Artist: Brian Stelfreeze
Color Artist: Laura Martin
Review: Will Dubbeld
Although this review is a bit opportunistic . . .
Black Panther has been near and dear to me for most of my comic-reading life. He wasn't altogether popular when I started collecting, so my first exposure to the character was through guidebook entries and scant guest appearances.
This hero had amazing technology, was imbued with the power of a panther god, and was king of his own super-secret awesome African country.
A king! AND a superhero!
My mind was boggled. How did he find the time?
He was as much a mystery to me as he was to the Marvel Universe proper until I discovered old issues of Marvel Comics Presents. In addition to serving as yet another Wolverine delivery device, the Marvel Comics Presents anthology was, in its early days, host to a hardcore, brutal group of short stories. A Man-Thing story featured Satanists and traumatizing horror art, and I'm pretty sure I read a Shanna the She-Devil story where a dude was roasted on a spit for some cannibal ritual.
Amongst these jaw-dropping grotesqueries was a Black Panther segment that, to be frank, I don't remember much of other than he was freedom-fighting in South Africa (I think . . .), and he had an epic fight with some large military sort named Elmer. It involved barbed wire.
My next experience was a prestige format miniseries called Panther's Prey, and it featured the super-villain's girlfriend licking his infected bioengineered bat-wings.
Black Panther is a hardcore character, ladies and gentlemen.
In a more contemporary world, Black Panther has grown in popularity and has had several series under his belt.
Which is probably made out of vibranium . . .
The most current book finds T'Challa back home in Wakanda, king once again and facing a Wakanda embroiled in civil unrest. His people are at odds with one another, and Black Panther is still wrestling with the death of his sister, Shuri.
The comic opens with a riot at Wakanda's vibranium mound between the miners and the royal guard and showcases a bit of T'Challa's struggle with duty to his country, his people, and to himself. This scene and the one following demonstrate the tone of civil unrest currently plaguing Wakanda. One of the Black Panther's Dora Milajae bodyguards advocates leniency for a citizen on trial for murder and T'Challa wrestles with finding the figurehead at the forefront of Wakanda's unrest.
A quick cut scene shows the aforementioned figurehead at the front of an army, presumably poised to invade Wakanda either from outside its borders or, more insidiously, from within.
In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I'll simply prompt readers to buy this book. Not speaking solely as a Black Panther fan, this comic is a great first issue lead-in to what promises to be an arc filled with intrigue and some metaphors for the often revolutionary geopolitical climate of many African nations. It's my opinion that the character of Black Panther is best served in his home country, and hopefully this book stays in Wakanda for awhile, before thrusting the character into some company-wide crossover. There's so much largely unexplored in regards to the culture of Wakanda, and I'm always itching to know more.
As well as laying the groundwork for an intriguing story, Black Panther's art department is phenomenal. It's stylistically a sort of proto-Kirby look with cleaner lines and color that really pops. The character and technology design is especially pleasing to the eye.
With any luck, Black Panther will weather the stormy comics landscape and remain a solidly consistent book. If the current creative team stays the course, we're in for what could prove to be an epic run that'll build plenty of steam for the upcoming film.
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