Black Panther Appreciation: Wakanda Forever!

[XPac]

I know the X-Men aren't mentioned all that much around here, but in one of the alternate timelines there were references to Wakandan Sky Cities. Maybe they could have something like that.

In principal I think cities in the sky ate asking for trouble. They're just begging to crash.

That said, visually they are cool. If an creative team wanted to inspire awe that's a way to do it.

[ed2962]

In principal I think cities in the sky ate asking for trouble. They're just begging to crash.

That said, visually they are cool. If an creative team wanted to inspire awe that's a way to do it.

Sky cities look really cool visually, but don't make that much sense.


Actually much like jetpacks. The technology exists in real, but the military has said there's just no way they are practical in a combat situation. Course they still look cool in comics and movies.

[Mr MajestiK]

This is comics, Wakanda had reason to look to the Stars, after TRO? Do you think Wakanda is going to just sit idly by and not have safeguard's against something like that again? Hickman already established that plot thread.
Now we just need a more qualified writer to explore it. Simple. Wakanda could make an exploration Team, fill 1 N'Yami mothership up and that is the expedition team that explores and leaves People at bases to build up stations. Simple

Some people just prefer to read about rebellion and rape camps in Wakanda as opposed to genuine explorations of the afro-futurism that has always been part and parcel of the BP mythos even before the term was coined.

There's absolutely no reason why the BP mythos cannot encompass expanding into the stars as hinted by Hickman's closure to the Secret Wars II saga.

I find it mildly amusing that some choose to low key shade ideas that establish why Wakanda is light years ahead the rest of humanity as depicted within the Marvel Universe.

[XPac]

Wakandans would explore and colonize space because it's there. That simple. Human nature. Annnnd, security. You can call them secret bases all you like, but in the long run they would be considered territory to defend if, say, some other country from earth decided on some aggressive move towards taking or destroying it. A mining colony for resources hard to find or get at on earth. A science base to conduct experiments unable to be conducted on earth for safety reasons. Or secrecy. Wakandan would so have bases around the solar system. And bases eventually become something bigger based on location and convenience.

I think the "because it's there" rationale only goes so far.

Would they explore it because it's there? Sure. Would the move 80% of its population away from their home to live in outer space just because they're there? That seems like a stretch Wakamdans rarely showed much interest in expanding outside Wakanda. Even if it's something they are capable of doing, is it something they want or need to do? For the effort, resources, and risks involved it had better be that important to them.

[Mr MajestiK]

I think the "because it's there" rationale only goes so far.

Would they explore it because it's there? Sure. Would the move 80% of its population away from their home to live in outer space just because they're there? That seems like a stretch Wakamdans rarely showed much interest in expanding outside Wakanda. Even if it's something they are capable of doing, is it something they want or need to do? For the effort, resources, and risks involved it had better be that important to them.

But funnily enough, hitherto unknown rape camps popping up in Wakanda doesn't seem to be that much of a stretch for some.

Fascinating.

[Marvell2100]

I think the "because it's there" rationale only goes so far.

Would they explore it because it's there? Sure. Would the move 80% of its population away from their home to live in outer space just because they're there? That seems like a stretch Wakamdans rarely showed much interest in expanding outside Wakanda. Even if it's something they are capable of doing, is it something they want or need to do? For the effort, resources, and risks involved it had better be that important to them.

Wakanda doesn't need to move 80% of their population to explore and colonize.

Coates supporters were quick to defend his retcon of the reason why T'Challa joined the Avengers. He wanted scientific adventure. Now that the idea has been put out there about Wakanda exploring and colonizing space(scientific adventure?), we all of a sudden get pushback on the very idea that Coates was supposedly trying to push.

[Marvell2100]

But funnily enough, hitherto unknown rape camps popping up in Wakanda doesn't seem to be that much of a stretch for some.

Fascinating.

That is what some are trying to rationalize, yet a highly advanced nation with a space program shouldn't go out into space.

It's like raising chickens and not wanting eggs.

[Mike_Murdock]

They can go into space all they want. I have no real problem with it. To me, the biggest issue I have is Wakandan pride makes me feel like they wouldn't want to colonize space. Why would they want to leave if they live in a country they think is perfect?

Of course, we're talking post-Hudlin Wakanda. I think earlier Wakanda might have different issues because there was shown a distrust of modernity and new technology, but I think that's been thoroughly retconned so that it's irrelevant.

[Mr MajestiK]

Wakanda doesn't need to move 80% of their population to explore and colonize.

Coates supporters were quick to defend his retcon of the reason why T'Challa joined the Avengers. He wanted scientific adventure. Now that the idea has been put out there about Wakanda exploring and colonizing space(scientific adventure?), we all of a sudden get pushback on the very idea that Coates was supposedly trying to push.

The goal post moving never stops.

Not surprised in the slightest.

T'Challa is usually cited as being an outward looking scientist with an adventurers spirit that extends beyond the walls of Wakanda but the minute one postulates on the idea of T'Challa and his technologically advanced people using their technological advancements, some choose to come up with every single argument under the sun, as to why T'Challa and Wakanda should remain earthbound and confined within the rape camps of wholly unimaginative writing.

I would have thought that a thread supposedly dedicated towards the appreciation of all things Black Panther would be a lot more open to progressive thoughts and commentary from readers interested in the BP mythos charting a steady course away from the tedium of rebellion and (now) rampant misogyny.

