Black Panther (Vol 9) #1

As any one knows, I'm a huge Black Panther fan. As far as the comic books, I have all the issues from each volume of his solo series. This may exclude a mini-series here and there. This book and the Fantastic Four are the only books I buy, regardless of the creative team. Other books I drop in and out, but these two are my constants. 

Before I dive in, let me say this about the Black Panther comics and I will be honest. They are hit and miss. There is no consistency because each writer wants to put their own spin on him. Sure, some grand ideas may carry over, but that is it. I will say that the Christopher Priest run is the definitive run of Black Panther and it was that run that made me love the character. I didn't care about Black Panther before reading that run in the mid-2000s.

The past few years, Marvel has done right by the Black Panther by having black writers handle his solo series. The last couple of years were written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It started out as an intriguing look into the politics of Wakanda and was actually really interesting. He had a problem of overwriting for about the first twelve issues until he settled in. He built a fascinating world and I think if I re-read his run, it will stand up over time.

Then he took a wild swing and created an intergalactic empire of Wakanda, which seems like it is here to stay. That arc also lasted a while, kind of overstaying it's welcome, but it was also equally interesting and ambitious. I liked that he took risks. We were also blessed with some good artists such as Brian Stelfreeze and Daniel Acuna.

Now we have this issue, which is starting a new volume written by John Ridley, a black screenwriter that has a lot of notches on his belt. He's also been writing the "I Am Batman" series over at DC. Or to simplify it, "The Black Batman". That series has been good, so does that translate to the Black Panther series? Was it everything I hoped and wanted for?

No. No it was not. There have been times in my life where I tried to make myself like a comic because I thought I should. Over the years, with so much out there, I realized that I don't have to like everything and that is okay. I like what I like.

Let me get into what I didn't like about this comic. Keep in mind, it is the first issue and it can only get better. First off, T'Challa is not like many other black characters in Marvel or DC. He is a king of an entire country and he should be written as such. Yes, he hangs out with super hero teams, but he needs to have an heir of detachment from them. He is a king hanging out with a bunch of knights. The way Christopher Priest wrote him, he was kind of an asshole, which worked. He is a guy that is five steps ahead and always planning. 

In this issue, we're dealing with the fallout of the Coates run, where Wakanda is moving to become a democracy. So now T'Challa is Wakanda's protector, but not necessarily it's king. Given how he's been the leader of the Avengers for the past few years, it makes sense that Wakanda would want someone to actually be there to lead them. I don't have a problem with this and will see how long we go before we revert back to him being the king.

With that being said, first and foremost, the dialogue in this book feels off. I mentioned before how you can tell who's a black writer by what and how people say things. To go a step further, you can also tell who has researched or experienced African culture and those that did not. Past writers I feel like had a feel for the rhythm of the language without sounding like Americans. This is what I'm referring to when I say the dialogue doesn't sound right. It is the the equivalent of an American trying to do a foreign accent. They say stereotypical things they think fits the accent, completely missing the mark. Ridley does not have a handle on T'Challa's voice yet. He does not sound indistinguishable from any of the other characters in the issue.  I can't hear Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa with the way this dialogue is written. Given time, I'm sure this will get better.

Over the past few the years, Shuri has seen a lot of progress. In this issue, she seems locked into the version of herself that appeared in the movie. That does her a huge disservice in the comic books. She has since risen past being merely T'Challa's sister and his "man in the chair." I don't know if this choice falls on editorial because they want to remain as close to the movies as possible or if Ridley simply didn't do his research on the past few years of Black Panther. It could go either way.

I don't know what Steve Rogers is going through, but in this issue he comes off as a condescending asshole. He continuously questions T'Challa's heart when it comes to leading the Avengers as if that is the most important thing in the world. His self-righteousness was dialed up to an 11 and it is extremely off putting. T'Challa is still essentially a king and doesn't have to answer to Captain America. Cap spent the entire issue talking down to him. That doesn't line up with their relationship at all. It's disrespectful. 

The cold open of this book is also uninspiring. I don't care that they are fighting a nameless foe. It was this scene that set the tone for the book and made me feel like it was going in the wrong direction. A team of Doctor Strange, Thor, Black Panther and Captain America feels weird. None of them sounded like themselves either.

