Another week brings another round of Blood Hunt tie-ins, including the second issue of Black Panther: Blood Hunt. While the first issue did a great job of delving into how Blade turning Black Panther into a vampire was utterly horrifying – especially as T’Challa was set loose in his home of Wakanda – this issue seems to put it into the side. Yes, T’Challa does gain help from the gods of Wakanda in dealing with his bloodlust, but he’s less of the focus.
The creative team of Cheryl Lynn Eaton and Farid Karami choose to dig deep into Wakanda’s past, and how the goddess Bast – along with the other members of her pantheon – combatted an ancient evil that ties into Blade’s plans. I won’t lie, it’s cool to see how Eaton handes the distinction between deities. She makes a clear deliniation between the Orisha, the West African pantheon that Bast belongs to, and the Ennead, the East African pantheon. There’s even friction between Bast and the moon god Khonshu, which is especially ironic given the conflict happening over in Ultimate Black Panther. Eaton also showcases how geopolitics continue to fare in the thick of Blood Hunt, as Shuri turns to Doctor Doom for help since Latveria’s one of the few nations on Earth who repelled the vampire attack.
Karami’s artwork makes the gods feel, well, godly. Bast, Khonshu, and the others tower over regular human beings, often shifting from human to otherworldy forms at the drop of a hat. Khonshu looks outright terrifying due to the white robes he’s wrapped in, as well as his skeletal bird’s head. Bast could be any other panther, save for her eerie glowing white eyes. What really sells the godly effect is both Andrew Dalhouse’s color art, which gives the gods a slight glow even in the darkest of shadows, and Joe Sabino’s lettering; Bast has night-black speech bubbles, while Khonshu’s are given a text that’s as close to hieroglyphs as Sabino can muster.
Overall, Black Panther: Blood Hunt #2 is an expansive look into the myth of Wakanda, and how it shapes the Black Panther’s current plight. I do hope that the next issue puts the focus back on the Black Panther – especially as he’s found himself face to face with a few old enemies.
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