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Black Panther (1998) (Single Issues) #1-5
Black Panther Vol. 1: The Client
Sent to pick up King T'Challa of Wakanda, a.k.a. the Black Panther, U.S. State Department employee Everett Ross recounts his journey from Brooklyn to Hell and back again as the king tries to stop a conspiracy that could destroy his kingdom.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
10 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
About the author
Christopher J. Priest
1,058 books188 followersFormerly (before 1993) known as James or Jim Owsley.
Christopher James Priest is a critically acclaimed novelist and comic book writer. Priest is the first African-American writer and editor for Marvel and DC Comics. His groundbreaking Black Panther series was lauded by Entertainment Weekly and The Village Voice and will serve as the basis for the 2018 Marvel Cinematic Universe adaption.
Besides Black Panther, Priest has written comics for Conan, Steel, Green Lantern, The Crew and edited The Amazing Spider-Man. He also co-created Quantum & Woody along with Mark Bright and co-founded Milestone Media.
After a decade long hiatus he is currently writing comic books again and recently concluded a stint writing the comic book Deathstroke (2016-2019).
In addition to being a writer, Christopher J. Priest is also a baptist minister.
Christopher James Priest is a critically acclaimed novelist and comic book writer. Priest is the first African-American writer and editor for Marvel and DC Comics. His groundbreaking Black Panther series was lauded by Entertainment Weekly and The Village Voice and will serve as the basis for the 2018 Marvel Cinematic Universe adaption.
Besides Black Panther, Priest has written comics for Conan, Steel, Green Lantern, The Crew and edited The Amazing Spider-Man. He also co-created Quantum & Woody along with Mark Bright and co-founded Milestone Media.
After a decade long hiatus he is currently writing comic books again and recently concluded a stint writing the comic book Deathstroke (2016-2019).
In addition to being a writer, Christopher J. Priest is also a baptist minister.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
July 18, 2017
I don't think I've ever read anything that just oozes cool the way this does.
Priest lets Everett K. Ross tell the story in his own every man voice, which along with breaking down racial barriers, makes the whole story incredibly funny.
Also, the introduction by Christopher Priest is not to be missed!
If you're reading this in single issue form, this volume contains #1-5
Priest lets Everett K. Ross tell the story in his own every man voice, which along with breaking down racial barriers, makes the whole story incredibly funny.
Also, the introduction by Christopher Priest is not to be missed!
If you're reading this in single issue form, this volume contains #1-5
January 9, 2012
Apologies, Mr. Kirby, but this is the Black Panther done...to...perfection.
Picking up this graphic novel, one is immediately aware of an aroma of suave wafting up from the pages.
Once the book is opened, a spray of misty, ice-cool awesome gusts up and smacks you across the expectations, letting you know, in no uncertain terms, that for the next 144 pages...you will be its bitch.
Best to just accept it and enjoy.
T’Challa (aka the Black Panther) has always been one of my favorite characters despite my dislike for the way he has typically been portrayed. I was less than enamored with his creator's take on him, as I made clear, possibly overly so, in my review of the trade paperback: Steve’s not-so-nice-review of Kirby’s BP. All I can say after reading this glorious revamp is YES.......Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinally.
Christopher Priest, with story-telling and art assistance by Mark Texeira, has created THE defining version of Black Panther and infused it with a politically-charged, smooth-as-silk atmosphere that deftly and humorously navigates state craft, diplomacy and racial issues to create a true 21st century, universally appealing hero.
PLOT SUMMARY:
For those unfamiliar with the Black Panther, this plot summary will hopefully be sufficient to jump start you:
T’challa is the ruler of the small, but uber wealthy and technologically advanced, African nation of Wakanda. The countries wealth and power are based on its being the only source of the rare, valuable metal known as Vibranium (the stuff Captain America’s shield is made from).
As for BP, think of him as the physical “almost equal” of Captain America, who employs unique, high-tech “Batman-like” gadgets and has the wealth of Iron Man and the political clout of...well, he’s a King.
