Black Panther Appreciation: Wakanda Forever!

[DigiCom]

Speaking of which... The Adversary. Was it me or did anybody else think that was an out of left field enemy for the Panther to fight? Did I miss a run or two where the Adversary was a Wakanda themed villain?

One theory is that Coates wanted to use a Storm-related villain for added synergy.

My theory is that he Googled "magical X-Men villains" or some such and took the first name on the list. Personally, I think Belasco would have been a better fit.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Are you asking for one writer to continue the continuity of the previous writer?

You, sir, ask too much.

Seriously.

The best example is Nick Spencer's Captain America.

He threw out Rick R's Hydra storyline with Baron Zemo....to do his own Hydra arc...with Baron Zemo

[DigiCom]

As for the whole "deconstruction" thing... sometimes I think it's a vestige of obsolete thinking about what the comic-book readership is like.

In the old days, the average turnover of a comic-book fan was about 4-5 years. After that, the old audience leaves and a new one comes in. So you can get away with telling the same sort of story over and over again, because for the most part, only the hardcore nerd would REMEMBER the old stories.

But that hasn't been true for quite a long while. For one, it's far too easy to discover a character's history nowadays, between Google, Wikipedia, and various wikias. And for another, most of the (shrinking) readership is composed of fans who have been reading for a while, and have seen all this stuff before. Oh, there's still a percentage of new readers coming in, but for various reasons, most never seem to stick around.

[DigiCom]

Seriously.

The best example is Nick Spencer's Captain America.

He threw out Rick R's Hydra storyline with Baron Zemo....to do his own Hydra arc...with Baron Zemo

See my comment about comic reader turnover. I think they EXPECT new readers not to care. The problem is, new readers simply aren't turning up.

[DigiCom]

still reading the hudlin run. it is really enjoyable reading stories for the first time after other people read it years ago /it is fun being the virgin for a spell/.
enjoyed the civil war arc and the stories were t'challa and storm led the ff. onto the skrulls next!

Do you mean the Aaron Secret Invasion arc, or the storyline with Storm & Panther on a planet of Skrulls?

[Cville]

As for the whole "deconstruction" thing... sometimes I think it's a vestige of obsolete thinking about what the comic-book readership is like.

In the old days, the average turnover of a comic-book fan was about 4-5 years. After that, the old audience leaves and a new one comes in. So you can get away with telling the same sort of story over and over again, because for the most part, only the hardcore nerd would REMEMBER the old stories.

But that hasn't been true for quite a long while. For one, it's far too easy to discover a character's history nowadays, between Google, Wikipedia, and various wikias. And for another, most of the (shrinking) readership is composed of fans who have been reading for a while, and have seen all this stuff before. Oh, there's still a percentage of new readers coming in, but for various reasons, most never seem to stick around.

I think part of that is they're trying to be too adult for their main books.

It's like cartoons from the 90s. They were action and fun enough for kids, but mature enough for an adult to still enjoy. Specifically shows like ExoSquad, Gargoyles, and BatmanTAS.

But that is something that I think has been lost lately.

[The Cool Thatguy]

See my comment about comic reader turnover. I think they EXPECT new readers not to care. The problem is, new readers simply aren't turning up.

With the expected change over between writers these days, I don't know why they expect anyone to care, period.

[Skedatz]

You didn't miss anything. Even the article reviews were saying Coates messed that one up. Dropping a character last minute that would leave a wide portion of the audience going to Wikipedia. lol

Yeah, that's what I thought. I was like, "Uhh... The Adversary is a mutant villain. Like... What?"

One theory is that Coates wanted to use a Storm-related villain for added synergy.

My theory is that he Googled "magical X-Men villains" or some such and took the first name on the list. Personally, I think Belasco would have been a better fit.

That would make sense. But still. Just so odd to have a Native American themed villain be some long standing historical ancient enemy of an African land.

See my comment about comic reader turnover. I think they EXPECT new readers not to care. The problem is, new readers simply aren't turning up.

I also think they're hoping it'll be a "hopping on point" for newer readers.

[DigiCom]

I think part of that is they're trying to be too adult for their main books.

It's like cartoons from the 90s. They were action and fun enough for kids, but mature enough for an adult to still enjoy. Specifically shows like ExoSquad, Gargoyles, and BatmanTAS.

But that is something that I think has been lost lately.

Or as Douglas Adams once put it (speaking of Doctor Who): "…complex enough to keep the kids interested and simple enough for the adults to understand!"

[DigiCom]

I also think they're hoping it'll be a "hopping on point" for newer readers.

Unfortunately, they keep forgetting that every "hopping on" point is also a "hopping off" point.

And history as shown that, with the exception of a small handful of cases, relaunches tend to LOSE readers in the long run.

[Skedatz]

Unfortunately, they keep forgetting that every "hopping on" point is also a "hopping off" point.

And history as shown that, with the exception of a small handful of cases, relaunches tend to LOSE readers in the long run.

Hey, gotta get that #1 bump that is rarely if ever sustained after five issues.

[DigiCom]

With the expected change over between writers these days, I don't know why they expect anyone to care, period.

I certainly don't. Last Marvel Comic I actually paid for was the first Ellis MOON KNIGHT. And that's only because there was a page missing in the digital issue.

[DigiCom]

Hey, gotta get that #1 bump that is rarely if ever sustained after five issues.

5? Try 3.

[Cville]

Or as Douglas Adams once put it (speaking of Doctor Who): "…complex enough to keep the kids interested and simple enough for the adults to understand!"

I tried his series. The first book is really good the third was okay, but I didn't like the rest. I think I stopped after the fourth or fifth.

[XPac]

Speaking of which... The Adversary. Was it me or did anybody else think that was an out of left field enemy for the Panther to fight? Did I miss a run or two where the Adversary was a Wakanda themed villain?

Honestly I think Coates is trying to snag a few lesser used rogues from other characters galleries to buff up T'Challas.

To be blunt, aside from Klaw I think BP'S rogues are a bit on the under powered side. So snagging a few Iron Man and X-men rogues who aren't being used can potentially help with that.