Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra Trailer, My Thoughts

The year is 1943. The world is embroiled in war. Hydra, an ancient organization, hides under the Nazi swastika to wrap its tendrils around the planet. It is during this war that two legends of the Marvel Universe will first cross paths: Steve Rogers, the first Captain America...and Azzuri the Wise, the Golden Age Black Panther (and ancestor of T'Challa, the modern Black Panther). These two men will need to bear both shield and claw to help free the world from the evil of Hydra. 

Inspired by the 2010 miniseries Flags of Our Fathers (the first issue I looked at here), Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is a video game being developed and published by Skydance Media, set to be released in 2025. Announced in October 2021, the game will be produced by Amy Hennig and Julian Beak. 🐦 Hennig will also be writing the game's story alongside Marc Bernadin, who may be known to Marvel fans for his work with Spider-Man and the X-Men. Let's look at the trailer!

Ahh, Paris. The City of Lights. Good food, good times, and lots of Nazis to stomp.

Okay, I get Cap is a super-soldier. And they likely assume Azzuri is, as well. So, who's number three?

"Hello, I am Azzuri. I will be crushing your Nazi face today."

Hey, is that supposed to be Gabe Jones?!

"Well, there was that one time in Calais..."
"That was Jakarra's fault, because he is a drunken idiot!"

I imagine when Azzuri learned Cap was nearby, this was what he was thinking:

It is Gabe! He's got the trumpet!

Well, this game certainly looks spectacular, I'll give it that. Hope it has some fun gameplay. After all, this is a video game. I get the impression we'll be getting a bit of beat-'em-up, a bit of Assassin's Creed-style parkour, and maybe even some stealth elements or two. Hopefully. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Black Panther #1 (January 1977)

In honor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's 30th film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being released, I thought that this week, it would be neat to take a look at a comic starring the titular character. T'Challa has graced this blog before. Back in August 2020, I took a look at the first issue of his 1998 series. The next month, I looked at the follow-up. And back in June 2017, I looked at Jungle Action #6 (September 1973), the beginning of the epic "Panther's Rage" story.

The comic we're looking at here is the first issue of his first ongoing series. At this time, Black Panther had most recently appeared in the Jungle Action series after serving a tenure in the Avengers. He had been the protagonist of an epic multi-issue critically-acclaimed adventure known as "Panther's Rage". Sales of the Jungle Action series were low, but the book did find an audience among college students. This drove Marvel to relaunch the Panther into his own ongoing solo. But instead of bringing Don McGregor (the writer of "Panther's Rage") on board to write the book (or any of the artists who worked on "Panther's Rage": Rich Buckler, Billy Graham, Gil Kane), Marvel brought in the Panther's co-creator Jack Kirby to write and draw the book.

Kirby had been working for DC for a while at this time, and he wasn't the happiest about doing this series. This was because he wanted to create new characters and not revisit some of his old hits. This series would last 15 issues, with Kirby writing, drawing, and editing 12 of them. Ed Hannigan (writer), Jerry Bingham (penciler), and Roger Stern (editor) would work the remaining three. So, with that out of the way, let's look at Black Panther #1!

The cover is a Jack Kirby and John Verpoorten piece. 

"King Solomon's Frog!"
Writer: Jack Kirby
Penciler: Jack Kirby
Inker: Mike Royer
Colorist: Dave Hunt
Letterer: Mike Royer
Editors: Jack Kirby, Archie Goodwin
Editor-in-Chief: Archie Goodwin 

The story begins with Black Panther and a new friend of his encountering a man holding what looks like a small golden frog statue.

His eyes had seen some things...

The Panther notices that the holder of the little frog is dead, clearly due to a sword being thrust through his chest. That'll do the job.

The Panther's new friend takes the frog. He identifies the dead man as a Mr. Alfred Queely, a reclusive collector...and a thief. Abner Little, the Panther's new friend, believes that Queely died because of the frog. Our man T'Challa notices that the wound is fresh. Fresh enough that Queely was killed only moments before Panther and Little arrived. Sure enough, the perpetrator strikes, eager to take T'Challa's head.

Talk about going in over the head...

The King of Wakanda fights off the assilant, who flees with the aid of a window. As in he jumps through it. Little believes that Queely's killer was from the past. How does he know that? Because he knows about the little frog. You see, this frog was not just an adorable little trinket. It was once owned by T'Challa's grandfather Azzuri the Wise. And the frog itself is actually a time machine.

