Customer Reviews

Black Panther: Who Is The Black Panther HC

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

 

 

As a die-hard comic fan, I was extremely interested in this book after reading the preview of the first issue. Someone had finally gotten it right, I thought. It focused on T'Challa as a king, first and foremost. However, the story soon degraded into something else entirely. Hudlin completely distorted established characters, and even completely changed others. This offended me as a comic book continuity freak. The stereotypes offered for both white and black characters managed to offend me as well. The art in this book is pretty good and if you dig a little, you can even find a palatable story. My recommendation is to skip this book. Pick up the collected Kirby Black Panther and the Priest books and enjoy.

This first story of Reginald Hudlin's Black Panther--a re-interpretation of the character created in 1966 by comicbook legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby--is a mixed bag.

On the one hand, it is an unapologetically Afrocentric portrayal of comicbook's first Black superhero, an African king. The plot: T'Challa dons the habit representing the state religion of the fictional nation of Wakanda, and does battle with the man who killed his father.

However, the story reads more like a movie script than a piece of literature. (In his text portion--which might have been his proposal to Marvel--Hudlin explained that this story is indeed his version of a Black Panther movie.) Not surprising, when you remember that Hudlin, entertainment division president of Black Entertainment Television, is a filmmaker/television producer with a reputation of providing popular entertainment for young, urban audiences.

In "Who Is The Black Panther?", there are too many patches of clumsiness, wasted lines and, at the story's climax, clichéd Golden Age puns of yesteryear that's just plain bad writing ("Time to wrap this up, Klaw!" declared Panther, wrapping up the villain in a cloth of some kind during the story's climax).

Marvel Enterprises, seemingly now more interested in licensing its characters for film and television properties than continuing the groundbreaking storytelling that has been its calling card, apparently gave Hudlin great liberty in re-introducing the character without the baggage of nearly 40 years worth of continuity. Hudlin clearly took full advantage of the opportunity, keeping only the parts of the character's history he wanted, and altering the rest.

Although Hudlin created a full universe of his own here, it is one that is only mildly interesting at best. My verdict is that it does not improve the House Stan and Jack Built and subsequently fortified, by various degrees over the decades, by Marvel writers Roy Thomas, Don McGregor and Christopher J. Priest--the latter my personal favorite. (Priest's first two Black Panther stories, "Black Panther: The Client" and "Black Panther: Enemy Of The State," can be found in trade paperback on Amazon.)

For a story that apparently was supposed to introduce the Panther and Wakanda to new audiences, I really didn't get inside T'Challa's mind and/or heart--how he works, what he thought or felt. Yes, the villains should have held my interest, but not hold down the center of the story.

Those looking for a piece of graphic literature--something that is supposed to go beyond the obvious, that creates its own interior rules for specific reasons that advance the story, that provides thoughtful uses of language with a distinct rhythm, that's supposed to be both internal and external, that at best contains symbolism and multiple meanings--will be disappointed here.

Approximately 130 pages of story was more than enough space for an editor and writer to collectively weave a sophisticated fictional tapestry worthy of a great, modern-mythological character like the Black Panther. But, alas, Warren Ellis' "Transmetropolitan" or Brad Meltzer's "Identity Crisis" this hardcover is not.

That might be a good thing for some. This is a straightforward tale that, again, seems designed to appeal to young non-comicbook readers (read: members of the hiphop generation).

In the text portion, Hudlin said he wanted the Panther to be seen by today's readers as a blatant "baddass" in the Black cultural tradition of Muhammad Ali, Miles Davis, Diddy, et. al. T'Challa is portrayed as a taking-no-prisoners African monarch unafraid of the inferior Western powers, so Hudlin succeeds in that regard.

But ultimately, "Who Is The Black Panther?" reads like either a poor version of a politically and culturally well-meaning Milestone Media comicbook story from the mid-1990s or a better version of the badly done (and equally well-meaning, if not painfully obvious) independent Afrocentric comics from the same era.

Black Panther has been around for many years but has never been embraced by the comic buying public. He is a great character that should be as well known as Spider-Man, Superman or Batman.

When Christopher Priest was writing Black Panther's adventures the series became one of the best reviewed comics around but still failed to find a significant audience.

Now we have a new writer (Reginald Hudlin) taken a shot at plotting the exploits of Black Panther and he is off to a good start. We get an exciting new origin and plenty of background information in this tale. Once you read this you can understand the character and his motivations. This is only the beginning. Hudlin provides plenty of thrills and surprises in the subsequent stories that follow this one in the series.

Some will continue to reject the adventures of Black Panther but those with an open mind looking for a good story and a great hero will embrace it.

I was aware of the Black Panther when I began reading comics, but only began to take him seriously because of Christopher Priest's very political, unpredictable take on the King of Wakanda. So, naturally, the guy who followed Priest would have to bring a similarly brilliant concept for me to buy the relaunced Black Panther.

Filmmaker/TV producer turned comic writer Reginald Hudlin proved up to the task by posing a simple question in "Who Is the Black Panther?":

"How would the world react to an high-tech, wealthy African nation (Wakanda) that has never been conquered?"

