Hudlin Entertainment Forum

As you are no doubt aware there has been an increase inactivity here at the HEF due to the migration of many of those who post at CBR's Black Panther thread. This process was spearheaded by our very own Ezyo. As you are one of the primary architects of the modern Black Panther era, heads would very much appreciate hearing from you.

Since you have made it clear that you are not at liberty to comment on the writers of the Black Panther who came after you, how about elaborating on any ideas you had with T'Challa and Doom post the ambush; the plans you may have had for the evolution of Shuri; your next story line post Deadliest of the Species; any more tales of Wakanda's past etc...

Let's have a meet and greet. Maybe a little Q&A. New and old posters are looking forward to hearing from you.

The WAKANDAN AND THE AFRAKAN
 Reconciliation of a Double Consciousness




W. E. B. Du Bois used the term Double-Consciousness to describe how American Afrakans look at themselves through the eyes of others particularly European Americans aka white people. He spoke of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. The American Afrakan ever feels their two-ness,—an American, a Afrakn; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.

This specific malady did not infect the Wakandan. No unreconciled strivings, no warring ideals, just one dark body perfected by an insular autonomy. The Black Panther being the living embodiment of this perfection.

As the new age of the Black Panther officially starts the architects of the forthcoming iterations should be mindful of the narrative that so defines the Black Panther and his nation of Wakanda. This will require an ever fading attention on slavery, racism, civil rights, cultural oppression, poverty, homosexuality, police brutality and inter racial pairings.

This epoch if to be taken serious must center on the continental and diasporac expressions of self liberation, ethnic unification, sovereign rights, traditional and contemporary cultural expressions, natural resources and their true wealth, the family institution, community development and the unicity of Afrakan women and men. These are the hallmarks that will chart the maturity of the architect and define how well evolved their sensibilities have become. 

Thus I speak of the Reparations and Revolution for the Damisa-Sarki... Ta-Nehisi Coates' New Black Panther.

Hickman's Black Panther as depicted in Fantastic Four #s 607 & 608 and New Avengers # 1-5  was a much needed redirecting of the Black Panther from the path of impotency and irreverence due to the  irrelevancies occurring in Defenders #7 and the debacle that was Avengers vs X-Men. Hickman posits a formidable Black Panther.

While Tchalla has been given a new title, a new power, a new base of operations and some new equipment, I don't see Hickman's Black Panther as new as much as I see the incorporation and expansion on some of Black Panther's existing themes and that is a good thing if they remain cannon and are unchanging in achievement or effect over a period of time.

Appointing Tchalla the King of the Dead (I assume only the Wakandan dead) is a dubious attempt at replacing his title as King of Wakanda. It  is not a failed effort and Hickman certainly has time to flesh it out...but the throne of Wakanda was something unique to Tchalla.

Crowning the Black Panther King of the Dead may be exciting but it supplants an essential and iconic element of the Black Panther; that being his inheritance of the throne, thus the political responsibilities and global ramifications of possessing such. It is akin to taking Superman's ability to fly and replacing it with teleportation.

Endowing him with the ability to access the accumulative knowledge of his ancestors is something Tchalla should have been able to do all along. Ancestral communication is an Afrakan trademark. Priest first demonstrated Tchalla's inseparable bond and ability to commune with his ancestors in issue six of his run.

I'm not sure if Hickman was demonstrating Tchalla as having hyper speed (something I imagined akin to Marvel's Ultimate Alliance 2 Black Panther) or not, but it looked good.

I hope Hickman can stabilize the Black Panther's place of residence, business, headquarters and secret base. Tchalla has been moving around a lot over the past few years. the Caves of Bast, the Nowhere Room, Hell's Kitchen and now the Necropolis at Wakanda. I thought the Royal Palace and the Techno Jungle were more than adequate if exploited to their full potential.

The force shield and teleportation device are both welcomed and logical additions to one who is a prep master. The cloaked phasing effect was long over due. I used to hate how the Hatut Zeraze were shown phasing but not the Black Panther. I  appreciate Hickman's inclusion of the morphing costume, energy dagger and vibranium as well.