He gives T'Challa an eyepiece to examine the frog. T'Challa discovers that the eyepiece is a scanner, revealing that the frog contains advanced Kirbyian technology.

I think there's a flux capacitor in there.

Befitting his name, Azzuri was wise enough to know such a device was not to be messed with. He had the frog buried. However, it got exacavated again and passed to various owners over the years, leading to disaster for all of them. They alert the police to Queely's fate, then leave in a jetcopter that Little owns. Little had been seeking the frog himself. Like Azzuri the Wise, he has no intention of messing with the little trinket. He wants to return it to its original home: the burial chamber of one King Solomon. As in the Biblical figure.

A strange craft flies up to the jetcopter, intent on literally plucking it out of the sky.

However, Abner Little is not one to be caught with his pants down. His little jetcopter is armed with some missiles, which he uses to blow the craft out of the sky.

With a reprieve now granted, Little is able to explain the history of the brass frog. Its creator is unknown, it's known first appearance was a royal gift to King Solomon. The group of thieves to raid his tomb found the frog. One of them summoned a monster from another time, which ended up causing a rampage.

This is what happens when you don't let a monster have their coffee...

Little explains that this inspired the legend of Aladdin and the Genie (The comic mistakenly refers to 'Ali Baba'). The frog is also the reason that a monster is believed to reside in a certain lake in Scotland. But whoever is after the frog has more than just a big plane-eating flying machine at their disposal. As is demonstrated.

"This is the sky police! Pull over on that cloud!"

The jetpack troopers surround the ship, but Little and T'Challa escape thanks to the jetcopter going to supersonic speed. 

The jetcopter then lands inside a giant pit carved by the forces of Mother Nature herself. T'Challa senses there are others here. Little thinks it's impossible, but he doesn't doubt the Wakandan's words. After all, it's not his fellow Collectors don't have the resources to find this place as well... 

T'Challa sees his companion get shot, and brawls with the killers. A woman then blasts the Panther from behind, revealing herself to be a Princess Zanda, who herself is after the time-traveling frog.

"Now I just need the golden lizard, and my diorama is complete!"

It's revealed that King Solomon's Tomb contains the control code needed to control the frog's time-travel capabilities. Zanda asks T'Challa to join her, but he refuses. She tries to convince him that Abner Little was lying to T'Challa about wanting to return the frog to the tomb to keep its power out of humanity's hands. She claims that he wanted the control code from himself and would have killed T'Challa once he got it. The Black Panther still refuses, kicking the frog out of her hand. He catches the frog, threatening to destroy it. Then it would not matter who gets the frog, or their motives. It gets shot out of his hand, and the landing triggers the frog's time-travel mechanism. The story ends with the trinket bringing to the present a surprise from the sands of time.

Pizza deliverers in the future are WEEEEIRD...

Well, that wasn't quite what I expected. 

I admit, I enjoyed this comic. It's neat seeing T'Challa playing the role of the globetrotting adventurer. Although I admit, having had read Panther's Rage before this, I did feel a bit of whiplash. It seems like a radical tone change. I can't help but wonder what it would have been like if Don McGregor had been given the writing job. On its own, this comic is an action-packed adventure tale with our man Panther playing the role of sidekick to the quest of Abner Little. And speaking of Little, it is pretty neat seeing an adventurer who is also a dwarf, even though his surname is a bit...on the nose. It is a fun story with Kirby's art being as dynamic as ever.

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2020 trade paperback Black Panther Epic Collection Vol. 2: Revenge of the Black Panther. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Black Panther/Captain America: Flags of our Fathers #1 (June 2010)

With the film Wakanda Forever coming, I thought this week I'd take a look at a comic that explored the legacy of the Black Panther. In the comics, the Black Panther is a legacy character. T'Challa's ancestors have all held the mantle of Black Panther at some point. One of those was King Azzuri, who was the Black Panther during WWII.

Azzuri was introduced in Fantastic Four Unlimited #1 (January 1993) as "Chanda". Yeah, it's kind of an issue this miniseries has, I'll talk more about that later. The title is presumably an homage to the 2000 book by John Bradley and Ron Powers, which would get adapted into a 2006 film. It's an appropriate title as like the book/film, this comic miniseries was set in WWII. So, let's take a look at the first issue of Black Panther/Captain America: Flags of our Fathers! 

