Black Panther Appreciation 2019

[MindofShadow]

oooo you doin this? I'mma join in then!

So I said I was going to review the Peter Gillis Black Panther miniseries this week. This is issue one:

Black Panther Vol. 2 #1 - Cry, the Accursed Country!


Random thoughts:
* The knockout gas might be the first technological use of his panther costume.

That is straight from fantastic four 52



i'll chime in with thoughts after I read later

[Ezyo1000]

He had to think of someone that it would make sense to have a stone while at the same time could be a background character.

The people he wanted to drive his story were taken, so he just picked a wallpaper instead.

The machine is all Hickman cares about. You can plug Beast into the machine without the trajectory changing.

Kinda like how Maximus ended up in the group. It makes no GD sense the Maximus should be anywhere near any of that stuff. What could go wrong introducing a bad guy lunatic with telepathic powers around bombs and prisoners and leaving him there by himself lol. But Hickman needed a way to get the Cabal out of Necropolis so he throws him in there because it moves the machine forward.

You know what would have made more sense for the story that Beast? Storm. Xavier would have trusted storm. But, it also fits the character that Storm want no part of it that so she gave the stone to T'challa to hide. BOOM. No extra characters and also explains why T'challa would invite the illuminati in because he used his stone to find the others.

Makes a lot more sense bringing Namor in if he had to to form the gauntlet.

Ultimately yeah your right, thr machine took precedence over all, and it really bit Hickman in The ass hard through out the event and at the end especially.

I agree that beast should of just peaced out as he did nothing. His most notable fest was the hologram with banner.

[The Cool Thatguy]

He had to think of someone that it would make sense to have a stone while at the same time could be a background character.

The people he wanted to drive his story were taken, so he just picked a wallpaper instead.

The machine is all Hickman cares about. You can plug Beast into the machine without the trajectory changing.

Kinda like how Maximus ended up in the group. It makes no GD sense the Maximus should be anywhere near any of that stuff. What could go wrong introducing a bad guy lunatic with telepathic powers around bombs and prisoners and leaving him there by himself lol. But Hickman needed a way to get the Cabal out of Necropolis so he throws him in there because it moves the machine forward.

You know what would have made more sense for the story that Beast? Storm. Xavier would have trusted storm. But, it also fits the character that Storm want no part of it that so she gave the stone to T'challa to hide. BOOM. No extra characters and also explains why T'challa would invite the illuminati in because he used his stone to find the others.

Makes a lot more sense bringing Namor in if he had to to form the gauntlet.

Yeah, Hickman cared more about reaching a hamfisted destination than working towards that goal organically or logically.

I mean hell, it never seemed to occur to any of these big brains that the incursions were a damn attack on earth!

[Mike_Murdock]

That is straight from fantastic four 52

Great point. I don't know how I forgot about that.

I look forward to your thoughts. The plan is Mon-Thur this week, so I'll likely post my thoughts on the remaining issues in the afternoon of each day.

[DigiCom]

He had to think of someone that it would make sense to have a stone while at the same time could be a background character.

The people he wanted to drive his story were taken, so he just picked a wallpaper instead.

The machine is all Hickman cares about. You can plug Beast into the machine without the trajectory changing. .

Let's be fair, though. Hickman treats the characters he wants like wallpaper too. Even the ones he CREATES. All they are are pawns in/of the story, who server their purpose and move on.

[MindofShadow]

So I said I was going to review the Peter Gillis Black Panther miniseries this week. This is issue one:

Black Panther Vol. 2 #1 - Cry, the Accursed Country!



This miniseries begins with something very clearly inspired by Don McGregor - the Black Panther wrestling a Rhinoceros. In the background, two Black Panthers creep out of the Jungle. Considering one hasn't been seen in the real world in 100 years, two must be an incredible sight. Meanwhile, in racist shithole Azania, white police officers beat a black man who cries out a prayer to the Panther. These two events seem related as the panthers surprisingly attack T'Challa and the man turns into some kind of cat beast. The Black Panther defeats the cats through his superior fighting skills and sleep gas deployed from his gloves. That being said, T'Challa wonders why the "totems of his office" attacked him and why he wasn't as effective in battle.

In Wakanda, people begin to whisper about T'Challa. About how he is too western. How he fights for others more than for them. They wonder if the Panther spirit has left him. Likewise, news of a cat monster attacking in Azania spreads and foreign dignitaries wonder if this was the Black Panther. T'Challa knows it wasn't him, but also recognizes that his efforts at diplomacy in Azania have failed and either he will have to support a revolt that will likely fail (and result in thousands of deaths) or look like he has abandoned them. It's also possible the decision has been taken out of his hands as Azania is already in the throws of revolution where people are convinced the black panther is on their side. T'Challa's words on this please nobody. He essentially says that this apartheid regime is evil, but the violence against it isn't helping.

T'Challa turns to Medinao for his views. Medinao tells him that the panther god might have left him and that he needs to undergo the ordeal of the white ape. He climbs the mountain and easily plucks the leaf he needs. Then he sees the White Ape who picks him up, they struggle, and T'Challa essentially dives off the side of the mountain. He runs and makes it to safety only to discover that his supporters had been secretly using technology to weaken the White Apes in order for T'Challa to survive. Given this, the ritual is in doubt and T'Challa is to face trial over his fitness to rule.