Consistency has often been one of Tchalla's greatest opponents. During Hudlin's run Tchalla confronted Doom on two occasions. Once with an armor and once without. Nuff said. One time uses or editorial lapses delete Tchalla's credibility and lend themselves to the deus ex machina effect.

If Hickman wishes to avoid the faux pas of some of his predecessors he better up Tchalla's battle strategies. Having the Black Panther jump on the back of the cosmic powered Terrax only to be swatted off like a minor annoyance does not bode well. It would have been better played if Tchalla suggested everyone fall back (without the short lived obligatory fisticuffs) and let Black bolt do his thing.

In the future Hickman should demonstrate the Black Panther's genius in solo efforts comparable to or surpassing the other members of the Illuminati  Personally I think Stark's Dyson Sphere was more impressive than the reverse engineered bomb it took both Reed and Tchalla to construct. Subjective I know, however Starks presentation outclassed them both.

And I shall attempt to refrain from discussing the fact that the Illuminati has been and is primarily comprised of white men. I guess no women of any race qualified for an invitation. Tchalla should have had Shuri represent him, thus killing two “minority” birds with one stone.

If Tchalla has any problem with Black Swan it should be that she gave the order that resulted in the death of 3 Wakandan children... unnecessarily I might add. If you want the Black Panther to appear bad ass his force shield should have protected the “Makers.” Not to mention the fact that Hickman could have written it so that Tchalla could have successfully teleported the children to the safety of the city. Since he didn't do either, he would definitely hold her accountable. Last and probably least, how does Black Swan get away with sitting in the Black Panther's Bast throne seat?...  and without so much as a curt glance from the King. She doesn't hold membership.

It is most important that Tchalla follow through on his threat to Namor. If he does not kill him, which is more than likely the case, the Black Panther should brutally demonstrate the severity of his threat by decisively beating Namor within an inch of his life. Remember the Red Skull's broken jaw. Remember the Skrulls who attempted to infiltrate and colonize Wakanda. If  Hickman really wants to show off the Black Panther: next issue show Tchalla humiliating Doom in some significant way. For example by having Victor burn in his armor via the nanites Tchalla infested Doom's castle with when the New Avengers were there. Revenge is a dish best served hot.

Hickman's success in writing the Black Panther lies in his subtly introducing what I term the Panther Effect. Originally introduced by Kirby, deftly mastered by Priest and often dismissed by too many writers; the  Panther Effect is demonstrating the intelligence, powers, resources, prowess and attitude of Tchalla the Black Panther in a consistent, organic manner that would logically manifest in a given situation

Hickman like Priest, Hudlin and all his predecessors should be given the necessary time for character development and engaging story telling. So far he has written an entertaining tale that has both super-heroics and depth. Hickman has sown strong seeds for an emblematic rendering of the Black Panther, true to his potential... again only time will tell.

David Liss first Black Panther story Urban Jungle was  a comparatively entertaining tale. As a novice comic book writer he is proficient enough to deliver a near audible maturity sans the superfluous levity sometimes found in Black Panther stories. Urban Jungle almost belies a superhero comic in favor of a crime novella.

The interior art of Francesco Francavilla gives consummation to Liss’ authorship, encapsulating a picturesque urban noir. Guest artist Jefte Palo and Jean Francois Beaulieu were able to capture those same sensibilities while maintaining their own unique signature.  An artistically seamless juxtaposition. The cover art by Simone Bianchi and Simone Peruzzi is simply beautiful. They are gorgeous renderings of art.

Liss writes a specious Black Panther. Tchalla's intellectual acumen and creative genius is more on par with Peter Parker than Reed Richards or Tony Stark. His physical prowess and combative skills are rudimentary. The Black Panther’s strategic and tactical abilities appear to have gone from three steps ahead of  his opponent to a base stimulus and response. These would not be serious flaws for a superhero new to the scene but for a seasoned veteran they can border on insulting. Liss’ Black Panther is supposedly the latter.