As the series begins, T’Challa has come to the U.S. because a young girl has been murdered and a Wakandan-based charitable organization has been implicated in a scandal that is somehow connected to the death. The State Department has assigned Everett Ross as diplomatic liason to T’Challa and the story is told in flashback mode as Ross relays the incredible events of the narrative to his boss.
In addition to T’challa’s investigation of the girl’s murder, there are machinations afoot that involve an attempted coup of Wakanda that has its roots deep down in the supernatural.
By the way, that is how you draw Mephisto for anyone interested in doing it right.
THOUGHTS:
Wonderful, gritty story-telling (with the right balance of genuinely good humor) full of political intrigue, well-orchestrated action and a terrific plot. Oh, and some superior art work is always a bonus.
However, above all else, it is the representation of the Black Panther that cements this as a must read. It is nothing short of perfect. It take its place among the pantheon of other character-defining corroborations such as: Ed Brubaker’s Captain America, Frank Miller’s Daredevil, Straczynski’s Thor and Garth Ennis’s Punisher. A heaven-made marriage of a great character, translated perfectly, with excellent writing and a well-told story.
The only reason this does not get the full 5 stars from me is that I was a little unenthused by parts of the Mephisto story-line and would have preferred if Priest would have stuck to the street-level politics of the rest of the tale. Still, that is a fairly minor gripe in the overall scheme of things.
4.0 to 4.5 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Picking up this graphic novel, one is immediately aware of an aroma of suave wafting up from the pages.
Once the book is opened, a spray of misty, ice-cool awesome gusts up and smacks you across the expectations, letting you know, in no uncertain terms, that for the next 144 pages...you will be its bitch.
Best to just accept it and enjoy.
T’Challa (aka the Black Panther) has always been one of my favorite characters despite my dislike for the way he has typically been portrayed. I was less than enamored with his creator's take on him, as I made clear, possibly overly so, in my review of the trade paperback: Steve’s not-so-nice-review of Kirby’s BP. All I can say after reading this glorious revamp is YES.......Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinally.
Christopher Priest, with story-telling and art assistance by Mark Texeira, has created THE defining version of Black Panther and infused it with a politically-charged, smooth-as-silk atmosphere that deftly and humorously navigates state craft, diplomacy and racial issues to create a true 21st century, universally appealing hero.
PLOT SUMMARY:
For those unfamiliar with the Black Panther, this plot summary will hopefully be sufficient to jump start you:
T’challa is the ruler of the small, but uber wealthy and technologically advanced, African nation of Wakanda. The countries wealth and power are based on its being the only source of the rare, valuable metal known as Vibranium (the stuff Captain America’s shield is made from).
As for BP, think of him as the physical “almost equal” of Captain America, who employs unique, high-tech “Batman-like” gadgets and has the wealth of Iron Man and the political clout of...well, he’s a King.
As the series begins, T’Challa has come to the U.S. because a young girl has been murdered and a Wakandan-based charitable organization has been implicated in a scandal that is somehow connected to the death. The State Department has assigned Everett Ross as diplomatic liason to T’Challa and the story is told in flashback mode as Ross relays the incredible events of the narrative to his boss.
In addition to T’challa’s investigation of the girl’s murder, there are machinations afoot that involve an attempted coup of Wakanda that has its roots deep down in the supernatural.
By the way, that is how you draw Mephisto for anyone interested in doing it right.
THOUGHTS:
Wonderful, gritty story-telling (with the right balance of genuinely good humor) full of political intrigue, well-orchestrated action and a terrific plot. Oh, and some superior art work is always a bonus.
However, above all else, it is the representation of the Black Panther that cements this as a must read. It is nothing short of perfect. It take its place among the pantheon of other character-defining corroborations such as: Ed Brubaker’s Captain America, Frank Miller’s Daredevil, Straczynski’s Thor and Garth Ennis’s Punisher. A heaven-made marriage of a great character, translated perfectly, with excellent writing and a well-told story.