To me, this book feels like Marvel wants to get away from the political intrigue of the past few years and just make this a good ol' super hero comic. However, it starts off clumsily. This is the book where Marvel could go Afro-futuristic, but they have chosen not to. It could push that concept more into the mainstream, so this is a continued, missed opportunity.

Let me comment on the art real quick. Juann Cabal is supposed to be one of the rising artists at Marvel. His work here was competent, but not spectacular. I'm holding judgement until I see more in this book from him.

Of course, I will keep reading. You saw what I said at the top of this post. However, this book will not be immune to whatever daggers I want to throw it's way. I demand better and we deserve better than a half-assed effort.

The Thing #1

Welcome to a special post of Into the Longbox. Why is this special? Well, this mini-series starring the Thing combines two of my favorite things. The Thing from the Fantastic Four and one of my new favorite writers, Walter Mosley. A few years ago I read "Devil in a Blue Dress" and was so impressed that I've been working my way through his books. Specifically the Easy Rawlins novels for right now. I bring this all up because he is a black author of well renown, writing a comic book about one of my favorite characters. I couldn't have paired this combo any better than if I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I might have mentioned before that I am always hesitant when an author or a celebrity steps into the comics world to write a comic book. Before getting my hands on this book, I read an interview with Mosley which you can find here. What impressed me is he spoke to why he liked the Thing and something clicked inside me that explained why The Thing appeals to me so much. I've thought it, but never had written it out. I have always thought of him as the black character of the Fantastic Four. The guy that was different that never fit in anywhere and was always feared based on his appearance alone. Mosley more eloquently states that in his interview.

To add to this, he also did an intro AND afterward to a book on the Fantastic Four. So he has more than earned his chops and shown a genuine passion for this particular comic series.

Anyways, when I found out months ago this book was happening, I was super excited and even marked it on my calendar! So what did I think? I thought it was pretty good. It didn't blow me away, but that is because I placed unrealistic expectations on it. It was a very respectful homage to the earlier era of the Fantastic Four. 

A few things stood out to me. First of all, Mosley is a pro, but new to comics. You wouldn't be able to tell here. Most new authors tend to overwrite and fill the pages with a bunch of exposition. Mosley does not do that here. He wisely lets his artist do some of the heavy lifting to convey what he wants to get across. Side note, Tom Reilly does a really good job on this book. Also, the dialogue is never cringy. I thought it was spot on and felt like Mosley has the voices of his characters. At least importantly, Ben Grimm's. This is another problem with unfamiliar writers to the comic character. 

Mosley manages to drop in a lot of familiar touchstones of the Fantastic Four. The mailman Willy Lumpkin. They're in the Baxter Building. Reed Richards (of course) shows up and is preoccupied. The Fantasti-Car and Alicia Masters. There's even a guest appearance by Hercules. This feels very old school Marvel in a good way. You can tell he has a respect and reverence for these characters. I feel like he wrote what he loved as a kid.

This is a first issue, so there is a lot of moving all the pieces around. What is established is that we get sad-sack Ben Grimm, a staple of that era. Nothing ever goes right for the guy, even when he sometimes has good intentions. There's a mysterious villain lurking behind the scenes doing villainy things, but that will get revealed more as we go. Right now, his intentions are not clear. 

When I read a book by black writers, there are certain things that are said or shown that helps me tell, even if I didn't know their race. There are a small voices here, like showing more black and brown characters in the background or featuring them more prominently in the story. At one point, Ben identified himself as non-white. Some may hate that moment, but in the context of that moment in the story, it made sense. Even the idea of introducing a black love interest to Ben. It's these little things I appreciated.

I mentioned the art earlier and I wanted to point out something that varies depending on who's drawing the Fantastic Four. Does the Thing have teeth or not? Some authors draw him with teeth, others do not. In this case, Reilly draws the Thing with no teeth, so we just have a rocky guy and a cavernous, open mouth. The art is beautiful and the colors work very well here. There's a specific color palette used for dream sequences and featuring the cloaked villain. 

With the resurgence of the Fantastic Four, I hope this book sells well enough that they let Mosley have more work. He is probably too busy to ever do the main series, but I think letting him play in his own corner of the sandbox would be a good idea. I recommend checking this out. I'll report back on each issue!