Ultimate Black Panther #2 has a fair bit riding on its shoulders. After all, the debut issue of the series hit like a lightning bolt – introducing a compelling new version of Wakanda, as well as its titular hero. Thankfully the creative team of Bryan Hill, Stefano Caselli, David Curiel and Cory Petit are more than up to the task. Ultimate Black Panther #2 picks up a month after the assassination of King T’Challa’s father T’Chaka. An enraged T’Challa has gone on the warpath, hunting down Moon Knight…but little does he know that his enemy is receiving help from an unexpected source.
Hill continues to explore the various levels of Wakanda’s monarchy in a way that hasn’t really been done since Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther run. T’Challa is flat out told by his wife Okoye that the people of Wakanda are scared of the measures he’s taking to fight Moon Knight – it’s a far cry from the usual canon where the Black Panther’s often treated with reverence. More than that he has to deal with the religious arm of Wakanda, the Vodu-Khan, as they hold a great deal of power. Hill’s script isn’t shy about exploring how the power of belief – whether in Bast, Khonshu or other deities – can be a force to work wonders or craft horrors.
Marvel Comics
Caselli is another continuing factor in shaping the world of Ultimate Black Panther, particularly its visual design. The tower the Vodu-Khan reside in is a foreboding structure – a towering shaft of obsidian that seems to stretch up into the sky and swallows all light. Its priestesses are even creepier, as they wear black robes obscuring everything but their mouths. Caselli doesn’t skimp on the action either, whether it’s a high-pitched fight between the Dora Milaje and Moon Knight’s soldiers or the Black Panther deploying one of his many, many vehicles of war.
Finally, Curiel strikes a visual difference between the forces of Black Panther and Moon Knight with a simple change in colors. Both Ra and Khonshu are dressed in pure white and black suits, along with their soldiers; their world feels sterile, cold, and unforgiving. In contrast, the people of Wakanda differ in their clothing, their purpose, and the roles they inhabit – and there are warmer tones; a reddish-pink sunset, a border awash with golden sunlight.
Ultimate Black Panther #2 continues to weave a tale of political intrigue throughout its pages. Next issue will finally see Black Panther encounter Killmonger and Storm – given that this Ultimate Universe hasn’t been what anyone expected, it’ll be exciting to see how this meeting turns out.
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