Black Panther Appreciation 2020

[Mike_Murdock]

we do know the writer.

some of us know the writer VERY well.

Congratulations, man. I guess I'm going to be reading more of King in Black than I was expecting.

[Marvell2100]

Coates' T'Challa made sense in the first few issues to be fair. Wakanda had been dragged through the mud for years (Doomwar, Namor, Thanos) so it's perfectly justifiable narratively for him to be a bit mopey. He'd been through a lot and understandably the political and spiritual foundations of Wakanda had been shaken to their core. He may have restored the kingdom at the end of Secret Wars, but the collective traumas of defeat and genocide don't heal immediately.

The issue is he dragged the **** out and kept playing the same old tired beats. A Nation Under Our Feet should've been 7 issues max and T'Challa should've been completely redeemed by the end of it. He should've been shown to be a more active agent in Wakanda's reconciliation and started the second arc completely validated in his beliefs and methods. We kinda got that in the first issue or 2 of Avengers of the New World but it didn't last and we got Coates' traditional T'Challa again.

But ever since the first arc we've been getting these ensembles where he's constantly relying on his supporting cast, always unsure of himself, and simply not doing cool ****. He writes a T'Challa that to this day is broken and unconfident, which is simply not the mode he's supposed to be in on a regular basis. T'Challa faces setbacks and defeats (he should every now and then as I'm sure Redjack would agree), but he's not tortured by his throne or constantly worrying about his place in the world.

He's not Batman or Daredevil, hopelessly wallowing in guilt or unease, and I think that's what separates Coates from Redjack's or Priest's T'Challa. They had him WORK for his victories but they didn't have him cry to the Queen Mother or Storm and break into soliloquies whenever **** got tough lol. They do a much better job of communicating the struggles and dualities of T'Challa as a hero/king, maintaining the core of his voice and keeping the story centered on him.

I wouldn't give Coates credit for a bus ticket.

[Anthony Shaw]

You guys are top shelf.

[Huntsman Spider]

I was thinking of adding Spider-Man to that, but I had rationalized that at least he tries to use humor to put on a brave face lol. Dudes like Batman and Daredevil don't even get to do that and are borderline depressed in multiple stories. But definitely, Spider-Man's a great example as well, the number of heroes that are truly down on their luck and constantly feeling defeated or beleaguered isn't that high. T'Challa doesn't fit that archetype because he's basically Mansa Musa meets Doc Savage. A reformist king with a lot on his mind, but at his core he's an adventurer who does his best to lead his people and the world.

The thing about the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda for me is that it was boring, most of it was just fighting redshirt aliens. I feel part of it was Coates overcorrecting for the lack of action in the first 2 seasons, he thought throwing in a bunch of pages of T'Challa killing mooks was all he needed to spruce things up. And while he did solid worldbuilding for the IGEW, it's got arguably got the worst pacing in the entire run. Despite being hyped as a cosmic Middle Passage of some sort, it didn't really push the thematic boundaries of the mythos or illuminate our understanding of T'Challa. All we got is T'Challa getting blamed for daring to send Wakandans into space and learning he's the type of guy that would ignore obvious slavery.

Generally agreed. I did like the designs for Black Panther and Emperor N'Jadaka, but beyond that . . .

[Vordan]

Looks like I’m checking out King in Black. Damnit I was really hoping to skip Cates Knull bullshit, but I definitely want to see Redjack tackle 616 T’Challa.

[MindofShadow]

we do know the writer.

some of us know the writer VERY well.

[Agent Z]

https://www.deviantart.com/ferreira-...ther-860264564

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[Frontier]

https://www.deviantart.com/ferreira-...ther-860264564

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Ferreira-404

Exchanging Pantherjack's absurdly long arms with a huge torso .

[DigiCom]

What else could his heart be yearning for(Besides not getting another pyrrhic victory. Not on Redjack's watch!)? All that's left is a good LI.

Mountain Dew Baja Blast. He's a fan.

[KingNomarch]

https://www.deviantart.com/ferreira-...ther-860264564

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Ferreira-404

[Vanguard]

https://www.deviantart.com/ferreira-...ther-860264564

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Ferreira-404

Im down to watch a cartoon with BP in it.

[Dboi654]

Grace Randolph is at it again

https://twitter.com/GraceRandolph/st...48684931747842

[Steroid]

Grace Randolph is at it again

https://twitter.com/GraceRandolph/st...48684931747842

Sad thing is people actually believe her nonsense.

[Dboi654]

Sad thing is people actually believe her nonsense.

I know right.

Funny enough, I got blocked on Twitter for saying I didn't like this idea.

[Ezyo1000]

Grace Randolph is at it again

https://twitter.com/GraceRandolph/st...48684931747842

I mean.. did she not see the interview with Letitia about how they aren't even thinking about the movie right now? She has been off on so much stuff it's bot even funny, plus, Disney ain't that stupid that they would kill T'Challa again, especially not showing a digital Chadwick dying.. do you know how bad that would look and how disrespectful?