BLACK PANTHER COMIC BOOK - Ridley... Believe it or Not - Moratorium in March!

[Emperorjones]

So if the PM was a man it wouldn't be possible for him to say the same lines?

I'm looking how things look, not the lines themselves. As I wrote before on the face of it the Prime Minister's stance wasn't feminist, but it's how it looks with T'Challa being opposed and chided by a black woman. Black men are too often depicted as retrograde impediments to progress or "progress" while black women are the natural and better leaders of our community/race. With Tosin, I saw his role here as being the non-toxically masculine, positive male feminist in this scene (in how it looks, not necessarily in what was said).

So women should just be seen not heard because if they say anything in opposition to a black man it might damage the entire ethnic group?

Come on, no one is saying that cville, but what is being said is that there is a very real and blatant dysfunction that keeps getting shoved into Media.

"Sit down and let Black women take the lead" instead of showing Black Men and women leading together. It's one or the other and there's a very real fear of strong Black men, and why they would rather they be replaced with Black women or effeminate Black males. And not to say there is anything wrong with either, but there is when EVERY single black male is replaced by either

Exactly. There's a zero-sum game now being played in a lot of our media depictions, with the (straight) black male often losing the most.

[Emperorjones]

I read the Antagonist, it's a good book, but I also saw people expecting the worst because they got optioned by a studio. Saying that being the villains is the only reason that happened. Comparing it to Denzel winning the Oscar for Training Day.

 I didn't like the artist change for the third issue though.

Cool that you liked it. I got some concerns myself about what Hollywood would do to it. I listened a bit to the comic creator on a podcast and he had a clear idea for why he made them villains, but that might get lost in translation (or suffer from the lack of nuance and complex storytelling) once it makes it to the screen.

I'm for complexity. I don't mind a focus on black villains, if it's a complex depiction. Certainly, I would like to see more black superheroes, but villains are very important to comics, if not driving superhero comics stories for the most part. I would like to see not just more heroes built up but villains. Though it hasn't knocked it out the park, I thought the Black Manta miniseries was a very good step in the right direction, finally giving more shine to arguably the greatest black archenemy in mainstream comics. I would like to see more black villains depicted, but actually being real challenges and using intellect and their powers, not just brawn, or doing stereotyptical things with them.

More Killmonger like in the movie and his miniseries, Tobias Whale like in the Black Lightning television series, Prowler like Into the Spider-Verse movie, and Black Manta comics.

[CvilleWakandan]

That Manta comic was terrible. The first issue was solid, but it was a downhill slide and then they gave him terrible artist towards the end. I think he messed up when he tried tying Manta closer to Atlantis DNA because the story was uninteresting.

I think Young Justice season 2 Manta is still the best depiction of the character, even though it diverges from the original.

Spoilers for Antagonist

Spoiler (click to reveal)

Don't you think it's weird that they won , but gave up and disappeared after she got pregnant? I mean they were already in charge, and did things just go back to normal with VP becoming President?

[Mad Coco G]

Finally caught up and I still see this as a breath of fresh air over Coates, while Ridley isn’t among my top BP scribes it’s still early and his at a pace I’m enjoying and for once BP has had a consistent artist I like outside of the Stelfreeze/Sprouse

[Emperorjones]

That Manta comic was terrible. The first issue was solid, but it was a downhill slide and then they gave him terrible artist towards the end. I think he messed up when he tried tying Manta closer to Atlantis DNA because the story was uninteresting.

I think Young Justice season 2 Manta is still the best depiction of the character, even though it diverges from the original.

Spoilers for Antagonist

Spoiler (click to reveal)

Don't you think it's weird that they won , but gave up and disappeared after she got pregnant? I mean they were already in charge, and did things just go back to normal with VP becoming President?

I'm not saying the Manta comic was great, though I thought it was an okay read, and I'm giving points due to them even giving him a miniseries in an attempt to flesh him and his world out more. I think it's a good step because maybe it'll lead to miniseries for villains like Fatality, Tobias Whale, or Bloodsport.

I would like to see more effort put on black villains (black characters overall) in mainstream comics. I read the Manta series out of order a bit, so maybe if I reread it I might like it better. Like you I thought it started off solid enough,

Spoiler (click to reveal)

and I liked how they brought Devil Ray into the comics, albeit as a completely different character from the cartoon I suppose, and one that seemed inspired by MCU Killmonger.

I'm okay with tying Manta to Atlantean DNA to root him more in what happens in the Aquaman books. Perhaps the Manta miniseries was trying to do too much, but not doing any of it well enough. That said I would like to see Manta get more shine.

Regarding Antagonists, I agree with you. There was an explanation given, but it didn't feel satisfying enough.

[Ture]

Exclusive Preview: “Black Panther” #6
By Christopher Chiu-Tabet | May 26th, 2022

John Ridley’s “Black Panther” run continues next week, with artist Stefano Landini taking over full-time from Juann Cabal on the first arc, ‘The Long Shadow.’ We are pleased to present an exclusive four-page preview of the next issue, which sees T’Challa being hunted by his own country’s secret police, the Hatut Zeraze.

Written by John Ridley
Art by Stefano Landini
Colored by Matt Milla
Lettered by VC’s Joe Sabino

Betrayal! The reveal of T’Challa’s darkest secret has the Hatut Zeraze hunting him as a traitor, with orders to kill him on sight. He needs to escape them to clear his name, but are his skills really on par for the challenge? And are Wakanda’s secret police the only force T’Challa has to reckon with for his lies?