The cover is a Denys Cowan and Klaus Janson piece. It's pretty good, if a bit on the basic side. It just shows Captain America and Black Panther posing. Cap's pose is amusing as it's almost like a cheerleader cheering on the team while Azzuri looks like he's ready to kick some Nazi heads. 

"Part One"
Writer: Reginald Hudlin
Penciler: Denys Cowan
Inker: Klaus Janson
Colorist: Pete Pantazis
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Editors: Sebastian Girner, Alex Alonso
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada.

The story begins in 1941 with Gabriel "Gabe" Jones. 

Who is Gabe Jones? Why, he's one of Nick Fury's legendary World War II-era Nazi-stompin' unit known as the Howling Commandoes. His narration talks about how he understandably doesn't like Nazis very much. His fellow Howling Commandoes feel the same way. When Nick Fury put together his Commandoes, he was allowed to pick any soldiers he wanted for the unit...even men of color. The Army hadn't integrated yet at that point, but Fury didn't care. He wanted men who could kick Nazi heads in, and skin color was no issue to him. 

The Commandoes are pinned down by those nasty Nazis, but luckily, the Commandoes got some very special backup.

"Here I come to save the dayyyyyyyyyy!"

The appearance of the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan throws the Howling Commandoes off for a moment, but eventually, they're able to rout their Nazi foes. Over at Nazi High Command in Berlin, Adolf Hitler is none too happy about this. You see, with help from Captain America, the Howlers were able to set back their missile program half a year. The goal is to create an ICBM, which would allow them to blow up the White House from all the way in Europe. 

One of the Nazi commanders states that there is a substance out there that can help make the missile a reality: Vibranium. The alien metal's ability to absorb vibrations can be very handy, as it can ensure a missile can't be knocked off course. 

Thing is, it's only found in the African nation of Wakanda. Little is known about the country, as it's very closed off from the rest of the world (It is logical to assume Wakanda declared itself neutral during the war). The Nazis aren't too worried about heading there and getting the metal. After all, as far as they know, this nation has no nasty surprises, just stereotypical spear-wielding tribesmen. Wolfgang Von Strucker is assigned to lead the operation into Wakanda.

On a ship in the Atlantic Ocean, Cap joins the Howlers in some lunch on board the ship. Fury asks if Rogers keeps in costume all the time, including staying masked. Cap basically tells him yes, as it's part of his job as a symbol. One of the cooks announces they made a special meal for Cap, but they need some silverware for him. Cap's not bothered. He asks Gabe if he's using his. Gabe is done with his meal, so Cap takes his fork. Gabriel is amazed. Keep in mind, this is set in the 1940s. Most white people would not use a fork that was just used by a black man then. But Cap does without issue. It leaves Gabe wondering one thing: "Who is this guy?"

Eventually, Cap and the Howlers themselves on the way to Africa on a mission of their own, presumably related to Wakanda and its Vibranium Mound. When Cap parachutes down, he gets...a scary greeting. 

"Oh my God, they decapitated Kenny!"

Well, that's not intimidating.

The heads once belonged to a bunch of Nazi soldiers who trekked into Wakanda. A survivor reports to Baron Strucker that they were picked off one by one by traps, straight out of a horror movie. They made the survivor apologize then sent him back to Strucker's camp as a warning. Strucker has the survivor killed to avoid panicking the camp. Meanwhile, Cap makes a new friend.

"I am a very pretty kitty."

This isn't T'Challa under the suit. As I said earlier, this is the "Golden Age" Black Panther, Azzuri. Cap naturally wants to ask about the heads, but Azzuri basically says "Bye", and tries to leave. Cap confronts the monarch but finds himself surrounded by Wakandans armed with guns. The Howlers watch this in disbelief. Azzuri deduces that like the Nazis, the Allies want Wakanda's Vibranium. Cap points out the world is at war, and Wakanda needs to choose a side. Azzuri tells him they have: Their own. Cap and Azzuri end up fighting.

Azzuri may be a king, but like Black Panthers before and after him, he's also a scrapper. He's able to match the super-soldier very well in battle. The Howling Commandoes watch the fight and prepare to move when they get surrounded themselves by Wakandans. 

