Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

I'm going to save my usual pre-amble nonsense and just jump into my review of the movie while it's fresh in my mind. Did I love the movie? Yes! Was it better than the first one? Well, no, but that's not a bad thing. It's different. I would give it a 9/10 if we want to put numbers on things. That first movie was fueled by the unmistakable charisma of the late Chadwick Boseman.

We are at a unique moment right now. I've never recalled an actor being so closely tied to a character that his actual death was tied into a movie that felt like a loving eulogy. Chadwick Boseman is clearly missed and this movie does not shy away from it. There is such a palpable sadness in the beginning of this movie that is really a gut punch. There is a long moment of silence for when the Marvel logo pops up and I want you to pay attention to it because it is different. 

Let this be a warning to you, there is a lot of emotional, gut punches in this movie. Did I cry a bit? I would be lying if I said I didn't. Beneath this sadness, there is a beautiful movie with a lot of poignant touches. I re-watched the first Black Panther movie before this and I forgot how many themes were running through it. In this movie, that trend continues. This movie has something to say and it is way more than just a super hero movie to some of us. I can't properly express the depth of sadness we feel watching this movie that almost becomes too much at times. It is painful to watch our people suffer because we know that suffering. We feel what the actors feel in this one.

In the story, we have two uniquely ancient and powerful nations that come to odds with each other. I LOVED what they did with Namor and his origin here. Tying him to Aztec culture and history makes him more relatable and gives another chance for marginalized people to see themselves represented in a big budget movie. There is a rich and sad history for Namor's people and you will empathize with him. This movie is secretly a Namor origin story and launch point. Tenoch Huerta is a delight on the screen. Equally charming and menacing.

My hope is that indigenous people have a chance to see themselves represented on screen the way we as black people did in the first movie. Also, each of us have our own signature greeting we can use in real life.

This movie deals with loss and how one can rise above it. All the characters deal with it in their own way. Wakanda and the newly introduced city of Talokan, Namor's city. Each setting is beautifully rendered and represented.

I would be remiss if I didn't call out the outwardly strong, black female cast in this movie. They all get to shine and it was one of my more favorite aspects. Angela Bassett is still out here doing her thing and reminding you who she is. She is fantastic and a force to be reckoned with. You can not take your eyes off her when she is on the screen and seeing her go toe to toe with many different invading nations, on the battle field or in a political setting. The movie is also about Shuri's arc, as she deals with the death of her brother. Then we have Okoye and Nakia, not to be outdone but also get a chance to truly shine in this movie. Last, but certainly not least. The Dora Milaje. A fighting force like none other. The Black Women are front and center here and all the men are pushed to the back and it is refreshing. M'Baku is fantastic as usual, but he is more of an advisor to Shuri as she goes on her journey.

There is so much more I want to say, but I want to keep this as short as possible so that you all get to see it. The battle scenes are sweeping and beautifully shot. I'm deliberately ignoring all the extra characters we get introduced, not because they're not important, but I don't want to color your opinion. This is another cultural moment and Ryan Coogler should be celebrated as a genius for the way he respectfully shows each of these cultures, giving them proper space to breathe and bringing up different topics that can lead to poignant discussions. It opens the door for more characters to be birthed from this rich tapestry he's created. This man deserves his props and so much more.

Black Panther (Vol. 9) - What is this?!?

Y'all know I'm a die hard Black Panther fan. I own almost 90% of his solo stuff that's ever been released. I've read some great stories and some not so great stories. Through it all, I never felt the way I do now. A few months ago I shared my thoughts on the first issue of this new run. Has it gotten better? No. Instead of giving this blanket statement, let me share my reasons why.

Over the past year or two, they've transformed Wakanda into a democracy. A modern take on an old comic book mythos is okay. I don't mind this. I've been reading comics for a while and something is going to happen where this is going to revert back. It's just the nature of the beast, so I don't sweat changes like this.

Where I have a problem is with the writing. I get that Marvel wants synergy between the comics and the movies. Black Panther was a C List character at best about fifteen years ago. Now he's become more prominent and is among the A-Listers. To try and build on the momentum of the movies (and let's be real here, Chadwick Boseman's portrayal), they keep trying to put non comic book talent on the books. Someone that is known in the mainstream and done influential work in black literature or television. I can only speculate that is why they had Ta'Nehisi Coates on here for a few years. 

My first problem is getting non-comic book writers writing comic books. Marvel is trying to bring in a new audience by bringing in someone with a built in audience. The cynic in me will tell you that those same fans are not comic book readers and most likely are not going to follow them around. Writing comics is flexing different muscles than writing a novel and for new writers, it shows. These books tend to be overwritten, with a million speech bubbles. 

I said all that to set up my next couple of points. They picked John Ridley, an academy award winning writer. That last part is important. What did he win for? 12 Years a Slave. He's also been a writer of a few episodes of Martin, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and some other stuff you may have seen. My problem is that Marvel sees this and think this is the black writer we need on Black Panther. I applaud their effort to get black writers on this book over the past few years, but I don't think they've gone deeper than that. 

My problem is everything about this run feels way off. I attribute part of it to Ridley being an American trying to write an African character. The voice doesn't feel right. T'Challa sounds too American, when he should in the very least sound like a king. Too many American idioms makes it's way into his speech. You could argue that maybe being around so many Americans has changed him, but that feels like nonsense. Ridley also writes the most asshole-ish version of Captain America I have ever seen. Cap is always condescending to T'Challa, chastising him for not focusing on his role in the Avengers when he knows damn well this brother was running an entire nation. A job he started to fail at because he was serving the Avengers. And now his country wants to be a democracy. Steve Rogers cares nothing about that and that is completely inauthentic to who he is supposed to be. Even worse, T'Challa just takes it.

Black Panther shows up in the Avengers books and does his super hero stuff there. I do not think his solo title should be a watered down version of that. Instead, they pair him up with some second tier Avengers to pal around in this book, when really we should be focused on Wakanda and Black Panther's role in it. The problem is, even the super hero stuff isn't good either. So this book is failing on multiple fronts. It doesn't know what it wants to be.

The most recent storyline that concluded involved T'Challa having a network of spies that was revealed to his country and that caused tension. This feels like an also ran story and also doesn't feel right. Trying to be a watered down spy thriller is not what this book should be.

I've spent a lot of time complaining about what this book is, but haven't said how I would personally fix it. Clearly, I'm very opinionated and I do have my own answers. First of all, there is plenty of talented African writers out there. I've read some work at Marvel, Image, DC and other independent companies. This book needs to be handed over to one of them. Black Panther's voice would be well served to be guided by someone that is actually African. This way the portrayals would feel more authentic. There are nuances that Americans will miss or think they know that causes this problem. Marvel is so focused on getting a big name to move books, that they are missing an opportunity to make a start out of someone that is relatively unknown. I doubt Ridley's name is really moving units. In fact, I would argue that the way comics are today, writers will not move that many more units.

Another fix, base the book in Wakanda. We don't need to see T'Challa globetrotting. His country is in peril and he seems inclined to do nothing about it. He says he's for Wakanda and then leaves them at the drop of a hat. Making him face his consequences and trying to earn back his peoples' trust is what they should be doing. A new writer could try to build a new rogue's gallery for him. Writers tend to put their political views into their work, I would love to see that put into effect here.

I mentioned an African writer, that goes double for the art. I think this book could use a new look and a new style to it. Lately it's been traditional comic book art, but I think this title needs to go in a different direction.

If I were an editor at Marvel, this is where I would put my focus to breathe some new life into this book. I hate that I feel this way about the book, but it is just not good. Something needs to be done.