Black Panther #21

Written by Reginald Hudlin

Art by Manuel Garcia and Jay Leisten

Cover by Gary Frank

 

This is the third issue of Black Panther’s post-wedding “World Tour” story arc, which sees the Wakandan King T’Challa and Queen Ororo “Storm” Munroe traveling to various seats of super-power to meet with other monarchs of fictional kingdoms.

 

First up was Victor Von Doom of Latveria, a meeting that involved some fisticuffs. Next, it was the Inhumans on the moon, a meeting that also involved some fisticuffs. You’ll be forgiven if you expected more fighting in this issue, which centers on a visit to Namor’s Atlantis (particularly since Namor’s such a hothead and the cover shows them fighting), but Hudlin changes things up just as they’re getting stale.

The royal couple descends to Atlantis via Panther Sub, and Namor meets them and gets straight to business: The "Civil War" between America's heroes is only going to lead to trouble for the rest of the world if Iron Man's side wins, so the international community had better get organized and present a united front of opposition. The best man to lead such an international alliance is, Namor says, the Panther. Namor would do it himself, but his history of attackign teh surface world on a regular basis has lost him a few approval ratings with the surface dwellers.  

This is a significant moment in the greater Civil War storyline, as Black Panther, Storm and Namor throwing their personal weight (not to mention that of Atlantis and Wakanda) behind Cap and against Iron Man could essentially win the war. It’s kinda like when France decided to help the rebels overthrow Britain during America’s revolutionary war, if France had sent superheroes and futuristic battle vehicles shaped like fish and cats. (I’m actually pretty surprised there’s no “Civil War tie-in” logo on the cover).

 

Hudlin writes a great Namor; he seems to get the sea king’s voice and character even better than he does Panther and Storm’s, but that could be simply because Namor has such a unique personality among the Marvel superheroes.

 

As for the mandatory fight, it happens in a flashback. Namor tells his visitors of his first meeting with a Black Panther, T’Challa’s grandfather, back during World War II. Namor and his fellow invaders—Union Jack, Spitfire and the Human Torch—were in Africa, when they were beat to the punch by a guy dressed like a panther flying a panther plane (the coolest cat-shaped vehicle of them all, so far). The two kings’ dealings with one another in this story within the story makes for a pretty classic Namor scene.

 

The art turned out to be the weakest part of an otherwise solid issue. Penciller Manuel Garcia handles the sequential story-telling just fine, but his characters all seem a little off (Namor doesn’t look like Namor throughout, for example), and shift slightly from panel to panel.

 

Next stop? Washington D.C., for a meeting with the President of the United States (whom Hudlin has a character make a sharp remark about this ish), or at least a battle with Iron Man.

Rating - 7