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.
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