind them, with its back to them, shrouded in darkness.
• Battle in the Center of the Mind: Ghost uses the Godtuner to enter the Hollow Knight's mind and face down their dream of the Absolute Radiance.
• Broken Faceplate: The Hollow Knight has a deep crack down the center of their mask.
• The Cameo: The Broken Vessel appears as one of the Shades when the Absolute Radiance is being consumed.
• Circling Birdies: After going unconscious in the Abyss, as Hornet wakes back up her daze is represented with tiny vengeflies and lumaflies flying circles around her head.
• Continuation: The first chapter is a condensed rehash of two of the game's endings, and the story moves on to the aftermath from there.
• Continuity Nod: When encountering Hornet in Dirtmouth, Quirrel briefly flashes back to their duel in his prequel comic.
• Exorcist Head: Upon hearing Hornet speak to him from behind, Quirrel grabs his mask and turns it 180 degrees like it's nothing.
• God in Human Form: When agreeing to help the Hollow Knight, Ghost creates a new physical body for themselves.
• "It" Is Dehumanizing: Hornet indignantly protests the White Lady referring to the Knight as 'it'.
• Macabre Moth Motif: The Radiance is much more explicitly a moth^note Specifically, Spilosoma lubricipeda, the white ermine moth in design.
• Oh, My Gods!: When finally meeting Ghost (now the Lord of Shades) in the Abyss, Hornet's reaction is to quietly blurt out "...Furious gods..."
• Pose of Supplication: After some brief arguing with Ghost, Hornet admits that she and the Hollow Knight need their help, and kneels.
• Spider Limbs: Hornet's four legs and two weaver arms are the traditional pointy-tipped kind, but her main arms end in fuzzy paws à la real life◊.
• Sticks to the Back: As in the game, Hornet's needle adheres to her back without any visible means of attachment.
• Tarot Motifs: Each chapter is named after a number corresponding to a Tarot card.
  • Chapter 1: XVIII.^note The Moon
  • Chapter 2: VIII.^note Strength
  • Chapter 3: ˙ΛΧ^note The Devil (upside down)
• Title by Number: As mentioned above, the chapter titles are simply Roman numerals corresponding to certain Tarot cards.
• Visible Silence: The Vessel siblings, particularly the Hollow Knight, on account of being The Speechless.

---