Random thoughts:
* The knockout gas might be the first technological use of his panther costume.
* T'Challa has green cat eyes throughout this issue. Was that a thing?
* This issue has well-worn themes about the people in Wakanda distrusting T'Challa's fitness to rule, as well as technology vs. tradition. There are two main differences, though.
* The first is Azania, which is a blatant South Africa metaphor. That being said, I like that, because it's close to Wakanda, it might share in some of the same traditions. I like that they might pray to the Panther god for help and that the god might answer (for purposes of this, I'm going to use "god" generically because that's what the story uses, rather than Bast).
* Interestingly, the cat monster is attacking people who hate but support the state. The first is a governor who has been trying to reform the system from within with no apparent success. The second is a middle class bureaucrat who evicted some non-whites because, to do otherwise would cost him his job, but hated to do it. I suppose the message is perpetuating the system is being a part of it regardless of intent.
* The other main difference is the explicit focus on the Panther god. We've seen the Lion god before and the White Ape seems to be just based on a real terrifying animal, but this is the first time the Wakandan god is seen as having supernatural powers. They also expand on Wakandan religion. Apparently, each day, the White Ape kills the Black Panther only for the Panther to be reborn the next day. It's not much to go on and I feel like the Panther/White Ape dynamic has taken a backseat since Bast arrived on the scene, but it's worth noting.

Overall, it's a good start. I remember being hesitant to see the explicit supernatural parts of the story the first time but it drives the conflict in a way that is quite good. I like the idea of another avatar of Bast acting because T'Challa would not.

I love the stuff that makes Wakanda seem unique. That combination of monarchy, gods, tribal law. (which is one of the reasons I hate Coate's americanized govt). Throw in a dose of political stuff with Azania and you have my type of Panther comic.

I also like the conversation between T'challa and Moise on how T'challa is educated in the west but still holds true to Wakandas ways while Moise lost those.

Ends on a solid cliff hanger.

[Mike_Murdock]

I also like the conversation between T'challa and Moise on how T'challa is educated in the west but still holds true to Wakandas ways while Moise lost those.

I agree with that. I always liked that writers from the beginning have recognized that Wakanda has something to offer. Even before Hudlin's changes, there's never a sense that Wakanda is worthless or that the only thing they have to bring to the table is Vibranium (which I'll note wasn't mentioned in the issue at all).

[MindofShadow]

I agree with that. I always liked that writers from the beginning have recognized that Wakanda has something to offer. Even before Hudlin's changes, there's never a sense that Wakanda is worthless or that the only thing they have to bring to the table is Vibranium (which I'll note wasn't mentioned in the issue at all).

I *think* Coogler said the same thing. That Wakanda was always exceptional/special, the meteor was a bonus

[Rumble]

Ultimately yeah your right, thr machine took precedence over all, and it really bit Hickman in The ass hard through out the event and at the end especially.

I agree that beast should of just peaced out as he did nothing. His most notable fest was the hologram with banner.

Jason Aaron got no excuses. The Bendis cancer is gone

Hickman be getting ridiculous both with his world building and his square peg in round hole characterizations... but I was entertained 85% of the time and, his doom-d-riding aside, what he did with BP and Sunspot was largely fantastic, and influential in a good way.

I'd have liked to have seen what he had intended before Bendis gave him the Steve Austin middle fingers. Aaron dont got these issues, I think he the top dog right now. No excuses!

[Klaue's Mixtape]

Congrats

[Klaue's Mixtape]

https://twitter.com/NanoAfrane/statu...97419846619136

[Ezyo1000]

I love the stuff that makes Wakanda seem unique. That combination of monarchy, gods, tribal law. (which is one of the reasons I hate Coate's americanized govt). Throw in a dose of political stuff with Azania and you have my type of Panther comic.

I also like the conversation between T'challa and Moise on how T'challa is educated in the west but still holds true to Wakandas ways while Moise lost those.

Ends on a solid cliff hanger.

Yeah i liked how things were before. It's more annoying too that he asks why would Wakanda have a old system and then sets out to destroy it and make it look utterly horrible and that a western govt is the best. Instead of showing why it works and why they use it

[goku200]

Feige = GOAT hollywood white man higher up

Feige = confusion GOAT. Coogler = real GOAT.

[goku200]

I sometimes wonder if Rhodey is a studio mess up or Cheadle (still love him as an actor. In fact a young Cheadle would have been a GREAT Achebe) just lost interest in the part.

Can't believe I'm saying this but I think Rhodey would have evolved into a better character with Howard.

You can't make a badly written character look good when the point is for the character is to look bad. In the comics he's written with characterization. He was even better then Tony alot of the times in the Ironman suit when Tony was an alcoholic. In the films he's only there for racist entertainment, same as Finn is.

[Rumble]

Feige = confusion GOAT. Coogler = real GOAT.

Coogler ain't white! So he can't be the GOAT hollywood white man