Post by bobc on Aug 2, 2008 11:37:09 GMT -5
Well after years of the Black Panther being a stellar character relegated to third rate status by horrible writers, I think the my favorite Marvel super hero might actually be on track.
Black Panther #39, splendidly written by Jason Aaron (never heard of him but if this is any indication...) with awesome Hellboyesque art by Jefte Palo, is really a very good comic. FOR ONCE, the Panther comes off as powerful, feline, mystical and GOD FORBID likable! I didn't think it was possible for me to enjoy a comic that continued this tedious Skrull theme, but I was wrong.
I think the Panther has never gotten the attention his character deserved. I have to say here that although Priest made some great strides in recent years with the Black Panther in the sense that he updated the character and played up T'Challa's tech side, but some serious errors were made IMO. My problem with Priest's work is that he completely ignored the panther's spiritual side--his communion with the Panther God. Priest's Panther was never feline, there was never any discussion of the powers that T'Challa got from his rituals or the sacred heart-shaped herb. The Black Panther was basically an unlikable, scheming techno-monarch. Where was the nobility, the grandeur, and power of the character I've loved since I was a little kid? Under Priest, the Panther was just Batman with a different costume.
The Black Panther--if you go back to the original concept--was intellectually on a level with Reed Richards or Tony Stark, not Bruce Wayne. I liked that Priest added the energy daggers and vibranium suit to T'Challa's arsenal, but these weapons seem Batman level to me. I'd like to see the Panther on a Reed Richards level, and although it's really early on, BP ##39 seems like it might be going in that direction. AAron's Panther really seems up to the job of repelling a Skrull invasion.
It looks like next issue there'll be a big battle between the Panther and the head Skrull--I hope Aaron puts the BP on the same physical level that he was when first imagined by Kirby and Lee. The Black Panther was easily Captain America's equal--faster than human, stronger, with senses that would rival Wolverine's. The Panther should be a POWERFUL character--I have never understood why he's been so de-powered over the years. The heart-shaped herb should be the African super-soldier serum. The Black Panther should NOT be just a costumed athlete.
So anyway--BP #39 gives me great hope. After Hudlin's disastrous run, however, anything is an improvement
Black Panther #39, splendidly written by Jason Aaron (never heard of him but if this is any indication...) with awesome Hellboyesque art by Jefte Palo, is really a very good comic. FOR ONCE, the Panther comes off as powerful, feline, mystical and GOD FORBID likable! I didn't think it was possible for me to enjoy a comic that continued this tedious Skrull theme, but I was wrong.
I think the Panther has never gotten the attention his character deserved. I have to say here that although Priest made some great strides in recent years with the Black Panther in the sense that he updated the character and played up T'Challa's tech side, but some serious errors were made IMO. My problem with Priest's work is that he completely ignored the panther's spiritual side--his communion with the Panther God. Priest's Panther was never feline, there was never any discussion of the powers that T'Challa got from his rituals or the sacred heart-shaped herb. The Black Panther was basically an unlikable, scheming techno-monarch. Where was the nobility, the grandeur, and power of the character I've loved since I was a little kid? Under Priest, the Panther was just Batman with a different costume.
The Black Panther--if you go back to the original concept--was intellectually on a level with Reed Richards or Tony Stark, not Bruce Wayne. I liked that Priest added the energy daggers and vibranium suit to T'Challa's arsenal, but these weapons seem Batman level to me. I'd like to see the Panther on a Reed Richards level, and although it's really early on, BP ##39 seems like it might be going in that direction. AAron's Panther really seems up to the job of repelling a Skrull invasion.
It looks like next issue there'll be a big battle between the Panther and the head Skrull--I hope Aaron puts the BP on the same physical level that he was when first imagined by Kirby and Lee. The Black Panther was easily Captain America's equal--faster than human, stronger, with senses that would rival Wolverine's. The Panther should be a POWERFUL character--I have never understood why he's been so de-powered over the years. The heart-shaped herb should be the African super-soldier serum. The Black Panther should NOT be just a costumed athlete.
So anyway--BP #39 gives me great hope. After Hudlin's disastrous run, however, anything is an improvement