The only reason this does not get the full 5 stars from me is that I was a little unenthused by parts of the Mephisto story-line and would have preferred if Priest would have stuck to the street-level politics of the rest of the tale. Still, that is a fairly minor gripe in the overall scheme of things.
4.0 to 4.5 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
December 1, 2019
The cover must be a misprint. It must be, that's the only thing that could explain what I just read. The cover says it's about the Black Panther. The story just doesn't agree though. This was Everett K. Ross bold and in lights. Then in small print...featuring The Black Panther.
I don't inherently have a problem with a story within a story, it depends on who is telling the story. If the main character is telling the story then that's fine, I came to read about that character and what they think anyway. When the story is being told throughout the whole volume by a guy nobody came to see, then that becomes a problem. This was like waiting in line to get a picture and an autograph from a famous actor, but when you get to the front you got the actor's understudy...from the actors most minor role of his/her career.
I came for T'Challa the Black Panther and I got Evertt K. Ross.
I don't inherently have a problem with a story within a story, it depends on who is telling the story. If the main character is telling the story then that's fine, I came to read about that character and what they think anyway. When the story is being told throughout the whole volume by a guy nobody came to see, then that becomes a problem. This was like waiting in line to get a picture and an autograph from a famous actor, but when you get to the front you got the actor's understudy...from the actors most minor role of his/her career.
I came for T'Challa the Black Panther and I got Evertt K. Ross.
July 3, 2016
I saw Captain America: Civil War and it majorly kindled my interest in T-Challa, who goes by the guise of Black Panther. T'Challa is the king of Wakanda, and he is also the latest Black Panther, a costumed fighter and righter of wrongs. Wakanda has incredible natural resources, being the only location in the world that has a store of vibranium, a very powerful metal (and what Captain America's shield is made of).
My trusty library had a copy of this, so that was fortuitous. I read the foreward, and the writer's thought processes made a lot of sense. He used a unique POV to tell this story, an unlikely and in some ways unreliable narrator. This adds a sense of absurdity to the story that I wasn't sure I liked. I did like the fact that this narrative device was used as clever way to maintain mystery about Black Panther. One side effect is that it makes this book more of a satire and leaves it up to the reader to divine who and what T-Challa is. I feel that a lot of narrative assumes that the reader has prior knowledge about his backstory and some parts of the Marvel Universe that are pertinent to his character. That made some aspects confusing.
I found the glimpses into Wakandan culture interesting, and a spotlight on the complex social issues going on in Africa with a focus on how they impact Wakanda, and vice versa. I would have liked more of that. There was a plot of intrigue about a charity sponsored by Wakanda and some ugly dealings including the death of one of the children it helped. Of course, we go to see Black Panther do some buttkicking. I like his style. I like his female bodyguards very much.Not only are they gorgeous, but they are lethal.
I love the idea of T-Challa, and what I appreciate about him from this read. I would like to read more about him, and I'm supremely jazzed about the movie that was greenlighted, which will again star (the may I say scrumptious) Chadwick Bozeman and the lovely Lupita Nyong'o. I hope to read more of his series.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5.0 stars .
My trusty library had a copy of this, so that was fortuitous. I read the foreward, and the writer's thought processes made a lot of sense. He used a unique POV to tell this story, an unlikely and in some ways unreliable narrator. This adds a sense of absurdity to the story that I wasn't sure I liked. I did like the fact that this narrative device was used as clever way to maintain mystery about Black Panther. One side effect is that it makes this book more of a satire and leaves it up to the reader to divine who and what T-Challa is. I feel that a lot of narrative assumes that the reader has prior knowledge about his backstory and some parts of the Marvel Universe that are pertinent to his character. That made some aspects confusing.