This just ain't Nick Fury's day...

At the Nazi camp, Baron Strucker calls in some help to take on the secretly-advanced nation. 

"What is this 'One Piece', and why does everyone say I look like I stepped out of it?!"

The Red Skull is in town, and his idea of painting the town red? Spreading the blood of the Wakandans all over Africa. 

I personally enjoyed this comic. I think that the idea of both the Axis and the Allies having an interest in Wakanda during WWII is actually a clever idea and one that does make perfect sense. After all, as the comics and the MCU have shown, the alien metal that comprises the Great Vibranium Mound is a wondrous substance, and whoever controls it could likely turn the tide of the war. I also think that the usage of Gabe Jones as the narrator is a good choice. Jones is an African-American soldier in the 1940s, so seeing his thoughts on the advanced world of Wakanda would be quite interesting.

As I said, the biggest flaw with this miniseries is that it's hard to place into canon. For example, as I said earlier, Fantastic Four Unlimited #3 established that T'Challa's grandfather was named "Chanda", but here, it's Azzuri. Neither the Marvel Handbooks nor the Marvel Atlas provided any clarification. This miniseries is also meant to be the first meeting between Captain America and the Howling Commandoes. However, Sgt. Fury #13 (December 1964) and Captain America #383 (March 1991) both establish that they met in France. Also, Wolverine: Origins #18 (December 2007) established that Nick Fury knew Cap before the USA officially entered WWII. 

I struggled to figure out how to describe Denys Cowan's art for this comic. I think it has a nice bit of grit to it, which works for a war story. I also think the muted coloring is a nice artistic choice. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2018 trade paperback Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Trailer, My Thoughts

In 2018, Marvel Studios released the 18th film in its Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther. Based on the comic character of the same name, the story told the tale of T'Challa, the newest king of the African nation of Wakanda, as he battled former CIA operative-turned-terrorist Erik "Killmonger" Stevens, who wants to use the advanced technology of Wakanda to start a global revolution. 

Black Panther was highly praised by critics. Special note was given to Ryan Coogler's directing, as well as the cast's performances (especially of the late Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger, and Letitia Wright as Shuri) and production, but its VFX was criticized. Still the film would become the second-highest grossing film of 2018, as well as the highest-grossing film by a Black director. 

The film would also be seen as culturally significant for the Black community, and it would win numerous accolades. It would be the first superhero film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and win three for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score.

In 2019, it was announced the film would get a sequel: Wakanda Forever. Plans hit a snag when Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 from colon cancer, which he had kept hidden from others. As such, Marvel Studios opted not to recast T'Challa, and established that he had suddenly passed before the events of Wakanda Forever. Which is some real cosmic bad timing, as Wakanda has to deal with a new threat from under the seas...Let's look at the trailer!

Nakia contemplating the ocean. 

It's a tough time for the nation of Wakanda right now. Recovering from Killmonger, the Dusting, the big battle against Thanos, and now T'Challa being gone.

This shot of all those people in white had the vibe of a funeral. I remember seeing someone on Twitter saying this is a celebration of life. Yeah, I can see that.

That shot of Okoye and the Dora Milaje is awesome.

And we have Baby Namor!

I get the idea from these scenes that there is something more going down than just Talocan and Wakanda having a spat. That ship does not look Wakandan. Something is pushing these two nations to war...

And there's Ironheart! This film is setting up quite a bit of stuff.

I get the feeling that Angela Bassett was channeling some genuine grief in that delivery. Which is understandable. I can imagine that Boseman's death hit his castmates hard.

Namora looks awesome.

Personally, I think the idea to draw from Mesoamerican mythology for this version of Atlantis (or Talocan, as it will be called here) is a very clever idea. I don't think that mythology has been given a lot of spotlight in American media. It's a great way to make this version of it look truly unique.

I get the feeling Tenoch Huerta is going to kill it as Namor.

Looks like a new Black Panther will rise...

Well, this film looks like it will be very enjoyable, as well as rather emotional. Chadwick Boseman's death hit a lot of people hard. I loved him as T'Challa myself. I am also excited to see the Sub-Mariner make his live-action debut. This is going to be a roller-coaster.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Black Panther #2 (December 1998)

Last month, I took a look at the first issue of Christopher Priest's acclaimed run on the Black Panther's solo title. It was a fun comic that genuinely made me laugh and show that T'Challa is nothing to mess with. I had originally wanted to continue my monthly look at the 12 Labors of Wonder Woman, but then I had learned of the tragic and untimely passing of Chadwick Boseman.

