Why did many people whine about the Black Panther armbar Surfer thing

[Shadowcat]

It was stupid, but I’ve seen worse. Like Daredevil taking out Surfer in the Waid/Samnee DD run. It only became a thing because Black Panther was the character, and it was written by a black author. There was a lot of animosity directed at BP around this time because of Storm being poached by the BP editorial office.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I think people have just come to accept that any Priest written book will have white people being written as weak chumps.

Err, nope.

The bullet was designed to penetrate Panther's suit, which was/is pretty damn tough. Priest was pretty respectful of power levels in his Panther run.

And it shouldn't matter, but I'm white

[Bruce Wayne]

I remember there was a lot more fuss both here and on other boards when Christopher Priest had Thor shot and taken down by a sniper with a bullet in a Black Panther issue.

I think people have just come to accept that any Priest written book will have white people being written as weak chumps.

That was back when the 1st Avengers v3 writer and thus Marvel were claiming that Thor was not bullet proof and that particular writer had even read through the entire Lee/Kirby run and had wrote a running commentary on all the moments that Thor had dealt with bullets. It was quite controversial iirc since the Comicboards posters who were obsessed with power levels disagreed with him and screeching about how Thor was absolutely bulletproof like Superman.

[Doombot]

It didn't have anything to do with race, T'Challa's or the writer's, it had to do with it being jarringly stupid, even for a comic book. Yes stupid things happen in comics all the time, yes characters are depicted not using their own powers properly or being somehow subdued or jobbed by characters that shouldn't, but this particular time it was characters at two opposite extremes of power levels. I'm a Black Panther fan, but the Surfer is so far beyond the Panther in terms of sheer power that to see him being physically restrained by Panther was kinda shockingly dumb. If the Surfer was trying, like at all, it could never happen, and T'Challa is too smart of a guy to not know that. If it were Captain America, or Wolverine or even Spidey, who's far more powerful than the first two, were to do this to Surfer I would have been just as surprised. Though Cap and Wolverine tend to get away with this kind of thing way more due to their popularity. If we're being relaistic at all, Wolverine should never have a chance in hell with Hulk. Yes I know he was created in a Hulk story, he'd still have no chance.

[dkrook]

It was stupid, but I’ve seen worse. Like Daredevil taking out Surfer in the Waid/Samnee DD run. It only became a thing because Black Panther was the character, and it was written by a black author. There was a lot of animosity directed at BP around this time because of Storm being poached by the BP editorial office.

Agreed mostly! That last point, poached is too strong a word. The X-office weren't doing a damn thing for Storm. Matter of it was only after BP writers decided to expound upon old canon flirtation between the two that there even was an issue. Those that know, know the other reason for the Storm/T'Challa dust up.

[dkrook]

It didn't have anything to do with race, T'Challa's or the writer's, it had to do with it being jarringly stupid, even for a comic book. Yes stupid things happen in comics all the time, yes characters are depicted not using their own powers properly or being somehow subdued or jobbed by characters that shouldn't, but this particular time it was characters at two opposite extremes of power levels. I'm a Black Panther fan, but the Surfer is so far beyond the Panther in terms of sheer power that too see him being physically restrained by Panther was kinda shockingly dumb. If the Surfer was trying, like at all, it could never happen, and T'Challa is too smart of a guy to not know that. If it were Captain America, or Wolverine or even Spidey, who's far more powerful than the first two, were to do this to Surfer I would have been just as surprised. Though Cap and Wolverine tend to get away with this kind of thing way more due to their popularity. If we're being relaistic at all, Wolverine should never have a chance in hell with Hulk. Yes I know he was created in a Hulk story, he'd still have no chance.

Yet, here we are. Doom for all intentions is a dark reflection of T'Challa being a regular man blessed with close to same levels of Intelligence and capabilities. Positioned between the worlds of magic and science, knowledgeable of ways to blend them. Doom created a device that can take Surfers power. That shouldn't even be possible, but he did it. There's enough suspension of belief to contemplate T'Challa doing just what he did. The same man found a way to beat the devil twice!

[The Cool Thatguy]

Yet, here we are. Doom for all intentions is a dark reflection of T'Challa being a regular man blessed with close to same levels of Intelligence and capabilities. Positioned between the worlds of magic and science, knowledgeable of ways to blend them. Doom created a device that can take Surfers power. That shouldn't even be possible, but he did it. There's enough suspension of belief to contemplate T'Challa doing just what he did. The same man found a way to beat the devil twice!

I don't think Dr. Doom creating a plot devise to steal cosmic power and T'Challa's armbar compare. One shows effort, one was just a poor way to continue the action.

What annoys me most about that story wasn't even the armbar.

Galactus, Silver Surfer and Stardust just came off of Annihilation with cred, and they get used to break in the new FF.

McDuffie is an excellent writer, but not perfect. I think that arc, even ignoring the armbar, demonstrates that.

But I do hate that, here we are, years later, and still people are complaining. Yeesh, get over it!

[Shadowcat]

Agreed mostly! That last point, poached is too strong a word. The X-office weren't doing a damn thing for Storm. Matter of it was only after BP writers decided to expound upon old canon flirtation between the two that there even was an issue. Those that know, know the other reason for the Storm/T'Challa dust up.

Disagree on it being too strong, as she was basically poached from Claremont’s Uncanny run. I’m a big fan of the pairing, and disliked the irrational hatred that Black Panther fans received from the X-fans. It’s not like the fans of either franchise had any control over how Storm was brought over to the BP title. They should have worked with the two creators to make it seamless.

[Doombot]

Yet, here we are. Doom for all intentions is a dark reflection of T'Challa being a regular man blessed with close to same levels of Intelligence and capabilities. Positioned between the worlds of magic and science, knowledgeable of ways to blend them. Doom created a device that can take Surfers power. That shouldn't even be possible, but he did it. There's enough suspension of belief to contemplate T'Challa doing just what he did. The same man found a way to beat the devil twice!

As you said, Doom created a device. T'Challa is shown physically restraining the Surfer. I mean it's comics, it should have just been forgotten like all the other crap that's come and gone, but this one just seemed to be in the right place and right time to make it stick in a lot of people's minds.

[Alpha Male]

Hulk vs batman

Looking at this panel, I'm wondering why Batman didn't try this move with Bane? Probably because he was too tired from all that marathon fighting with all those Arkham Inmates.