I found the glimpses into Wakandan culture interesting, and a spotlight on the complex social issues going on in Africa with a focus on how they impact Wakanda, and vice versa. I would have liked more of that. There was a plot of intrigue about a charity sponsored by Wakanda and some ugly dealings including the death of one of the children it helped. Of course, we go to see Black Panther do some buttkicking. I like his style. I like his female bodyguards very much.Not only are they gorgeous, but they are lethal.
I love the idea of T-Challa, and what I appreciate about him from this read. I would like to read more about him, and I'm supremely jazzed about the movie that was greenlighted, which will again star (the may I say scrumptious) Chadwick Bozeman and the lovely Lupita Nyong'o. I hope to read more of his series.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5.0 stars .
April 28, 2022
#ThrowbackThursday - Back in the '90s, I used to write comic book reviews for the website of a now-defunct comic book retailer called Rockem Sockem Comics. (Collect them all!)
From the December 1999 edition with a theme of "Marvel Resurgent":
INTRODUCTION
Marvel Comics nearly disappeared from my subscription list once. I collected only THE INCREDIBLE HULK and REN & STIMPY for a couple of years. While I found the HEROES REBORN storyline two years ago to be almost a complete failure creatively, it did manage to draw me back into the Marvel Universe. The presence of two of my favorite writers, Kurt Busiek and Mark Waid, inspired me to continue collecting AVENGERS, IRON MAN, and CAPTAIN AMERICA during the HEROES RETURN sequence and beyond.
Having wormed its way onto my subscription list, Marvel is now attempting to regain its status as a major player in my comics collection --and maybe the collections of a few hundred thousand other comics readers -- with the reboot of the Spider-Man titles and Event Comics' creation of the Marvel Knights line.
BLACK POWER
BLACK PANTHER Vol. 2 #1-3 (Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights)
This one has it all. Rambunctious. Vicious. Funny. Nasty. Sexy. Goofy. Stone cold cool.
Writer Christopher Priest (JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE, KA-ZAR, UNKNOWN SOLDIER) follows up his remarkable QUANTUM & WOODY series (Acclaim Comics) and the prematurely canceled CONCRETE JUNGLE: THE LEGEND OF THE BLACK LION (Acclaim Comics) with another amazing urban thriller. That this wicked yarn stars the second-string Avenger known as the Black Panther is downright miraculous.
Despite turmoil in his African homeland of Wakanda, King T'Challa has traveled to New York City to track down the murderer of the poster child for his American charitable foundation. Prowling the streets of the city in a stretch limo and constantly flanked by a pair of beautiful warrior women, T'Challa is looking smart in his tailored suit, sunglasses, shaved head, and goateed chin. As a matter of fact, he's looking a lot like a well-built Avery Brooks -- Captain Sisko of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and Hawk of "Spenser: For Hire." In his street clothes or Black Panther costume, T'Challa is presented as an aloof and brooding giant bristling with power.
To add to the cool, distant mystique of the Black Panther, the story is told from another character's point of view and out of chronological order. Everett K. Ross, the narrator, is a thinly-disguised Michael J. Fox rip-off. Imagine Fox doing his George Stephanopoulos riff in "The American President" or on "Spin City," and you have the prototype for Ross. Ross is a government official sent to babysit the visiting dignitary from Wakanda who quickly finds himself in over his head. Bad enough his charge wishes to stay in the Projects and sprints around the worst neighborhoods roughing up street thugs in a cat costume, but the devil himself -- Mephisto -- also comes a-calling.
The story is told in flashback as Ross recounts his adventures with the Black Panther to his boss. True to any conversation, the story skips around as Ross obsesses on certain points (such as losing his pants), digresses into meaningless sidetracks (such as hunting a rat with a gun in his apartment), and generally mucks up the course of events. With probing questions from the boss, however, the story unfolds then enwraps the reader.