Thanks to Marvel for the preview, and be sure to pick up the book – either safely in a store, or digitally – next week!











http://www.multiversitycomics.com/previews/black-panther-vol-8-2/

Courtesy of CBR's DigiCom


From cover to content Ridley must be having 12 Years A Slave flashbacks. This Ridley-Variant is a poor representative of T'Challa the Black Panther.

[CvilleWakandan]

That's good news bad news. Ridley blew a good chance to show a cool fight scene. Especially since he set it up that Tchalla could fight them without the suit in the end of the previous issue. On the other hand he seems to have reversed the Storm God angel. The only thing that can save it now is if this scenes takes place after Tchalla has been in the run for several days and this is like his eighth fight in a row.

[Ezyo]

Yeah, the good news is that this can help crater the sales and get this into cancellation range so he gets off the book, hopefully having Marvel get a real writer on the book.  Between the reversal on his competency from last issue, to the poorly choreographed fight, to the terrible dialogue and needing Storm to save him from redshirts? On top of the poor pacing (6 issues in and we still don't "know" who the mastermind is although we all know it's hunter) I don't think Ridley will last much longer

[supreme illuminati]

That's good news bad news. Ridley blew a good chance to show a cool fight scene. Especially since he set it up that Tchalla could fight them without the suit in the end of the previous issue. On the other hand he seems to have reversed the Storm God angel. The only thing that can save it now is if this scenes takes place after Tchalla has been in the run for several days and this is like his eighth fight in a row.

I agree with a lot of this. But there are several other ways that this entire thing can be saved.

1. T'Challa hit em all with the okeydoke. That ain't T'Challa there,but one of his LMDs or a tech flesh transmuted stand in [ like he showed vs The Skrulls ] while he's off doing all kinds of fly stuff that we'll see later.

2. T'Challa used his senses of course and knew miles before she arrived that Storm was near. He feigned distress to see if/how Storm and the inevitable enemies who tracked Storm would respond. With this knowledge? He does other fly stuff in the next issue, and Storm uncovers the ruse while T'Challa doesn't bother to deny or confirm.

3. T'Challa already converted these HZ and they're part of his many spies gathering loyalists on the inside of his government because he foresees and is moving on the real threat: Baalst, the Multiversal Inverted Bast who moved on Bast already. Banished her to a heretofore unreachable part of The Field of Reeds. Now T'Challa is rockin with the OG Panther God...the MALE Panther God...and together they're going to turn the tables on Baalst on all those in Wakanda she's manipulating. Meanwhile? Other gods are making their plays via their mortal pawns and avatars, too.


...


...


...We all definitely. Definitely. Know that Ridley isn't thinking anything like that. I take that back. Lol.

[Emperorjones]

A Dethroned Black Panther Receives Unexpected Aid from

Spoiler (click to reveal)

[/b]

http://www.cbr.com/dethroned-black-panther-receives-unexpected-aid-storm-marvel/

[CvilleWakandan]

I'll give it a low six. The preview pages aren't until halfway through so Tchalla does beat up a few before then. But the HZ dialogue in the field up to that point needs to be removed in the trade. I don't think Ridley made that choice. That was either the artist or editor because it's more menacing without it and doesn't seem like his style.

He does however hang a bunch of lanterns for the sake of story. He points out that these ideas wouldn't normally happen with dialogue.

It's not as bad as it could've been, but it needed to be better too.

Changes I would make

Spoiler (click to reveal)

-Remove "Kill Tchalla", "Death to the King" speech bubbles. They're not LMDs
-Have the lab setup for Shuri by Tchalla as part of a series of fallback bases.
- Have Tchalla say he knows Shuri put a tracker on him and that was part of his contingency.

Ridley may have done these because he feels he made Tchalla sneaky enough with the agents and the unexplained kill switch, but you keep that snowball rolling regardless of how big it gets. Lol

Also, Storm, Shuri, T'chaka, and Ramonda all got thrown under the emotional bus. If the relationship wasn't dead before, it is now. lol. He also made that Marauders issue canon, the only part of which I didn't like was the revised history story.

[Ezyo]

what's the mauraders story?

[CvilleWakandan]

what's the mauraders story?

The issue where Storm steals that Sword for the Xmen event and they kinda breakup.

I think I might have to give up reading previews and solicits. They're getting as bad as click-bait stories on Facebook.

[Ezyo]

Oh that one. See that's a us for me because at this point even Storm fans are cringing and want them to Break up because the dialogue was so horrendous and it's benefiting no one.

The issue just isn't impressive and Ridley can't capture tchalla. Had we not gone through Coates hr last 6 years maybe this story would be slightly more tolerable it since we haven't? Ontop of this whole Jhai nonsense?

Bad fanfiction is bad.

[CvilleWakandan]

I sent this to Marvel's feedback email

Dear Mr Ridley and Marvel Editors,

I read Black Panther #6. While the issue wasn't bad I feel like this was a missed opportunity to show off Tchallas' skills. I feel like there could have been a chess match between Akili and Tchalla with Tchalla outmaneuvering and incapacitating the Hatute over several days as he is a strategic genius. Also, given Tchallas' nature, shouldn't he have a few bunkers of backup equipment positioned around Wakanda? Just a basic Vibranium suit and energy daggers would have been more than enough. And after Doomwar, where food was laced with trackers, I don't see how even Shuri would be able to put one in him. His paranoia after that wouldn't allow it.

Also we need a full issue of Tchalla and Jhai because the relationship doesn't feel real as a newly introduced best friend.

Finally I feel that there are some dialogue problems with Tchalla. Not in the main story, but it seems you're trying to make him more quippy, but its falling short as he is a more stoic character. Also why are the Hatute chanting 'Kill Tchalla' continually? Are they supposed to be robots?

Thank You for your time.

Okay to print