At long last, the first year of Ultimate Black Panther by Bryan Hill and Stefano Caselli has come to an end. And it does so by finally delivering upon the promise of Black Panther and Moon Knight coming to blows…somewhat. I say “somewhat” because another plot line starts bubbling to the surface, and it quickly becomes the focus of the book.
That plot line involves the nature of vibranium, and the effects it has on Black Panther’s mind. In fact, the issue opens with what seems to be a brutal battle between Black Panther and Moon Knight, ending with the King of Wakanda brutally beating his foe into the ground. But it goes even further from there, with Panther’s face slowly enlongating and his teeth transforming into razor-sharp blades; all of this proves to be a vision that T’Challa is having.
This, combined with a twist near the end, underlines the one major issue I have with Ultimate Black Panther; namely that its story seems to stop and start. The war with Moon Knight has been the book’s major conflict, but ever so often the Vibranium subplot or the nature of magic has taken center stage – which feels like the bigger story is being pushed aside. Considering how Ultimate Spider-Man, The Ultimates and Ultimate X-Men have manged to tell a central story, it can feel like Hill is spinning his wheels – especially when the title’s a full year in.
Marvel Comics
Despite this, the showdown between Black Panther and Moon Knight does actually happen, and it’s extremely intense. Caselli draws a brutal battle that features limbs snapping and weapons being drawn; in Moon Knight’s case, it’s a glowing sickle that resembles – what else? – the moon. But the moment that stands out the most to me is when the two first face off. In two panels, Caselli zooms in on both men’s faces, and the artistic choices he makes sums up their characters: Panther’s face is fixed in a resolute glare, while Knight’s is inhuman and bores into the reader’s soul.
As if the artwork wasn’t striking enough, Bryan Valenza shroudes the entire scene in black to represent the night sky. The only light comes from, appropriately enough, the moon. But the darkness also gives form to terrible creatures who seem to haunt Black Panther at every turn; tall, towering figures with glowing red eyes who speak in unsettling terms. It’s enough to linger in your mind long after you close the book.
Ultimate Black Panther #12 caps off the series’ first year with a battle that seems like a harbinger of things to come. That could sum up the series so far, but I hope these hints pay off in future issues – there’s only so many times you can signal “this is important” before you actually have to bring in the important stuff.
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