Some of the thoughts and words Liss has the Black Panther express are obvious attempts by the author to be factual. However Liss comes off more pedantic than accurate. Having Tchalla state, for example, that it is more difficult to protect a neighborhood (Hell’s Kitchen) than a nation (Wakanda) was glaringly inappropriate.   

The two factors that worked in Liss’ favor have lost momentum; those being Tchalla’s less than stellar performance during Doomwar and the suspension of belief that this is not a year one for the Black Panther.

Liss proceeds from a false assumption founded in a grossly erroneous premise while trying to entice with a sobriquet that has yet to be demonstrated. He assumes the Black Panther is on a journey of self discovery necessitated by the removal of his powers, nation and wife. The epithet that the Black Panther is “the world’s most dangerous man” has yet to be convincing conveyed.

The Black Panther is stripped of the essential traits that so defined his character. His ethos has been removed for no good reason other than the penchant to make ethnicity and cultural distinctions appear obsolete. This heresy is analogous to a pope turning his back on the papacy, Catholicism, Rome and his people to become policeman in the Germantown section of Philadelphia and be respected for doing such.

If this is to be a new start for Tchalla then his learning curve and feats have to improve drastically. His natal connections to Wakanda, the Panther spirit and to his wife Ororo have to be reestablished. David Liss has written a potentially more compelling Black Panther than his predecessor Jonathan Maberry but is far from the contextually rich, definitive Black Panther written by Christopher Priest or the culturally relevant Black Panther written by Reginald Hudlin. The path of success for David Liss lies in his truly comprehending of who is the Black Panther. Thus far David Liss’ Black Panther: Man Without Fear is a tolerable comic book with a faux superhero.

I was shocked to learn of the passing of one of comicdoms greatest sons. Dwayne McDuffie's talent and work will live on as the spirit of this creative genius manifests for generations to come. My sympathies to his family,friends and all those touched by his artistic endeavors.

Here is a link from CBR.http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=30978

I have spent the last month or so pouring over the comments and reactions to Age of Heroes and the soon to be released Klaws of the Panther and the recently announced Black Panther: Man Without Fear. There really isn't much more to say that hasn't already been expertly articulated by Sinjection1 and Salustrade (He Who Holds Court at CBR. I see you post on Robot 6 as well. You are truly ubiquitous.) and many others of the H.E.F. I find myself having to agree with Umbra over at CBR on the one point that Marvel is pushing the Black Panther. That push however maybe in some ways a disservice to essential nature and core values of the Black Panther. It is as if all that made the Black Panther significant and unique in the Marvel Universe is being made illegitimate.

Marvel appears to have a penchant for courting celebrity writers when it comes to Black Panther. This in itself is not a bad thing but I think the weakness lies in Marvel allowing to much creative license which is leading to incorrect interpretations of the Black Panther.

Before the advent of celebrity writers Priest wrote arguably the best Black Panther. The definitive Black Panther. Priest adhered to a foundational continuity and correctly interpreted  many of the nuances needed to make the Black Panther relevant. This provided an ideal template upon which all others should have built upon. Priest was innovative, properly gauging the Black Panther's power scale, personal armament, personality and interaction with others especially those of the superhero community. His Wakanda had its politics, technology and culture fleshed out. He made the Panther's villains respectable and had the Panther interact with a diverse array of characters.These interactions lacked the feel of plot devices or sales gimmicks. Though he tried to squeeze in white characters where they didn't need to be (an error many white writers do with black characters) he did it masterfully. Priest's creative input added to much to Black Panther lore.

