Review: Black Panther: Long Live the King #1 (of 6)
Back when I was kid, I loved the Fantastic Four, especially the Lee and Kirby books. It seemed every issue was a classic; from the Negative Zone, Galactus and the Surfer and of course the ruler of Wakanda, T’Challa aka the Black Panther. Back then I didn’t pay much attention to vibranium other than it gave Johnny Storm a concussion when Wyatt Wingfoot used it as a baseball bat! Now, as a much learned comic book fan, I realise its importance in things like Captain America’s shield and Ultron.
The first issue of this book is an introduction to the current Wakanda, peaceful, rich and vibrant. However, along with the sunshine, some rain must fall and in this case, its an octopus like monster capable of leeching the energy from the potent metal that serves as the backbone of Wakanda’s technology and economy. At least it is not another Dark Batman looking for his mythical Metal!
As an introduction to the character, Nnedi Okorafor’s writing certainly delivesrs a book that is at it’s best, is twee. There is no real punch to anything, even when T’Challa tells his people what the problem is, there are easy going elements that doesn’t actually see the danger that the country is in. As a place, Wakanda reminds me of Themiscyra and to some extent Asgard. Each of them has a tranquil beauty and inner belief that is inherent in their protectors. But because of this, there can be a feeling of disjointedness as they all show a different type of world than we see in the majority of comic books. Here, even the skyscrapers cast no shadows. Okarafor’s dialogue works well as setup, but I would hope for more fire in later issues.
The art, provided by Andre Lima Araujo is full of simple lines, that is surprisingly elegant for a Marvel book, eschewing as it does the normal bells and whistles approach favoured by some. That’s not to say there aren’t any faults, but they are easy to ignore, when they fit the tone of the book so well; easy going life equates to easy going pencils it seems. The pages are well constructed that whilst may lack a certain fierce drive, carry the plot forward.  Chris O’Halloran provides the usual excellent job on colors.
Whilst this book has an element of charm, I have to admit, I miss the old regal T’Challa. I appreciate that Marvel are in a state of flux, with cinematic success not translating into comic book success, but even so, this feels like a light weight T’Challa when compared to the original. In this incarnation, he is more a Grey Tabby, than a Black Panther.
Writing – 3 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Nnedi Okorafor
Art by; Andre Lima Arajuo
Colors by; Chris O’Halloran
Published by; Marvel Entertainment
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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