Reading and reviewing Ultimate Black Panther has been a roller coaster at times. On the one hand, I love how this comic puts a new spin on the Black Panther mythos, and the creative team of Bryan Hill and Stefano Caselli are a great match. On the other, unlike the rest of the Ultimate line, this book seems to inch forward then halt whenever there’s forward momentum. Unfortunately, Ultimate Black Panther #14 was a reminder of that.
For starters, there’s the way the issue opens: not with the Sorceress Supreme Iman preparing her “exorcism” of vibranium, not T’Challa coming to grips with the fact that he’s literally been haunted since his war with Moon Knight, but with a raid conducted in Nigeria to seize a cache of vibranium. It’s an action-packed and brutal sequence courtesy of returning artist Carlos Nieto, but if it wasn’t for the cover I’d feel like I stepped into another comic entirely. This sequence also takes up half the runtime, and more or less serves as a revelation for how far vibranium’s dark pull spreads.
In fact, this sequence sums up the main issue I’ve had with Ultimate Black Panther, where Hill’s script seems to lose momentum whenever it comes to a major plot point. It’s strange because I’ve read and loved his previous work, especially Batman and the Outsiders and Blade, and I can’t help but wonder what changed between those books and Ultimate Black Panther. Granted, whole plot points haven’t been dropped or ignored, but I do hope the book can keep a steady pace, especially when the previous issue showed a lot of promise.
Marvel
Ultimate Black Panther #14 has plenty of potential, too. The conversation between T’Challa and Erik Killmonger is a great example of this; Killmonger explains why he and Storm feel so uneasy inside Wakanda, since they’ve lived free for most of their lives and the kingdom feels strict for them. Killmonger also has a great zinger: “You all walk around stoic like you’d get kicked off the world for laughing.”
T’Challa also dons a new suit, and it looks extremely cool thanks to Nieto. The suit has no vibranium, meaning that T’Challa won’t be possessed by the mysterious force lying inside the metal, and it looks sleeker, clinging to his muscular frame like a second skin. To top it off, David Curiel gives T’Challa a jet-black cape that stands out against the midnight blue of his new suit. Eagle-eyed Marvel fans will also notice that this new suit bears a strong resemblance to T’Challa’s attire in Fantastic Four #52; kudos to Nieto and Curiel for that visual shoutout.
Curiel’s colors also provide a divide between Wakanda and the rest of Africa. Wakanda is a shining paradise, lit by golden suns and shining skyscrapers; the outside world is wrapped in reds and blacks, hinting at the darkness looming on the horizon. Color is a large part of storytelling, and Curiel is using his color art to prepare readers for the storm ahead.
Ultimate Black Panther #14 is a roller coaster of conflicting feelings. Parts of it are exciting to me, and parts of it make me feel like the creative team should step it up. Hopefully next issue shakes out the kinks.
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