Reg the first of the three celebrity writers (and the only one thus far who has demonstrated any true love for BP) gave us two different reinterpretations of the Black Panther. The first was an original theatrical (movie) version. As evidenced by his first story arc Who is the Black Panther? which read like a screenplay, it is clear that Reg writes to his strengths. To see the validity of this point just view Black Panther The Animated Series as a stand alone feature. It works better as an animated feature than it does in comic book form. It was well done. I believe the comic book version would have received fewer criticisms if Reg could have fleshed it out as he did the cartoon. The second reinterpretations of the Black Panther Reg gave was a hybrid of the theatrical and the Priest version. Here we view a Black Panther that has a stability that make him feel comfortable in his own skin. There is a support structure that only a wife and family could provide. Again I believe Reg plays to his strengths. The cultural components Reg brought to the game (much to the chagrin of some Caucasians comic book readers) reminded many Afrakan people what they should look for in a comic book. I know some believe we live in a post racial era but the reality is that we should never have to apologize for being Afrakan or seek another group's or people's permission to act as such. Proud of his culture and its people, Reg single handedly gave the Black Panther greater exposure during his tenure than any other writer. He sold more comics, produced the first animated BP cartoon and pulled of the marriage of the century. Reg wrote the Black Panther as a fan would.

Post the exemplary contributions of the above (and honorable mention to Jason Aaron and Dwayne McDuffie) The Illegitimacy of Black Panther begins with Jonathan Maberry. He begins by deconstructing Tchalla the Black Panther. Some decry it was Reg who started Tchalla's downward spiral. Reg is responsible for Tchalla getting severely injured (perhaps the worst injury in Black Panther history) and for him being replaced by Shuri as the Black Panther. Neither of which were deconstructive as the former was poor execution and the latter was an incomplete plot devices. It is Maberry's Power, Doomwar, Honor and the soon to be released Klaws of the Panther that have and will deconstruct the Black Panther to the point of illegitimacy. Jonathan Maberry has and continues to go beyond deconstructing the Black Panther as evident in the travesty that was Doomwar, he intends to make illegitimate anything viable to the myth, legacy and culture of the Black Panther. I cite the following examples: Wakanda supposed conquering even though no one but Wakandans stayed in power. Tchalla not conferring with Ororo and her capture and imprisonment  making Tchalla appear callous and incapable of protecting his wife who by the way doesn't need protecting. Curious to note the deconstruction of Storm in the mythos of Black Panther starts in Worlds Apart and then in Maberry's Power arc. Syan's (a former Black Panther) feebleness and eventual murder by assailants he should be able to defeat blindfolded. The Panther God handing over the vibranium because this god shares Doom's vision of the future. Shuri bombing Wakanda back to the stone age for lack of a better idea, say for example Tchalla creating nanites to counter Doom's. Tchalla indirectly seeking help while looking pathetic and vulnerable. After all the insults and atrocities committed by Doom Tchalla humbly asking Doom to surrender followed by that weak ass speech of lessons learned. All this and no retribution was permitted. Why? Because Maberry views the Black Panther void of possessing the essential rectitude to chastise and punish Doom.  Maberry has decreed the Black Panther illegitimate.

Jonathan Maberry has proven himself unqualified to write anything concerning King Tchalla the Black Panther, Queen Ororo aka Storm, or the nation of Wakanda. Being ever consistent he now proves in exemplary fashion that he is not qualified to write Princess Shuri the Black Panther. Maberry has her ass out in a pool with Caucasians followed by a trite slugfest of Honor. He intends to go full throttle making Shuri the Lindsay Lohan of Wakanda, full of rage issues and resentment towards Storm.The disqualifying factors I refer to are the following: 1) ignorant of the motivations of the characters resulting in a lack of vision and a loss of perspective and 2) poorly researched and thus failing to comprehend the vast power and resources available to the Black Panther. Hopefully Maberry will conclude his assult with his fourth and hopefully final writing.

The  Illegitimacy of Black Panther will apparently continue with David Liss' Black Panther The Man Without Fear. Since I've yet to read a page of this new series I will comment on the authors own words.

"The other aspect of "Black Panther: The Man Without Fear" that Liss finds intriguing is the chance to drop T'Challa, the former king of the fictional African nation known as Wakanda, into the middle of the crime ridden wasteland that the Kitchen has become post "Shadowland." "We're taking somebody who has always been royalty - his father was a king and he's been a powered superhero and a monarch for a large portion of his life. We're stripping all of that away from him. He has no powers. He has no Wakandan tech. This series is about somebody trying to figure out what he's made of and who he is. He's coming to this environment, which is so dangerous and troubled, to test himself," Liss explained.
 