I admit, the first time I was aware of Mr. Boseman was when he was cast as the Black Panther for Captain America: Civil War. His performance as the Panther, not to mention his portrayals of important figures of Black history like Jackie Robinson and James Brown have been shown to be incredibly inspirational, not to mention that the man himself was described to be quite a wonderful human being.

I wondered how I could pay tribute to him, until I realized something. Christopher Priest's Black Panther run was a very heavy inspiration for the film, so I figured, why not pay tribute by taking a look at another issue of that. Let's take a look at Black Panther #2!

The cover is pretty cool. I think it's a Mark Texiera piece, depicting T'Challa facing off against Mephisto. It's so awesome, and sadly that does not happen here. That makes me sad.

"Invasion"
Writer: Christopher Priest
Penciler: Mark Texiera
Inker: Mark Texiera
Colorist: Avalon Studios (credited as Avalon Color)
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Siobhan Henna
Editors: Joe Quesada, Jimmy Palmiotti
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras
The comic also credits Alitha Martinez for "Background assists" and Nanci Dakesian as "Managing Editor"

The story begins with Everett K. Ross finding himself in a...troubling position. He's sharing a couch with Mephisto, one of the Marvel Universe's substitutes for Satan...and he still doesn't have any pants. Not knowing what else to do, the hapless State Department worker tries to make a little small talk. So, what's the comic's titular character up to?

"AHHHHH! CAT PEOPLE ARE REAL, MAN! I KNEW IT! MY NECK!"

He's getting to know his temporary neighbors a little better. T'Challa is building himself a little intelligence network, hoping to root out who was responsible for the death of a Wakanda-connected charity's poster child. While he's working on that project, the Black Panther figured he'd do the superhero thing and help clean up the projects a bit. He sent out two of his Dora Milaje, Okoye and Nakia, to help with that.

"Beloved, when we were injuring these men, they spoke of something called 'pizza'. We wish to try some."

Yeah, they're not exactly Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong'o, huh? Well, this was how they first appeared in the comics. The two did not kill anyone, as per his orders, but they will have to spend some time in the hospital. Presumably in bodycasts and eating Jell-O. Mmm, Jell-O...

The two also confiscated various gangs' weapons and drugs, and donated their money to charity. Anonymously, of course.

Back in Ross's apartment, he manages to make a little small talk with Mephisto, who gives him some pants. This leads Ross to worry that he may have just sold his soul for them. We get a bit of a recap of the previous issue focusing on T'Challa and his party's arrival to America. They arrived at JFK airport, which will need a bit of redecoration thanks to Zuri.

"God help all of us if Zuri ever discovers pro wrestlers."

As for T'Challa himself, he's speaking to his stepmother Ramonda. She's reporting that a man named Achebe had stuck, using sympathizers within Wakanda to cause some kind of civil war in the country. Ramonda tells T'Challa to stay in New York for now. Achebe wants the Panther dead, and he may be safer in New York. Besides, the Panther has a mission there anyway. Again, last issue.

Zuri, being a bit of a psycho, wants to go back to Wakanda and get some killing done. But T'Challa is able to calm him down, and they all go for a ride in Ross's little red car, Ross finding himself thinking about the film JFK.

"...how did you all manage to fit in this thing?!"

Back, and to the left...Back, and to the left...Back, and to the left...now Ross got me doing it. Speaking of Ross, he flubs up trying to order some Chinese food. One Manuel Ramos (remember him from last issue, too. Panther's new buddy?) sees Okoye and Nakia. He figures, "Hey, a couple of hotties! Maybe they need some nice male company."

Ross tries to intervene, but he's a bit of a twerp. He gets his ID stolen. He and his boys prepare to turn the fed into a street stain, but he's got a savior.

Sgt. Francis Tork. You may remember him from my reviews of the Falcon miniseries back in the day. I love it when books revive characters like this. Anyway, Ross realizes that Ramos still has his ID...and Tork scared him and his boys off. So, while the Panther does some more investigating, Ross tracks Ramos to a seedy club, where he ends up in a mud wrestling match with a few women. And Zuri decides to join in as well.

