BLACK PANTHER #2 written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, art by Daniel Acuna, and letters by Joe Sabino soars onto our shelves this week as Ta-Nehisi Coates throws the reader immediately into the drivers seat of an action-packed Zulu Fighter battle of epic proportions.
Does T’Challa possess amazing new abilities, and what was the Wakandan Empire really after? Let’s find out.
There will be SPOILERS ahead. Turn back now unless you want to know who Keyser Söze is, already read the issue, or simply don’t give a flying ferret.
Ta-Nehisi Coates does a tremendous job taking the reader immediately into this space opera with an epic Zulu Fighter battle. T’Challa goes off on his own to take down an entire fleet of 50 Masia Fighters, which was amazing! While M’Baku and Nakia take their fleet away, T’Challa literally becomes a man possessed and is able to overcome the odds.
Daniel Acuna and Joe Sabino do a phenomenal job showing the movement of the Fighters and placing the word balloons in the perfect spots. Acuna deliberately draws the Masia Fighters in a different shape than the Zulu Fighters making the fight more clear and easy to follow.
Also, notice the last panel above. Acuna does a fantastic job of showing the reader that T’Challa slams on his breaks letting the Masia Fighters pass him by to get the advantage and take them out. He does this through the use of multiple lines from multiple angles. Very impressive!
Next, take a look at this page above. The purple in the bottom panel that is surrounding T’Challa is showing the reader that “something” is happening to him. Some type of power or ability is manifesting itself in him and appears to be slowing everything down. Even T’Challa’s eyes are turning purple. More importantly, notice the lines of speed surrounding the Fighters as they move BUT those lines dissipate while T’Challa is surrounded by the purple aura.
Acuna is doing a tremendous job working with Coates to show us what’s going on without having to use excessive dialogue. Better yet, the lettering by Sabino is also in purple. This shows the reader that T’Challa is not only two steps ahead of everyone physically, but mentally as well.
Everything appears to slow down for T’Challa, including how he processes language. Sabino hit a home run this issue working with the team to help thoroughly connect the lettering. He chose amazing placement of the word balloons without going heavy on the text.
Even as T’Challa’s new abilities manifest, he manages to get hit while taking out most of the Masia Fleet. This crash leads him to having visions. We see T’Challa having visions of a woman with white hair. We could speculate that this is a past life. Maybe we could also think that this woman is Storm? We are not told who this is, but we are to assume these visions are essential to the story. So, stay tuned.
This page (above) was amazing and led me to even more questions as we work our way to the end of this issue. We learn that the Ruler, or would be Black Panther, is actually N’Jadaka AND that his suit appears to have abilities that remind me of a particular alien symbiote we all know and love.
This creative team, led by Coates, did a fantastic job of connecting elements of the Black Panther movie into this comic while still making it a “Fresh Start.” For example, notice the name drops on all of the characters. Each characters name, even though it’s in space, are the exact names of the characters from the movie.
In the end, the current Black Panther Ruler, N’Jadaka (Killmonger from the movie), is wearing the same yellow suit that he wore in the film. Do not let the subtle connections be mistaken as unintentional. This creative team is on point throughout the entire issue.
So, why was T’Challa and the Zulu Fighters attacking the Masia Fighters at the beginning of the issue? Well, because they were looking for pieces of the M’Kraan Crystal. Now, that was an ending! How are the M’Kraan Crystal and this futuristic world of space Black Panther all connected? Beats me, but I know I want the answer.
Should you pick up this issue?
Absolutely! I was nervous at first about having Black Panther meets Star Wars. However, Coates, Acuna, and Sabino are working so well together. They’re giving us “A New Hope” for T’Challa and connecting this character for all ranges of fans.
Should you add this series to your pull?
Yes! If you’re a long time Black Panther fan or one that just hopped on board after the movie, there are some great things for both of you.
Well, what did you guys think of BLACK PANTHER #2? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @dispatchdcu