T'Challa has abandoned more than just the Black Panther identity - he's also discarded all of the high tech weaponry and gadgets that have come to be associated with it. In "Black Panther: The Man Without Fear," his main armaments will be his cunning, intellect and wealth of combat skills. "We decided going into this that he was not going to be able to use anything that he can't build or buy himself," Liss remarked. "He doesn't have access to his wealth either, as he's walked away from everything in his former life."

But he hasn't just left behind the ceremonial, technological, and income aspects of his former life: T'Challa has also stepped away from his friends and familial ties as well. "The Black Panther is one of the most well connected people in the Marvel Universe, but for this series he's decided he needs to tackle the dangers of Hell's Kitchen by himself. T'Challa is there to test himself, and that quest becomes meaningless if he calls on the Avengers or the Fantastic Four every time he faces a new challenge," Liss said

The previous three paragraphs clearly illustrate the ongoing process to make Tchalla the Black Panther illegitimate. Look at the language Liss used. I took the liberty to bolden some of it. After Reg there has been a constant destabilization of the Black Panther. Taking the Black Panther out of Wakanda is akin to taking Spider-man out of New York. There are plenty of cities in Afraka where Tchalla could have adventures. Look at the Unknown Soldier. Why not drop Tchalla off on Planet Hulk for a real test. Doom can conquer a planet in a week, Tchalla should be able to clean up Hell's Kitchen in an hour. What challenge could there possibly be for even a stripped down Black Panther in Hell's Kitchen?

Tchalla not being the Black Panther is analogous to Kit Walker not being the Phantom. Being Black Panther should be a sacred responsibility never forsaken by anything short of death. Removing Tchalla's high tech is analogous to removing Doom's high tech. Technology based on their respective genius is intrinsic and organic to both characters. It is in their very origin. Tchalla and Ororo if given story and panel time could be comparable to Reed and Sue, instead post Reg they spent most of their time apart.

The Black Panther should never be required to forfeit  his wife, nation, family, technology, or vast resources. The writer carries the responsibility to not have the Black Panther  disavow his connectedness to history, culture or racial politics. This umbilical between reality and fantasy is the core strand in the lattice that not only makes the Black Panther unique but pertinent to its readership.

I was wondering if anyone has the Black Panther DLC for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, if so can you tell me how to get it. I know it was a limited time offer and is no longer available at the Xbox360 store.

After reading the third installment of Doomwar I found myself drawn back to my first post "Epitomizing the Black Panther." Though the writing may be satisfactory the ineptitude displayed in the personalities (if such can even be said to exist) of Tchalla and Storm is deplorable. Tchalla lacks poise and confidence as Storm does depth and purpose. Both could be removed from the story and not be missed. The depiction  of Wakanda is unforgivable. It possesses no mystique, majesty, magic or uniqueness. It has all the depth of a "third world" country. Its populace is soulless and dimensionless. The writer may be trying to infuse so called contemporary Afrakan politics and sensibilities into the story but it leaves me thinking he lacks the rectitude to envision an unconquered futuristic Afrakan nation. The title of this comic is correct, this is not a Black Panther comic it is a Doom comic.

Let us begin by examining the following: the deposing of Tchalla by a fringe group that no one has heard of is outrageous and disrespectful. If the Desturi were connected with the Jabari tribe of the Man Ape or Killmonger's people in N'Jadaka city or better still to Hunter and the Hatut Zeraze .... this would give precedence and feasibility to such an attempt.

The untenable and blasphemous treatment of Storm goes all the way back to the Worlds Apart mini series and continues in Doomwar. We are supposed to believe that there is no moral outrage by the citizens of this "warrior" nation as to to her treatment, nor support for a goddess who is known throughout Afraka.

We are supposed to believe that the Wakandans assisting Doom are so dissatisfied with Tchalla's rulership that they side with an outsider despite centuries of isolationism (bordering on xenophobia) and self determinism. To add further insult we bear witness to a Wakandan calling Doom "my lord" as Doom not only tells him to get to work but says "it won't matter who rules this country, it will be a wasteland of ash and charred bones." And every one is alright with this?

