This week, I have another Black Panther comic, and it's one that I might say is one of my all-time favorites. BACKGROUND:
Captain America and the Black Panther teaming up in WWII is one of my absolute favorite Marvel team-up stories, but I have never actually read this particular take on it until now. Needless to say, I'm super excited to get into this. THE WRITING: The Nazis are developing a missile system designed to attack Washington DC directly, but to do that, they require vibranium. Since there's only one place to get the metal, Baron Strucker prepares an invasion of Wakanda. Out to stop them is none other than Captain America (who, at this point, is just starting out), and he has Sgt. Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos for backup. They fly into Wakanda looking to stop the Nazis, but they are greeted by Azzuri, the Black Panther (T'Challa's grandfather). The Americans quickly realize that there's more to the Wakandans than meets the eye, as they easily slaughtered a contingent of the Nazi army with little effort. Later on, the Red Skull arrives to assist Baron Strucker, and he's brought some superpowered Nazi friends: Master Man, Warrior Woman, and Tiger Man. He also enlists the help of the White Gorilla (who I assume is M'Baku's ancestor) to help their efforts (much to the chagrin of the mega racists within the Nazi ranks). With these villains (and a giant mech piloted by Red Skull), the Nazis unleash a full scale assault on Wakanda, but it was not enough to defeat the combined might of Captain America, the Howling Commandos, and the Black Panther. Though this is a rather short series, there was plenty of room for interesting character interactions. Cap's purity and Nick Fury's willingness to go into gray areas (a trait that would continue to define him as director of SHIELD later on) was a time-honored clash of ideals, while Azzuri and Cap's friendship was interesting to see as they both found common ground. One of the Howling Commandos (Gabe) gets a bit of the limelight, as he (a black man) narrates his experiences in Wakanda, which is a stark contrast to his life in America. This was long before the days of the Civil Rights movement, so his shock and awe at this kingdom is a sobering reminder of how poorly his people were treated in that era of America's history. Since this is WWII-era Marvel, you won't get any big references to anything else, but stuff like T'Chaka (T'Challa's father) as a child and a brief mention of Namor exist to remind us that this is still very much in-universe. The only thing that's missing is a Magneto reference. THE ART: The comic has this "rough sketch" look to it, with the use of lines to give detail and shading to characters and environments. The colors are bright, but have this sort of old-timey filter over them, making the entire thing feel like a flashback. It's not an art style I see appealing to everyone, but I appreciate what it's going for. VERDICT: Flags of Our Fathers is up there as one of my absolute favorite Marvel stories of the WWII era. It has one of the coolest duos in Marvel ever, has interesting character moments, makes Wakanda feel even more impressive as a place, and sees a bunch of Nazis get their asses handed to them. Highly recommended if you like both Cap and Black Panther. Read Flags of Our Fathers on Comixology: https://www.comixology.com/Captain-America-Black-Panther-Flags-Of-Our-Fathers/digital-comic/343125?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L2Rlc2t0b3Avc2xpZGVyTGlzdC9pdGVtU2xpZGVy - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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