By: Daniel Mauleon
A great thing happened last Wednesday. I walked into a comic book shop and walked out empty handed. Okay- so it wasn't exactly great for me. (I would need some consoling later.) However, beyond my selfish wants, the cause had been great. The first issue in a new run of Black Panther had sold out in comic shops across the country. Many readers, new and old, would spend the week staring at a blank space on racks. "We sold out in two hours," said the woman running the counter as I filled out a hold form for the next print and resigned myself to wait another week. |
It really should come as no surprise that the comic sold out. After all, the new series written by MacArthur Genius Grant and National Book Award winner, Ta-Nehisi Coates, has been hyped for months. Not to mention this year Black Panther celebrates his 50th anniversary and has his first on screen appearance in Captain America: Civil War (played by Chadwick Boseman).
Now with Black Panther in the spotlight, I am not going to spend time writing about the characters extensive history, or how this book adds to ongoing discussion of race . You can read about these things here, here and here
Honestly, I am relatively new to Black Panther as a character having only read select issues. So for me to even attempt either if those would be foolish. Instead I want to write briefly on the story being set-up in issue #1 and on the use of form in a follow up post.
Now with Black Panther in the spotlight, I am not going to spend time writing about the characters extensive history, or how this book adds to ongoing discussion of race . You can read about these things here, here and here
Honestly, I am relatively new to Black Panther as a character having only read select issues. So for me to even attempt either if those would be foolish. Instead I want to write briefly on the story being set-up in issue #1 and on the use of form in a follow up post.
The Story
Black Panther #1 gives a lot for readers to chew on. It's the first issue of a longer arc and Coates balances planting the seeds of multiple story lines with a healthy dose of super hero action. There are a lot of moving parts in the nation of Wakanda, the world's most technologically advanced society. T'Challa has returned to his homeland and has once again taken up the mantle as Black Panther, "the ancestral ceremonial title of the king of Wakanda". The African nation is on the brink of revolution from forces inside and out. It's clear that the story will revolve around T'Challa as he attempts to protect his kingdom as both a monarch and a hero. But the highlight of the story in this opening issue comes from the other players in the story. |
Now, as someone relatively new to this corner of the Marvel Universe, Coates does a great job laying the ground work for his complex story. I will note that the first scene drops you in the middle of a conflict as Black Panther and his guard fight his own citizens, their minds possibly controlled. And it takes a few pages for the scene to ground itself. But from there the issue takes off and Coates is careful not to lose his readers. This is quite a feat given that three of the next five scenes introduce new characters and secret agendas. As a whole, it's got the makings of a political thriller, with the traditional action of super hero comic, and the tight writing familiar to readers of Coates work.
Possibly the best surprise of all is that the star of this comic is not the titular hero but instead are the powerful women featured throughout this issue. In fact, beyond a few nameless guards there are only two men who speak in this comic, and not even to each other. With Tetu, the meta-human revealing to Wakandans their inner rage, Ramonda a matriarch to Wakanda, and Aneka and Ayo, lovers and former elite royal guards, Coates laughs in the face of super hero narratives which struggle to pass the Bechdel Test. All of this in a medium where black women much less black super-women, are already hard to come by. (Quick name as many black female superheroes as you can in thirty seconds besides Storm.) These characters dominate the narrative in both intrigue and emotion and they will be the ones to bring readers back for each issue.
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That's it for now. I've got a packet of writing due Friday, and some taxes to file this weekend. Look for the second part of the review as I break down the good, the alright, and the fantastic use of the graphic form.
In the meantime you can read some more in depth articles on the first issue linked below. Or go pick it up yourself, if there are any left in stock.
Fusion: Queer, powerful women are the heart of the new 'Black Panther'
Vulture: Ta-Nehisi Coates annotates his Black Panther debut
That's it for now. I've got a packet of writing due Friday, and some taxes to file this weekend. Look for the second part of the review as I break down the good, the alright, and the fantastic use of the graphic form.
In the meantime you can read some more in depth articles on the first issue linked below. Or go pick it up yourself, if there are any left in stock.
Fusion: Queer, powerful women are the heart of the new 'Black Panther'
Vulture: Ta-Nehisi Coates annotates his Black Panther debut