Tork breaks it up, and everyone gets arrested. Also, the mud wrestling match is how Ross lost his pants. So, where was T'Challa? Well, our man was in a hospital. He was visiting one of the patients there: One Marion Vicar, the Executive Director of the Tomorrow Fund. He wants a name. He wants the name of the one who corrupted her, the one who turned her against the charity. She tells the King of Wakanda to "go to hell". Well, T'Challa has ways of making her talk.

I'm not sure if it's Nakia or Okoye here. Either way, she uses the interrogation technique of "baton-on-throat" on Vicar. T'Challa demands the name. The name of the devil who caused this. Vicar finally gives it up.

Achebe. Who is Achebe, you may ask? Well, that's what Nikki wants to know, too. Remember, this story is flashback. It's being told by Ross to her. He just slams his head on the table, and laments that's when the "fun" started.

This was a pretty good second issue. We got a bit of expansion of some things established in the first issue, and Ross provided some humor as well. One detail I liked was in Black Panther's conversation with Marion Vicar. His dialogue referred to devils and corruption, implying that he was suspicious of Mephisto's involvement. Would explain why the big red monster showed up in Ross's apartment, ha ha. I will admit, I am a bit sad that Zuri in the Black Panther movie was very different from his comic counterpart because comic Zuri is hilarious and awesome.

As I said about the first issue, I did like Mark Texiera's art. It looks like this was drawn in chalk, and it has a gritty feel to it that fits the issue. I did wish he made Nakia and Okoye's faces a bit more distinct, though. When one of them was wearing the police uniform, I could not identify them because they didn't have the different hairstyles.

Rest in Peace, Chadwick Boseman. Thank you for all you have done. And thank you all for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Remember to stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, and wear a mask! Join me next time as I look at the next Labor of Wonder Woman...

Black Panther #1 (November 1998)

In recent years, the Black Panther has been riding a new wave of popularity thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But believe it or not, like many of Marvel's stalwart characters, he's been around a very long time.

T'Challa first debuted in Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966), and would then go on to join the Avengers for a while in Avengers #52 (May 1968). His first starring feature would be the Jungle Action title with issue #5 (July 1973). It was in this title that then-writer Don McGregor and artists Rich Buckler and Billy Graham crafted the classic "Panther's Rage" storyline. We looked at the first issue of that saga right here. In the 1980s, the Panther got his first miniseries, by writer Peter B. Gillis and artist Denys Cowan. It was also during that decade that McGregor reunited with the Panther, joining up with Gene Colan to create Panther's Quest, the sequel to Panther's Rage that ran in the Marvel Comics Presents anthology title.

With the 1990s, McGregor penned a third story in his Black Panther saga: Panther's Prey, alongside artist Dwayne Turner. And in 1998, the King of Wakanda would get a new ongoing title, the first issue we're going to look at here.

For its first year, series was part of the Marvel Knights imprint, which focused on standalone stories
set in the Marvel Universe. Writer Christopher Priest had a goal with this title. He felt that in the years since his creation, the Black Panther was never really given the opportunity to show that he could be one of Marvel's most dangerous superheroes, thanks to his own abilities and resources as a king of a technologically advanced African nation. So, is his collaboration with Mark Texiera a good start to achieving that goal? Let's find out when we look at Black Panther #1!

The cover is a Mark Texiera, Dave Kemp, and Joe Quesada piece. It's a bit basic, just depicting the Black Panther in costume himself. It's not a bad cover, just a bit plain.

"The Client"
Writer: Christopher Priest
Penciler: Mark Texiera
Inker: Mark Texiera
Colorist: Brian Haberlin
Letterers: Richard Starkings, Siobhan Hanna
Editors: Joe Quesada, Jimmy Palmiotti
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins with Everett K. Ross being in a rather...unusual situation.

Everett K. Ross picked the wrong week to quit drinking...

I'm sure that being trapped in a bathroom holding a rat at gunpoint is not quite as...unusual in the Marvel Universe as in the real world. We get narration from Ross himself. You see, he was supposed to be minding a certain Wakandan monarch. But the Black Panther and his entourage had decided to do some window jumping, leaving Ross alone in the middle of the projects. But Ross isn't lonely. Besides the rat, he also has the company of Zuri, who was a friend of T'Challa's late father.