Priest and artist Mark Texeira have achieved the perfect mixture of levity and gravity. Ross is the levity and T'Challa is the gravity. Ross prevents BLACK PANTHER from becoming the overbearingly stuffy comic it has been in previous incarnations, and T'Challa makes the cat costume look anything but funny. The awesome Texeira artwork completes the package wonderfully. The inner city is gritty, the Black Panther is a lithe beast, and Ross is a humorous little gnome. Texeira paces the action and humor expertly, sending the story ripping over rooftops then slowing to linger over a facial double-take.
BLACK PANTHER resurrects a second-string character in a first-class comic by first-rate storytellers. The street-level drama, political intrigue, slapstick humor, superheroic fisticuffs, and supernatural elements merge seamlessly into one fascinating series. This is the complete package, folks!
Grade: B+
From the December 1999 edition with a theme of "Marvel Resurgent":
INTRODUCTION
Marvel Comics nearly disappeared from my subscription list once. I collected only THE INCREDIBLE HULK and REN & STIMPY for a couple of years. While I found the HEROES REBORN storyline two years ago to be almost a complete failure creatively, it did manage to draw me back into the Marvel Universe. The presence of two of my favorite writers, Kurt Busiek and Mark Waid, inspired me to continue collecting AVENGERS, IRON MAN, and CAPTAIN AMERICA during the HEROES RETURN sequence and beyond.
Having wormed its way onto my subscription list, Marvel is now attempting to regain its status as a major player in my comics collection --and maybe the collections of a few hundred thousand other comics readers -- with the reboot of the Spider-Man titles and Event Comics' creation of the Marvel Knights line.
BLACK POWER
BLACK PANTHER Vol. 2 #1-3 (Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights)
This one has it all. Rambunctious. Vicious. Funny. Nasty. Sexy. Goofy. Stone cold cool.
Writer Christopher Priest (JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE, KA-ZAR, UNKNOWN SOLDIER) follows up his remarkable QUANTUM & WOODY series (Acclaim Comics) and the prematurely canceled CONCRETE JUNGLE: THE LEGEND OF THE BLACK LION (Acclaim Comics) with another amazing urban thriller. That this wicked yarn stars the second-string Avenger known as the Black Panther is downright miraculous.
Despite turmoil in his African homeland of Wakanda, King T'Challa has traveled to New York City to track down the murderer of the poster child for his American charitable foundation. Prowling the streets of the city in a stretch limo and constantly flanked by a pair of beautiful warrior women, T'Challa is looking smart in his tailored suit, sunglasses, shaved head, and goateed chin. As a matter of fact, he's looking a lot like a well-built Avery Brooks -- Captain Sisko of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and Hawk of "Spenser: For Hire." In his street clothes or Black Panther costume, T'Challa is presented as an aloof and brooding giant bristling with power.
To add to the cool, distant mystique of the Black Panther, the story is told from another character's point of view and out of chronological order. Everett K. Ross, the narrator, is a thinly-disguised Michael J. Fox rip-off. Imagine Fox doing his George Stephanopoulos riff in "The American President" or on "Spin City," and you have the prototype for Ross. Ross is a government official sent to babysit the visiting dignitary from Wakanda who quickly finds himself in over his head. Bad enough his charge wishes to stay in the Projects and sprints around the worst neighborhoods roughing up street thugs in a cat costume, but the devil himself -- Mephisto -- also comes a-calling.
The story is told in flashback as Ross recounts his adventures with the Black Panther to his boss. True to any conversation, the story skips around as Ross obsesses on certain points (such as losing his pants), digresses into meaningless sidetracks (such as hunting a rat with a gun in his apartment), and generally mucks up the course of events. With probing questions from the boss, however, the story unfolds then enwraps the reader.
Priest and artist Mark Texeira have achieved the perfect mixture of levity and gravity. Ross is the levity and T'Challa is the gravity. Ross prevents BLACK PANTHER from becoming the overbearingly stuffy comic it has been in previous incarnations, and T'Challa makes the cat costume look anything but funny. The awesome Texeira artwork completes the package wonderfully. The inner city is gritty, the Black Panther is a lithe beast, and Ross is a humorous little gnome. Texeira paces the action and humor expertly, sending the story ripping over rooftops then slowing to linger over a facial double-take.
