The comic-industry tradition
of inviting a celebrated author from outside the medium to craft and guide
stories in the hopes of adding a new direction to an older, existing character
and, more importantly for the business, of capturing the attention, and
funding, of a new audience has met with mixed responses over the years.
However, the introduction of new blood is generally viewed favorably. Judd Winick
worked in pop-drama, Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker had high-crime sensibilities,
while Kevin Smith was… slow. And, sometimes that outsider’s vision must be
tempered and edited to mix in with the established beat of the channel.
Consumers sometimes do not get that instant gratification as the writer
produces a slow burn. Here then, is Ta-Nehisi Coates’ introduction to Black
Panther in A Nation Under Our Feet.
Coates goes forth and makes
the Panther’s home nation of Wakanda the central character, going so far as
even providing a map of the fictional locale. He questions the idea of a
monarchy and postulates the beginnings of revolutions, be they philosophical or
physical. He asks how a nation recovers from tragedy, and how it dreams of grandeur.
Pretty lofty and exciting ideas for a mere comic book. However, in doing so,
Coates nearly neglects the title character, the Black Panther himself. The
result, is a slow, political read with flashes of action, like John le Carre
set in Africa.
Coates’ story is tempting.
How often does a superhero, and a member of the Avengers at that, have to deal
with true-to-life democracy? Certainly, other established monarchs, such as
Namor and DC’s Aquaman, spend much more time off the throne than actually on.
The story can also be confusing with many elements and discussions occurring
off-panel, the establishing of new players without full introductions. and the
setup, coming off previous storylines, can especially be puzzling for new
readers to the character.
As Always,
theJOE
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