"Zuri picked the wrong week to START drinking..."

It's revealed that Ross is basically telling a story to his boss Nikki in the State Department. Ross tends to go...off target in his recollections, which leads to some funny revelations, like he and Zuri somehow facing off against some female mud wrestlers. Straight out of Stripes.

Nikki manages to get Ross on track. You see, T'Challa and his crew wanted to go out for a drive.

King T'Challa, aka Mr. Smooth.

It's then that he and two of his Dora Milaje met a man named Manuel Ramos. Ramos was a bit of a big deal in these housing projects, a sort of crimelord. T'Challa tells Ramos and his men to safety their guns and lay them on the ground. Ramos laughs it off, and in response, T'Challa uses an advanced Wakandan taser device to give Ramos and his men some nice electroshock therapy.

"Oh my God, the fog's clearing from my brain!"

The Panther drags Ramos out of his car, and lets his two Dora Milaje have some fun with his men...without killing them, of course. It's here we learn these two Milaje's names: Okoye and Nakia. Remember them from the Black Panther movie? Yeah, they got quite the makeover for the MCU. Meanwhile, Ramos gets a wall to the spine. This makes him angrily threaten to slice T-Challa's throat...and he invites him to do so, while the king is in his full Black Panther costume. Ramos's knife is useless against the Panther's suit, and he takes the gangster up to the roof of a building.

It's here we learn something as to why Black Panther has come to the United States. It's not Avenger business. A child had been killed at the Tomorrow Fund, a charity the Black Panther was connected to. As such, the Panther wants to make a deal: Panther lets Ramos live, Ramos helps the Panther find the child's killers. Ramos refuses, so he gets marked by an energy dagger. The signature it leaves behind marks the criminal, allowing the Panther to track him anywhere with his Kimoyo Card.

Thanks to some drink to the face from Nikki, Ross is finally able to explain how this all started. You see, he had been assigned to escort the Avenger while he was in the US investigating the aforementioned child's death. Little Jamie Robins was a poster child for the Tomorrow Fund, a charity that, as I explained earlier, was connected to Wakanda.

Ross thought the assignment would be an easy one at first. After all, the Black Panther may have been a king and an Avenger, but he wasn't a big-time guy. He wasn't exactly a Thor, or a Captain America.

However, T'Challa's homeland had erupted in tensions at the time. T'Challa had allowed Wakanda to take in refugees from various ethnic wars going on. The refugees brought their war with them, and the Wakandans were not happy about it. The Panther and his allies tried to calm things down, but T'Challa is more of an idealist than a politician.

When he heard about the death of Jamie Robins, T'Challa felt an obligation to investigate this. Zuri and T'Challa's stepmother Ramonda know they can't convince him to stay in Wakanda. Besides, T'Challa is not too worried. If anything really bad goes down, he can return in a couple hours. He only intends to be in America for about five days, no big deal. Ross then recalls when he arrived to pick up the feline king at the airport. He brought a Miata.

Ross: "...I'm gonna need a bus. No, two buses."

Yeah. When the Black Panther comes to town, you not only have to make sure to bring out the good plates, but also have plenty of them. We finally catch up to Ross in the apartment holding a rat at gunpoint. He gets a knock on the door. Unfortunately, it wasn't because Zuri wanted to try this "pizza" thing New York is so famous for.

The demon Mephisto has come down to the Big Apple, looking for a soul to steal. He was in a bind, because he's way behind, and he's willing to make a deal. Ross just closes the door, and tells Zuri it's for him.

This was a pretty enjoyable first issue. It does well setting up what we need to know about the King of Wakanda's current situation. Everett Ross is a very good POV character. He's a government schlub who is just clearly way in over his head. The character is portrayed as slightly...un-PC for lack of a better term, but Priest has said this was intentional. Ross is also the source of the humor in the comic. I laughed out loud at his reaction to Mephisto, as well as his other misadventures. Priest's knack for humor is rather underrated in my opinion.

Mark Texiera'a art is rather unique. It looks like everything is made of chalk to me. There's a bit of grit in the art that fits the story rather well. He does some great work with expressions, and some of the layouts are quite clever. I like it a lot.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2015 trade paperback Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection Vol.1! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay home, wash your hands frequently, and wear a mask! See you next time, when I look at an adventure of the Man of Steel...