I really enjoyed how this dived into the mythology within the country of Wakanda and discussed its pantheon of gods and goddesses. ( )

5,0

CrĂ­tica: http://www.planocritico.com/critica-pantera-negra-a-nation-under-our-feet/ ( )

Not what I was expecting. It's a bit of a muddle for the first few issues and you only see the political angle start to take shape in the last of five issues.

There's almost too much continuity to unpack. It's frustrating because it makes it hard to understand the context of T'Challa's challenges and goals. At best, he just seems a bit emo and boring. Comic characters shouldn't resemble Hamlet.

There's potential though as hopefully Coates can now weave everything together. ( )

In May, I finished Book One of Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The comic is a rich and contemplative look at Wakanda, a fictional African nation in political turmoil thanks to the uprising of a terrorist group called The People.

Book One is a bit of a slow burn. And though there are a handful of actions scenes to carry you through, the quiet moments often say more about our characters than panels of ass-kicking. In one panel, T’Challah and his step-mother are discussing the political unrest of their country, how to appeal to his disillusioned people and what it means to be a leader. All while eating breakfast in what appears to be a completely open-air, banister-free balcony about 100 floors up a skyscraper. T’Challah (chill af) calmly walks up to the precipice, looks out on to the city skyline, at the edge of certain death while his step-mom eats freakin’ avocado toast like a bawse.

Later, when T’Challah’s stepmother revisits with an old friend in an appeal for support, they exchange intellectual observations:

“Wakanda has all the intelligence that any advanced society would want, and none of the wisdom that any society needs.”

Boom, mic drop.

I’ll admit, this is not the best title for new Black Panther readers, or even Marvel newbs. There’s no origin story and not a lot of clear exposition to explain the country, who’s who and what’s what. For a proper introduction, I’d actually recommend the 2010 animated mini-series expertly voiced by actors like Djimon Hounsou, Alfre Scott and Kerry Washington.

I think this was a comic made for readers and after an interesting, albeit sluggish start, I’m hopeful for a big pay-off. ( )

5 stars for Aneka and Ayo, 2 stars for anyone thinking I would sympathize with T'Challa after introducing Aneka and Ayo. ( )