A King No More, A Hero Still: Reviewing ‘Black Panther’ #1

Once upon a time, the end of one creative run on an ongoing title bled right into what came next. Even if a creator brought new personal elements to the series, members of the cast or plotlines or other elements would carry over too. These days though, it’s not much the case for books that are relaunched every few months/years.

Over at Marvel, many have pointed to Daredevil as a throwback to that mindset. For almost twenty years each new creative team has pretty much picked up the baton from the last, challenging each other as they tell the next connected chapter in the character’s story. One might just have to glance over to Wakanda now to find someone on a similar path.

A whole new run has begun on Black Panther, with a shiny new number one issue, but it’s an era born right out of the one before. It goes even further back, though. There has been a concentrated effort to grow the title character and his land since Ta-Nehisi Coates helped lead the way back in 2016. That run came to an end in 2021 and John Ridley picked up the writing baton with a new series that same year. Now it’s the turn of Eve L. Ewing to build onto this evolving tale that has taken the man from King of his nation to now an exiled stranger trying to discover who he truly is as a person.

That run from Ridley was a political thriller. It saw the sins of T’Challa come back to harm both himself and Wakanda, leading to that exile. I really liked the series, and one of the things I wish it had more time to do was explore the fallout for T’Challa. I understood though that there wasn’t as much room for that. Turns out they were leaving that for Ewing, and well she knocked it out of the park.

This is a series titled Black Panther and stars the man that holds that identity, but it’s really a book about Wakanda. As Ewing notes in her final letter, this was a chance to finally explore the country beyond the scope of its royals and capital city. Birnin T’Chaka is a place quite opposite from the golden capital city, presenting a unique playground.

It would have been easy for Ewing to fill this issue full of action, being a superhero-related book. Instead, she gave us something far better and more powerful. This is a heavily character/city-focused issue, where we follow T’Challa as he views the city and are given a ton of monologue content. Next to that are slices of life shown of this city and its people. This is exactly the type of Black Panther/Wakanda-related story that I always wanted but never fully knew I wanted.

Here, we are given a T’Challa that is instantly one that we know and recognize, but also one that is entirely new. Because he is trying to find himself, we get to be right there with him figuring out who he is. That’s an exciting premise that breathes fresh life into a character that’s been around for decades. People talk about wanting comics to be new reader friendly while also rich in continuity, and Ewing lives in that sweet spot.

Speaking of unique and powerful, the artwork we get from Chris Allen here, who does pencils and inks alongside inker Craig Yeung, is amazing. Laid out before us is this city with various levels and buildings of various shapes/sizes, and so many visually compelling elements all around. Allen has a style that eschews photo realism to really play into unreal or exaggerated perspectives while also presenting something with depth and realness. It’s that type of artwork that sits right in the middle, capturing what makes comic books fun.

Every panel, every page, is heavy and deep as we truly feel like we’re moving through this city. There is so much to look at that this is an issue you’ll want to flip back through right away. Especially the keen eye for paneling that shifts them around, capturing the right view or type of energy every single time.

A lot of comparisons to Batman are already popping up about this title, and one that bears some exploration is the mention of Gotham and Birnin T’Chaka in the same sentence. Not because they are structurally anything alike, they could not be any more different, but in personality. Gotham is often an energetic unique visually compelling place for artists, it has a deep personality, and Birnin T’Chaka has that same vibe already.

We also see this in the colors from Jesus Aburtov, who remains on the creative team from the previous volume. Mixing his colors with the work of Germán Peralta created something that was almost watercolor-esque with heavier, more grounded colors. We still get that heavier grounded feeling here but in a smoother way, as Allan’s work is a bit smoother than Peralta’s rougher style. Plenty of shadows and darkness swirl around to show how different this city is from the capital and what T’Challa is used to.

Even with that grounded element, there are still plenty of vibrant pops that show up, from yellows to purples and other elements. This is still a colorful city and a colorful superhero book, and Aburtov makes sure we feel that.

We also see logical firm shifts in the various colors, from the setting to skin color, with changing light sources. Natural light or created light, naturally will cause differences and Aburtov is solid in depicting that.

Another person very familiar with Wakanda would be Joe Sabino who also worked on the previous volume. Much like the final issue of that run, this is a wordier issue that allows Sabino room to play. There is personality and energy in all the words, especially in the monologue-heavy captions. All the right little moves are made to make emotion clear while making sure it all flows in a logical eye-catching way.

Black Panther #1 is now available from Marvel Comics.