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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Among the best modern comic series, September 28, 2001
This review is from: Black Panther Vol. 1: The Client (Paperback)
Writer Christopher Priest takes the super hero comic and turns it on its head in his landmark BLACK PANTHER series. This volume collects the first five issues of the current monthly comic. The Black Panther is the king of the fictional African nation, Wakanda. Wakanda's claim to fame is that it is the world's sole source of vibranium, the most rare and valuable metal on Earth due to its ability to absorb sound. Occupying the space between the proverbial rock and hard place, the Black Panther, a.k.a., T'Challa, is a crafty leader who is always 10 steps ahead of all his would-be detractors, assassins and infiltrators. "The Client" tells the story of the Panther's arrival in New York City to investigate the murder of a little girl who was the beneficiary of a Wakandan charity. It turns out that the Panther's enemies sought to lure him away from his wealthy nation with this heinous ploy. From there the mystery unravels with the Panther as the protagonist, and the narrator, Everett Ross, a U.S. foreign affairs agent who draws the unlucky task of escorting the Panther during his stay here. Ross is plucky, sarcastic and downright funny. His narration keeps the book light even though the themes are often very dark. Priest uses out-of-sequence storytelling to simulate Ross' narrative, much in the manner that the film, Pulp Fiction, is told. It makes sense. After all, when we tell stories, it's very rare that we tell them in a linear fashion from start to finish. Ross bounds from one snippet to another. The reader puts the story together in the process. I highly recommend this story and consider it one of the very best comic stories of the last five years. If you enjoy it, as I think you will, look for the sequel, BLACK PANTHER: ENEMY OF THE STATE, which should be coming out in November 2001.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Different Kind of Super-Hero Book, January 20, 2003
This review is from: Black Panther Vol. 1: The Client (Paperback)
Black Panther is probably one of the least respected characters ever to emerge from the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby era of comics. He's been around forever, has a great pedigree, and has had some top-notch talents take a crack at him, yet he's never really been embraced by the readers. Looks like his time has finally come.... Writer Christopher Priest (Quantum & Woody) has done the seemingly impossible, and made The Panther interesting! Rather than just concentrating on his crime-fighting, Priest focuses on The Panthers role as King of the African nation of Wakanda, a phenomenally wealthy Country caught up in a brutal civil war. When The Panther leaves his troubled Nation to avenge a child's murder in Brooklyn, he finds himself caught up in a web of political intrigue and Supernatural terror.....(Although, come to think of it, The Panther isn't really TOO terrified; He's a pretty cool customer.) As Priest explains in his introduction, his goal in reviving The Black Panther was to make The Panther a distant, mysterious character; He succeeds admirably on that front. By keeping the reader from being privy to the inner workings of King T'Challa's mind, he becomes an almost mythic figure of menace and mystery. His final showdown with Mephisto is unforgettable. The art (By Mark Texiera & Vince Evans) is great, and fits the mood perfectly. The only problem with the book is one that seems all too common for Marvel trade paperbacks: A double-page spread is misprinted; Instead of being printed on facing pages, you have to turn the page to see the second half. Doesn't anyone proof these things? Other than that, Black Panther: The Client is a phenomenal read; I highly recommend it.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is comics at their best..., April 15, 2003
This review is from: Black Panther Vol. 1: The Client (Paperback)
Priest's reinvention of Black Panther is the finest comic book currently being published anywhere, and the five issues contained in this trade-paperback make up the best story of the series. Whether you read comics or not, Black Panther: The Client is an absolute must read. This is comics at their best. If you are not reading this comic, or if you are not reading comics, I dare you to buy this book. You will not regret it.
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