That premise brings Wakanda down from an abstract fantasyland into a more grounded country with historic relevance. Those who normally dismiss the superhero genre as vapid, juvenile power fantasies give Hudlin's Black Panther a second look because his concept bucks the mass media image of Africans as either dumb savages or perpetual victims. In fact, some of these former skeptics wind up buying the book.

Hudlin's more realistic take on Wakanda also answers unspoken questions in the Black Panther's comic book mythology. After seeing their neighbors exploited and devastated by Europeans, Arabs, and even other Africans, Wakanda's distrust of outsiders makes perfect sense. This mindset also explains Wakanda's advanced technology, which was developed to not only improve the country's standard of living, but also defend it from would-be conquerors.

There have been some long-time comic fans who argue that Black Panther addressing historic events like the enslavement and colonization of Africa is inappropriate and even "racist." I find that logic amusing considering that:

*Captain America fought in a real war, World War II.

*X-Men foe Magneto survived the real horrors of the Holocaust.

*Alan Moore's Watchmen tackled the Cold War and even the still controversial Vietnam War head on.

So, if these historic events are fine for superhero comics, then Reggie Hudlin's Black Panther is no less acceptable. Besides, veteran Panther writer Don McGregor used the Wakandan king to address such thorny issues as lynchings in the USA and apartheid-era South Africa.

Now, don't think that "Who Is the Black Panther?" is just dry lectures on the past. The story has thrilling, epic action and stunning vistas made all the more gripping by its compelling characters. This is especially true of T'Challa, whom I honestly now like on a personal level thanks to Hudlin. The Panther is a hero whose cunning, cultural sophistication, and regal status belies a flesh and blood human being who can be frustrated by his rebellious younger sister or offer comfort to Wakanda's youngest subjects. On this level, T'Challa is much like the late Princess Di, another royal who was popular because she was so approachable.

Hence, Hudlin's Black Panther is not only is truer to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's original vision, but also thankfully defies the unfortunate PC trend of Black comic heroes as flawless, emotionless, and thus boring icons. I think you can credit Hudlin's experience in film and TV for such well-rounded portrayals of his characters.

So, despite my skepticism, Reginald Hudlin has done right by the Black Panther. A character that too often has been treated as a dated symbol at best and a second-rate Tarzan at worst has been evolved into the formidable superhero and international player that he truly is. In the process, Hudlin makes readers take a broader view of the world while not skimping on the comic's entertainment value.

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 believeable 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.

I have to take exception with the two reviewers who preceded me.

I've been reading for 20 years. In the scheme of things, other fans have been reading longer than I have, and while I, too, like deeply engrossing storylines that honor a character or team's history/continuity, I admit I like the current trend graphic novel writing has taken with creators like Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, Mark Millar, J. M. Straczynski, et.al., on series like "The Authority," "Planetary," "The Amazing Spider-Man," "The Ultimates," "The New Avengers," "Supreme Power."

I liken it to a clarity of vision, a streamlined approach to storytelling and a realistic approach to dialogue and the current situation in the world. These stories are never dumbed down; they never condescend; and, for better or worse, they're not stories intended for children. Strong on plot and too-clever-by-half dialogue; often weak on exposition or characters' self-reflection.

I feel that "Black Panther: Who Is the Black Panther?" falls into this category.

I've been a longtime fan of the character of the Black Panther, and while I respect what Lee/Kirby did, I don't think it's necessary to continue worshipping at the Altar of Lee/Kirby forever. C'mon, people. It's been more than 40 years since Lee/Kirby created these characters! Change is inevitable. Change is good. Without change in these characters, they grow stale and lifeless. They fail to communicate to a new generation of readers. They fail to capture the attention of current or would-be fans.

I think Hudlin, for the most part, gets it right. T'Challa is strong, charismatic and well-educated. His villains are multi-faceted and best utilized according to their strengths (and weaknesses). If there's one thing I really love about the current crop of graphic novels, it's the depth of character shown by the villains. Rarely over-the-top or worthy of parody, supervillains are no longer cardboard cutout characters with simple motivations and achingly bad dialogue. The Rhino is respected for his sheer power class, Radioactive Man isn't a one-issue villain whose sole purpose is to give Thor or the Hulk something to beat on, and Klaw would give Deathstroke, Bullseye or Omega Red something to think about.

Coupled with John Romita's Jr. wonderfully expressive artwork (Romita's Jr. faces are simply the best--capable of expressing the full human range from arrogance to shock to delight to glee to madness), Hudlin's Black Panther is worthy of your attention.

A solid four-star effort which would have earned five stars if it wasn't for the sometimes too-glossy, too-superficial treatment of the characters.

Simply put, this book is not good. Anyone looking for quality BP stories should buy the trades written by Priest. It throws away much of what happens before and is very confusing. Also, as someone else said, the outside world is stupid and ignorant while Wakanda is perfect and seemingly without fault...kind of silly.

I'd tell you to pass on this one.