Tchalla, master strategist and genius that he is, has his head bowed as his younger sister asks the X-Men for help. How much tide turning can four X-Men do? Tchalla is lured into a trap and nearly killed by Doom by a mere energy blast from Doom's gauntlet (this did not occur in Doomwar but is the catalyst for it). Couldn't Tchalla dodge it? What happened to the vibranium microweave of his habit? Reg a little help here. Tchalla could not get rid of a nanite infestation nor fully explain how he was able to avoid such.

PERHAPS THE MOST AGGRIEVOUS ACT WAS ANNOUCING THAT AFTER TEN THOUSAND YEARS OF WAKANDANS EXPLORING THE SECRETS OF VIBRANIUM, THEY NEVER MASTERED THE SECRET OF USING MAGICALLY CHARGED VIBRANIUM... BUT DOOM HAS!!!

All this occurs in the first issue.

Where is the advanced technology Wakanda is legendary for? Why weren't the Dora Milaje cloaked? Where was Tchalla's armors? Why does Tchalla have runes painted on his flesh and not Medu? How can so many Wakandans be ignorant of magic and spirituality? Why do the soldiers of Wakanda look like they came straight out of that Hotel in Rwanda?

In issue #3 we start off with a six page recap whose pages could have been better utilized depicting the caves of Bast, (remember how long you stared at Jim Lees depiction of the batcave).

Shuri's bright idea is to carpet bomb the capitol with EMPs to get rid of the nanites but Tchalla couldn't come up with a better option like using the plane he landed in Latveria in issue 19 of Reg's run? It set off an EMP. Wakanda needs Reed's supplies to have power restored? Why do they continue saying Wakanda has been conquered when they clearly have not.

OH BUT THE MOST HEINOUS OF ACTS WAS DOOM'S MEETING WITH THE PANTHER SPIRIT. IT SEES DOOM AS PURE DESPITE THE HARM HE HAS DONE TO THE PANTHER SPIRIT'S MOST LOYAL OF FOLLOWERS. IS JONATHAN MAYBERRY HINTING THAT THE PANTHER SPIRIT HAS SEEN THE PATH THAT LEADS TO DOOMWORLD AND NOT TO THE FUTURE WHERE TCHALLA AND STORM LEAD THE WORLD AS SEEN IN BP BLACK TO THE FUTURE.

So as I await the conclusion of Doomwar hoping for the redemption of Storm, Wakanda and especially Tchalla (the only Black Panther I'm concerned with) I am prepared for the worst.

Yet and still I can't help but to believe this is all Reggie's fault "wink". Reggie has made some pretty bad impactful "mistakes" during his tenure on Black Panther that I think we need to examine appreciate.

First off, he made a declarative statement that Wakanda has never been conquered. He had the Black Panther defeat Captain America twice, look superior to the X-Men, subdue the Sub Mariner, outclass Ironman and easily out fight Karnak. Black Panther and Storm defeated Doom and helped liberate a Skrull world.

HIS MOST FLAGRANT ERROR  AUDACIOUS MOVE WAS THE MARRIAGE OF BLACK PANTHER TO STORM. HE EVEN HAD THE BLATANT DISREGARD TO INTIMATE CONJUGAL RELATIONS BETWEEN THEM ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.

Reggie has unashamedly interwoven Afrakan history, contemporary politics and hip hop culture into a tapestry of heroic exploits palatable to a variety of comic book readers. He has sold more Black Panther comics than any writer in the character's history and is responsible for the first animated series dedicated to the King of Wakanda.

The aforementioned are no doubt viewed as "mistakes" to be corrected and are inexcusable to BP haters. Why? Because they demonstrate a responsibility to one's artistry, one's people, the general public and to one's self.  As I turn to the first page of Reggie's latest work Flags of our Fathers I already see the "mistakes"... I mean, SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS to give depth and integrity to this deserving character.