Customer Reviews

Black Panther Vol. 1: Who Is The Black Panther

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

i have to admit i only picked up this book b/c i knew that storm would be coming into the series later, but i was pleasantly surprised. i hadn't known anything about this character so i can't comment on any liberties that may have been taken, but i enjoyed this book for what it offers: a lot of action, some political intrigue, a story of revenge, and unlike many first arcs, the right amount of exposition and very swift pacing. i'm def. much more interested in the character now than i was, and although this arc doesn't really delve into his personality too much i'm looking forward to see how that develops. nothing too out of the ordinary, but def. a solid book.

I thought this book missed the target in many ways. Among them, there is an excessive amount of the author going to the extreme. What I mean is that instead of the Wakandian's having advanced medical techniques, they instead throw around casually that they have the cure for cancer. These kind of throwaway lines occur again and again; it gets old fast and eventually starts ripping the reader out of the story. Another extreme is that Hudlin makes the world outside of Wakanda out to be completely ignorant and horrible while Wakanda is shown as being a perfect paradise; again, middle grounds on both would have been much more believable and effective. Also, it seems the title character is now retconned into being the son of the Black Panther that readers have known for 40 years now. This comes off as confusing and, to me, unecessary. Romita's art is as always gorgeous but I don't feel it comes close to making this book worth a read.

One of Marvel's more maligned characters over the years (much like Ghost Rider, Blade, and many others), Black Panther has had his share of writers, but never one that really nails the character down. Reginald Hudlin, better known as the guy who crafted the movie House Party, leaves his mark on Black Panther, and while it's far from perfect, it's probably the best we've seen of the character in quite some time. Hudlin starts out by giving us a history of the Panther's native Wakanda, followed up by a plot to get their technology and some shady business deals. While Hudlin provides a riveting story, the whole thing has a kind of blaxploitation feel to it in my opinion. In the first few pages, we are shown an old, white military man making a racist remark in regards to the Wakandans, to which he quickly apologizes. This isn't necessary at all, and while Marvel's writers have been upping the ante in terms of mature content in their mainstream titles, this was one thing that Hudlin didn't have to do. Contrary to popular belief, not all old white men hate African-Americans. This is a shame because I did expect better from Hudlin, instead of going down a road that has been traveled down too much, and is undesired to be traveled down again. Besides that, Hudlin's dialogue isn't all that great either, but as I said, he provides a good enough story to keep you interested. John Romita Jr's art is great too as usual, so the good outweighs the bad with this TPB. All in all, Who is the Black Panther? is worth checking out, but don't expect anything impressing out of it.

good art good story

if you are new to black panther, start with this

T'Challa is the man! I love the story line and the characters. I just wish there was more to read!

Look beyond the plot. this is the first black superhero. i love this book. it's a classic and a collectors item. all marvel comics are this way. i guess people don't like it because finally an african prince is a super hero and he shares the same name as the radical group the black panthers.