It's the second week of February, and I intend to follow through on reading stuff for Black History Month for the entirety of the month. So here's read #2. BACKGROUND:
I've read a lot of Black Panther stuff throughout the course of working on this blog, and a good amount of the comics I've read have been written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, so I should probably not repeat myself on points I've likely said in past blog entries. The only thing I can point out here is that I've actually read the first issue of this series, and I really enjoyed it. THE WRITING: Rise of the Black Panther is a series all about looking through T'Challa's past, from his origins to a new look at his earliest adventures. It's not a comprehensive revisit at all his early stories, but it covers a lot of the important bases. There's also early encounters that retroactively serve as setups to more recent stories, further fleshing out said stories when you read them back. The first issue is probably still my favorite part, as it's a one-issue look at the legacy of the Black Panthers that preceded T'Challa. You get a taste of Azzuri and Captain America fighting together in WWII against HYDRA (the whole story of which I've read, and it's also one of my favorites; more on that here), T'Chaka's tragic death at the hands of Klaw, and little glimpses of the personality of T'Challa's birth mother. The brief look at how these past kings ruled gives readers a frame of reference to compare T'Challa's choices later on in the comic. Additionally, the reaction of Wakandans to the outsiders who show up during this time period help establish their isolationist ideals. The rest of the comic focuses squarely on T'Challa, and there's a lot of stuff we get to see of his early days as the Black Panther. First, we see how he initially claims his birthright by defeating his uncle S'Yan in ritual combat (who took over T'Chaka until T'Challa came of age), and how he vows to change Wakanda's future by revealing their true nature to the world. As expected, many Wakandans find this an affront to tradition, but T'Challa notes that with the rise of new threats (like Fantastic Four's battle with Galactus and the revelation of Thor's existence), Wakanda cannot simply let the rest of the world suffer while they stay safe and hidden. Seeing how other people react to Wakanda's revelation (and how T'Challa responds to these reactions) is one of the main highlights of this comic. Wakandans distrusting outsiders isn't an unreasonable stance to take (especially with all the attempts of invasion that's happened throughout the nation's history), but T'Challa firmly believes there's more to gain by not hiding in the shadows. It's cool to see various characters try and challenge T'Challa's stance on the matter, as it sparks interesting conversations. The reactions of outsiders are equally interesting, from Namor thinking it's a dumb idea, to UN dignitaries feeling uneasy about the fact that Wakanda has been hiding its vibranium-based technology all this time. We also see T'Challa's first meetings with characters like Namor (whose similarities as rulers of hidden kingdoms are highlighted, and sets up their unique relationship and eventual war with one another) and Doctor Doom (which sets the stage for Doomwar). Along the way, a storyline in the background progresses involving traitorous Wakandans conspiring with outside forces plays out, which ties in with the origins of Killmonger (whom T'Challa fights by the end of the series). Numerous references are made to other Black Panther appearances, like his debut comic where he fights the Fantastic Four, an interaction that connects to Coates's first volume of the 2016 Black Panther series, a connecting thread between T'Challa's mother and the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda storyline, a chance encounter in the past with Luke Cage in Harlem (before he was imprisoned and got powers), and him becoming an Avenger. Along with that, we see a previously-unseen moment in his relationship with his lover Storm, and a surprise apperance by the Winter Soldier. There's a lot to sink one's teeth into especially if you've read a ton of Black Panther comics, but there's a fair share of surprises, too. We get to see T'Challa interact with a lot of classic supporting characters, like his sibling dynamic with Shuri, his clash of ideals with his uncle S'Yan, his more uneasy relationship with the White Wolf, and his bond with Ramonda (who raised T'Challa when his birth mother died). These relationships aren't really the main focus of the story, but it's shown how important these people are as T'Challa tries to be the best king he can be. THE ART: The overall style looks excellent with its smooth linework, highly varied color palette, and impressive shading. It shines with larger panels that show off Black Panther's impressive physique, as well as other instances where we see other Marvel characters (I quite enjoyed the artists' takes on Captain America, Iron Man, and Doctor Doom). The action also feels quite fluid, which is appropriate given who the main character is. VERDICT: Rise of the Black Panther is an enjoyable look at the earliest days of one of my favorite Marvel heroes, and it lovingly calls back to a lot of old Black Panther stuff while also seamlessly enhancing more modern stories with connecting threads that don't feel like forced retcons. It's always great to see T'Challa kicking ass, and it's even more interesting to see his journey from prince who lost his father to the king who will bring change to Wakanda. I had a lot of fun with the references to both new and old stories, and T'Challa's early growth as a character was made more compelling to me with these added layers to his first few outings as king. Very glad I read this book. I think is a perfect jumping-in point for people who want to learn about Black Panther but only really know the guy from the movies. It covers the essentials of T'Challa's origin and has a standalone set of stories where you get to see him find his footing as king. Better still, it plants plenty of seeds for both Wakanda's past and teases a lot of T'Challa's other adventures, which is bound to pique one's interest in searching for more world-building or Wakanda, or compel one to seek out the Black Panther stories that are referenced throughout the book. Check out the collection on Comixology: Rise of the Black Panther - Comics by comiXology - end -
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