[Mr MajestiK]

They can go into space all they want. I have no real problem with it. To me, the biggest issue I have is Wakandan pride makes me feel like they wouldn't want to colonize space. Why would they want to leave if they live in a country they think is perfect?

Of course, we're talking post-Hudlin Wakanda. I think earlier Wakanda might have different issues because there was shown a distrust of modernity and new technology, but I think that's been thoroughly retconned so that it's irrelevant.

Considering the fact that Wakanda was already shown to have an advanced space program as depicted in the pages of the Reginald Hudlin penned BP run, the concept is one that begs to be explored further by any writers interested in doing so once Coates goes.

[Vibranium Weave]

Hey I have been noticing something in Coates run that I thought I would run by some BP fans. I always took the portion of Hudlin's annual were he talks about what Wakanda did during the slave trade as cannon, but I have noticed that Coates has mentioned twice in his run so far that slavers have infiltrated Wakanda in the past ( he stated in S2 regarding those snake people & also during S1 in the djaia shuri stories ( the one about the women carried into slavery who was forced to marry the old man)). I am suprised that it has not been brought up as a mark against the run, since Wakanda was never colonized or conquered by other foreign nations. For someone who is supposed to be "woke", why is that what he feels needs to be brought into the BP mythos?

[Cville]

Hey I have been noticing something in Coates run that I thought I would run by some BP fans. I always took the portion of Hudlin's annual were he talks about what Wakanda did during the slave trade as cannon, but I have noticed that Coates has mentioned twice in his run so far that slavers have infiltrated Wakanda in the past ( he stated in S2 regarding those snake people & also during S1 in the djaia shuri stories ( the one about the women carried into slavery who was forced to marry the old man)). I am suprised that it has not been brought up as a mark against the run, since Wakanda was never colonized or conquered by other foreign nations. For someone who is supposed to be "woke", why is that what he feels needs to be brought into the BP mythos?

Oh I noticed. lol. Most of those stories are I guess African fables/history that Coates used to make Wakanda more realistic. He even used the one Ethiopian story where they fled their villages to avoid capture.

Does that even sound remotely Wakandan? Whole first season should be disavowed at some point. Tell people to start at #13. lol

Hudlins first issue is better than all the Coates history stories combined. Which would you rather have?

[BBeeryan]

The goal post moving never stops.

Not surprised in the slightest.

T'Challa is usually cited as being an outward looking scientist with an adventurers spirit that extends beyond the walls of Wakanda but the minute one postulates on the idea of T'Challa and his technologically advanced people using their technological advancements, some choose to come up with every single argument under the sun, as to why T'Challa and Wakanda should remain earthbound and confined within the rape camps of wholly unimaginative writing.

I would have thought that a thread supposedly dedicated towards the appreciation of all things Black Panther would be a lot more open to progressive thoughts and commentary from readers interested in the BP mythos charting a steady course away from the tedium of rebellion and (now) rampant misogyny.

Well, damn. I love this post. I agree that Wakanda should definitely have colonies across the galaxy. How hot would it be to see a story about some Wakandan scientist tracing the origins of vibranium to the other side of the universe. They could be lost and stripped of their goods. And forced to create new weapons and gadgets from raw vibranium they find.

[chief12d]

They can go into space all they want. I have no real problem with it. To me, the biggest issue I have is Wakandan pride makes me feel like they wouldn't want to colonize space. Why would they want to leave if they live in a country they think is perfect?

Of course, we're talking post-Hudlin Wakanda. I think earlier Wakanda might have different issues because there was shown a distrust of modernity and new technology, but I think that's been thoroughly retconned so that it's irrelevant.

That's what I think most people are trying to say. Everyone agrees Wakanda should have a presence in space and have some stories there, the issue is a matter of scale, which has nothing to do with their technological abilities, but their desire and objectives. Like you said, Wakandan pride would be a major barrier to large scale colonization, so as I've said multiple times, a series of bases across the galaxy works better. Whether they're used for dangerous experiments, diplomacy with aliens, spying, or whatever, Wakanda would have lots of checkpoints throughout space to further their interests and explore the great unknown.

They wouldn't be populated by hundreds of thousands of people, but they'd be large enough to be interesting areas that have developed under unique conditions, which offers plenty of good afrofuturistic stories. But I guess anything works in the world of comics and a reasonable backstory for why a Wakandan colony has hundreds of thousands of people could convince me. I just haven't heard one in this thread lol

I think we all want the same thing here

[Vibranium Weave]

Oh I noticed. lol. Most of those stories are I guess African fables/history that Coates used to make Wakanda more realistic. He even used the one Ethiopian story where they fled their villages to avoid capture.

Does that even sound remotely Wakandan? Whole first season should be disavowed at some point. Tell people to start at #13. lol

Hudlins first issue is better than all the Coates history stories combined. Which would you rather have?

I would rather have Hudlin's take on Wakanda. I hate the way Coates has deconstructed Wakanda. It feels so anti-pro black. Just a bunch of stereotypes. I was telling someone that I could not read his non fiction work since I feel after reading his BP run how he feels people of African decent should be depicted. How in his mind does he think saying Wakanda was infiltrated by slavers is good? Sends the wrong message to people about black people/people of African decent. To me that slavers Bull sh!t tarnished both seasons for me. It was that the other day I was reading the new 52 Aquaman and was wondering why BP can't be written like this. Instead we are given pretentious pseudo black intellectualism.