BLACK PANTHER resurrects a second-string character in a first-class comic by first-rate storytellers. The street-level drama, political intrigue, slapstick humor, superheroic fisticuffs, and supernatural elements merge seamlessly into one fascinating series. This is the complete package, folks!
Grade: B+
January 2, 2022
Christopher J. Priest has blended superhero fiction with political thriller and managed to create a cool and badass Black Panther, with a plot that has much potential but doesn't quite hit the mark.
November 16, 2023
I read this years ago, still holds up.
Basically it's a story told by Everett Ross, he's kind of more goofy and silly version of his MCU Counterpart but he makes storytelling really fun. I also really liked how Black Panther looks and feels here. Badass but also smart. And this volume is pretty funny, especially when Black Panther meets a certain demon. Again, storytelling wise it can be a bit confusing how Priest tells his stories, very non-linear but still have to say it's solid fun time!
Basically it's a story told by Everett Ross, he's kind of more goofy and silly version of his MCU Counterpart but he makes storytelling really fun. I also really liked how Black Panther looks and feels here. Badass but also smart. And this volume is pretty funny, especially when Black Panther meets a certain demon. Again, storytelling wise it can be a bit confusing how Priest tells his stories, very non-linear but still have to say it's solid fun time!
November 8, 2010
Christopher Priest's Black Panther series is considered by many to be an overlooked gem, and after reading the first five issues, I can see why. This collection does everything the introductory story in a new series should do: it re-tells the origin for the newcomers, adding a couple of new wrinkles and secrets for the long-time fans, draws everyone in with a great story hook, and sets up a new status quo with a ton of potential. Priest's take on T'Challa as a royal genius who always puts the needs of his people ahead of his own is incredibly powerful, and sets him up to be a truly great hero with a giant Achilles' heel. And while Mark Texeira's painted art took me a while to get into, I found myself missing it by issue #5 where Vince Evans filled in (not that he did a bad job, just that Texeira's style really grounded the story well). Reading this makes me really frustrated that Marvel's not collecting the whole series. I guess I'll have to do some serious back-issue diving and/or eBay shopping over the next little bit.
November 29, 2014
A brilliant work, ever bit as great as Priest's contemporary work on Quantum & Woody, and if anything, this is the comic that has more depth to it. The storytelling is phenomenal, with a fun first-person narrative that totally screws with chronology (and convention). Priest also does a great job of making the Black Panther an interesting character with many facets to his personality.
January 2, 2015
I'm just gonna copy + paste my review from vol. 2 of this series Black Panther: Enemy Of The State, since there are no plotspoilers and my thoughts on the two books are the same.
In anticipation of recently announced Marvel live action movies, I read these because of a ComicVine article called "5 Must Read Black Panther Stories." Blogger Mat Elfring, a self-proclaimed lifelong Black Panther fan, said in that article, "Obviously, the whole volume is a must read if you want to know more about the contemporary version of this character. More importantly, it's done really well. Anytime this character is brought up on the Comic Vine podcast, this run is brought up. This was the run that really defined the character. Out of everything else on here, this is the most important of all the stories."
And so my expectations were set fairly high. And so the letdown hurt all the worse. So begins my scathing review:
Q: Remember that episode of Seinfeld where everyone keeps going to see Schindler's List and they make out in the theater? Well, wouldn't Schindler's List have been a way more fun, marketable movie if it had been heavily narrated by Kramer from Seinfeld, complete with lots of typical Kramer high jinx and jokes about the Holocaust?
A: NO, it wouldn't!
If the analogy between Schindler's List and a superhero comic seems too dramatic, what about this: Would you want to read modern Batman comics told through the lens of 1960s Robin? Probably not. It might work for one "special" issue, but not for an arc that lasts a few years.
