Rise of the Black Panther: Simplifying an Epic

You wanna know why I like going on Comixology? Because there are always chances of good opportunities. I always didn’t know if it I wanted something. But whenever I find something that seems good, I wanna see it for myself. Seeing the reviews on Comic Book Roundup I just had to see what makes Rise of the Black Panther issue 1 so well; when the rest of the issues in the series is just so-so. Especially since a sale makes it free of charge.

Welcome to What Went Wrong, where series with potential underperforms for the rest of its run.

The Black Panther thanks to a stellar performance by Chadwick Boseman from the Marvel MCU; and more recent comics from notable writer Ta-Nehisi Coates make King T’Challa a household name once again. And with all of the attention; marketers want to reintroduce the Black Panther’s history in comics to potential new readers. That’s where Rise of the Black Panther comes in.

The Set-Up of Rise of the Black Panther

To start things off, Coates consults Evan Narcisse; a journalist for the pop culture blog io9 into writing the majority of the series. Coates co-wrote issue one with him though. The reviews have the highest marks in the whole series both critically and by fan reception.

The comic begins with a journal entry from T’Challa’s late mother, N’yami. When looking at the beginning to the end; this is about N’yami reaching out to give her son ease as they would never meet. This drives a sense of love and melancholy that most fans would never know about. The journal details the history of the Black Panther legacy, covered by others before Coates or Narcisse.

Wakanda on Borders

However, it goes into detail about how interactions with the outside world is handled within Wakanda. Wakanda’s isolationist policies are in full display here both when obsessive security officials speak. The decision to give Vibranium to Captain America for his shield and the adoption of White Wolf doesn’t sit well. N’yami also speaks about leaving Wakanda or rather her ‘escape’ until following the river home. Fortunately, King T’Chaka presents himself as a man who presents a more moral stance.

Vibranium-encased Beliefs

Vibranium also has a nature of intrigue or even worship here. Its use by Captain America and N’yami’s research bring a sense of unease to some people; nevermind it is how T’Chaka meets his queen. However, even the resource that gives the royal family all of its power cannot grant all wishes; as the Golden City citizens considers others outsiders even from Wakanda neighborhoods. Not to mention, there are still issues from opportunists who would use Vibranium for political gains. Yet it is because of the royal couple’s beliefs that they manage to overcome adversaries from all parties. However those same adversaries help cause N’yami’s death.

Integration

After N’yami’s death, Ramonda, T’Challa’s stepmother and mother of Shuri details how she helps create change. She is a migrant from South Africa wanting to help her home from the Apartheid of real world notoriety. Yet she is drawn towards the young motherless T’Challa. She too is an outsider whose marriage to T’Chaka was considered controversial. Yet, Ramonda stays for the sake of her new son as he becomes king; especially when Ulysses Klaw comes knocking. What displays here is not merely retelling another way how T’Chaka dies; but how the people in T’Challa’s life filled him with love and the ideals to change Wakanda for the better. It also seemed to fit well into what becomes Coates’ A Nation Under Our Feet story.

This is only the beginning, but that’s also why things got harder by the time Coates leaves everything to Narcisse. According to user reviews, Narcisse’s remaining stories are not all bad; the main problem seems to be that Ta-Nehisi’s act is very hard to follow. This is only gets worse when it comes to inconsistent artwork from Paul Renaud and Javier Pina.

Not to mention, everything after the first issue; details events that happen in Black Panther’s publishing history in a condensed format. While this takes away some of the fluff; it also removes some of the stakes and general development of the series. In fact opponents say they could just see the plots from Wikipedia. However positive aspects include well written dialogue for how other characters handled the events; and how friendly it is to new readers.

Rise of the Black Panther: A Biography by a Journalist

All things in consideration the entire mini-series is a reminder of Narcisse’s career as a blogger. As a writer who jots down information about comics; he uses his skills and expertise to create a compelling narrative. He builds T’Challa up to the present day without resorting to backtracking; and combines the entire Black Panther publication history. However, not everyone wants to repeat what already happens.

So what do you think, did this series only become notable because Coates’ name was attached; or did a blogger’s passion help create something for readers to help get acquainted with Black Panther.

As always thanks for coming to end and remember to look between the panels.

References
https://www.theroot.com/how-io9-s-evan-narcisse-went-from-writing-about-comics-1821912630