Looking Death Right In The Face: Reviewing ‘Black Panther’ #4

Contrary to (internet) popular belief, superhero comics are quite often far more than just heroes punching villains (or other heroes). They are full of heart, have deep character work, include a truly important message, or some combination of the above.

But, Scott, why are you mentioning this? Well, dear reader, I’m glad you asked. I mention this because Black Panther #4 (and the entire series so far) is a perfect example of just this. A superhero series that places far more emphasis on character and world-building, while still bringing the requisite slugfest to the pages.

Just look at the cover. It’s Black Panther and Deathlok facing off at last after issues of buildup. Clearly, because of that cover, this fight must be at least half of the issue right, a real drag-out bloody brawl. Well if that was what one was expecting, they would be mistaken, and the issue is much better for it.

What Eve L. Ewing, Chris Allen, Mack Chater, Craig Yeung, Jesus Aburtov, and Joe Sabino are building is something far more than Black Panther fighting people. He of course does fight, gotta put those special abilities to use, but we get to see not only a new side of T’Challa but a new space and side of Wakanda as we know it.

Yes, the fight with Deathlok is important here. Because it sets our hero on a path to solving a couple of mysteries that have been presented in the previous issues. As a fight though it’s quick, taking up just a handful of pages of the issue. This works for a number of reasons.

First, it’s Black Panther we’re talking about here. Advanced tech and fighting are his whole thing, so a compromised Deathlok isn’t, like, the toughest of foes. Second, the fight is won because T’Challa cares and notices enough to realize that Deathlok is compromised and needs to be freed. Third, it’s just such a well-rendered fight that less is more and we get to see Allen, Yeung, Chater, and Aburtov do so much more.

Their vision of this new city and this world is just so visually distinct and pleasing. There is a roughness and depth that can be found on every page as Allen gives emotional life to both living beings and inanimate objects equally. Birnin T’Chaka has a personality and a soul, one that is compromised because it has been left aside as a place. We always see Wakanda as a shining beacon of tech and what a people can accomplish we’re they not colonized with their worlds and cultures stripped away.

With this city though we see that even the golden nation has its scars and flaws. We also are shown that these people in Birnin T’Chaka have their own ways, feelings, and thoughts, and are proud people as well. So many vivid colors, muted at times with plenty of shadows speaking to the darkness, are sprinkled through the pages. Giving it a dark but powerful pop, fitting into the personality and tone that the crew has established for this space in Black Panther’s world.

A powerful kinetic fluidity inhabits all of the panels and moments. Black Panther is an athletic agile hero and stories featuring him should feel that way. It’s not just because of him though. Allen infuses every character and space with that sort of fluidity, making every single movement feel powerful, graceful, and full of life. If these characters suddenly danced off the pages into the world around me, truly I would not be surprised.

Black Panther gets compared to a certain other black costume-wearing smart agile character from the other side of the aisle. Truthfully there are only certain things that match between them, but one of the things that Ewing has accomplished here is giving T’Challa his Gotham. Now, Birnin T’Chaka and Gotham are completely different things with their own identities, issues, and roles to fulfill. The similarities that I want to focus on are that bit about their oversized personalities and their depth.

Gotham is one of the cities in comics that has been seen so many times because there is something unique about it. A personality that just screams to be noticed and explored, with so many nooks and crannies that are still a mystery even after eight decades. Birnin T’Chaka feels very much the same way in all of those respects. A place full of soul and darkness but extreme personality, that has so much to offer and explore compared to the posher proper capital city.

Not that the capital city, Birnin Zana, isn’t great as a symbol. It’s the Metropolis to Birnin T’Chaka’s Gotham for lack of a better comparison. Both represent different things, but one just has a bit more of an out-there noticeable personality/tone than the other. Someone has to be the flashier sibling.

Also a shoutout to the inclusion of a new Transgender character being added to the Marvel pantheon. We met Besia at the start of this series and got to know them as a character and what their role is within this city space. In the midst of a conversation with T’Challa, it comes out that she transitioned at some point in the past and it’s just a part of who she is and not what defines her.

I love so much how the lettering works in this series. Sabino makes sure that it all has the same energy and power as the rest of the artwork. Infusing bits and pieces of Wakandan culture even into the words. Giving them something that makes them clear to understand and with a colorful pop. Sometimes quite literally, like with the approaches to Deathlok’s dialogue changing colors to visually give us a distinction in the two versions. We see the red and instantly we can understand that this is a compromised controlled Deathlok, not the more heroic version that we’ve seen over the years.

Black Panther #4 is now available from Marvel Comics.