From the time I read Christopher Priest's introduction to The Client, I was extremely alarmed and concerned about the whole premise of this "fan favorite" run of Black Panther. In that intro, he lays out his fears and hesitance about writing this title when it was offered to him. His '90s solution to what were perceived as difficulties was this: center the series not around Black Panther, but around a goofy, middle-aged white guy based directly on Chandler from Friends (and named Ross, after another character from Friends). And let the guy be homophobic and racist, but all in a jokey, self-aware, "Diet Bigotry" sort of way.
With both volumes of this series, I cringed so much within the first 20 pages that, had these books not been sent cross-country to me courtesy of InterLibrary Loan, I would have thrown them across the room.
Having finished them, I can say they get a little bit better after the initial focus on Ross, the immature, irrelevant, white bread '90s sitcom-based narrator. What consistently happens in this series is Christopher Priest paints pictures of a serious, poker-faced, brilliant badass - and one of the most significant people of color in the comics world - using the broad strokes of a corny, white, uninteresting joker. And then Priest fleshes out the complex political intricacies of Wakanda and various Intelligence and Mob factions with wordy exposition lifted almost explicitly from Oliver Stone flicks.
Oh, and I can't not point out the constant sexualization of the Dora Milaje. The Black Panther has two bodyguards/personal servants/potential future wives, who the obnoxious narrator Ross points out are minors...and yet that doesn't stop him from taking every opportunity to make gross nudge-nudge, wink-wink comments like a lecherous old man.
Christopher Priest is probably one of the most successful black comic book writers, and I was initially glad to find out that a black writer had helmed some of the definitive canon for this character. But he straight-up says in that intro that he didn't want it to be "politically correct" (which, IMO, whenever someone derides "PC language," it's a red flag warning that they're about to unapologetically say some offensive shit because they don't know how to do any better or aren't willing to try). I'm aware of the need to tread carefully here as a person with white privilege making a critique about the white supremacy in a book written by a POC. But I've also seen enough internalized bigotry and expressions of living as an assimilated minority or marginalized person to suspect that the storytelling methods in this series were largely the product of marketing and editorial pressures. These pressures are sometimes so strong systemically that they carry themselves out in a self-imposed manner on creative persons who are used to taking on the brunt of oppression. Systemic oppression often leads to oppressed individuals throwing themselves and their oppressed peers under the bus in order to gain success with the masses in power.
My previous familiarity with and love for the Black Panther was based on the Disney/Marvel animated series Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and the BET animated Marvel Knights: Black Panther miniseries. Both of those cartoons presented the King of Wakanda with much more respect, and I have my fingers crossed that the MCU will avoid the temptation to water the character down or pander to white liberalism's notion of a "color-blind, post-racial" society. I have utter faith that any screenwriters or producers working on that film will be able to discard the Ross character as an ugly relic of '90s pop culture.
Now to cleanse my palette before trying to find some better Black Panther comics to read.
In anticipation of recently announced Marvel live action movies, I read these because of a ComicVine article called "5 Must Read Black Panther Stories." Blogger Mat Elfring, a self-proclaimed lifelong Black Panther fan, said in that article, "Obviously, the whole volume is a must read if you want to know more about the contemporary version of this character. More importantly, it's done really well. Anytime this character is brought up on the Comic Vine podcast, this run is brought up. This was the run that really defined the character. Out of everything else on here, this is the most important of all the stories."
And so my expectations were set fairly high. And so the letdown hurt all the worse. So begins my scathing review:
Q: Remember that episode of Seinfeld where everyone keeps going to see Schindler's List and they make out in the theater? Well, wouldn't Schindler's List have been a way more fun, marketable movie if it had been heavily narrated by Kramer from Seinfeld, complete with lots of typical Kramer high jinx and jokes about the Holocaust?
A: NO, it wouldn't!
If the analogy between Schindler's List and a superhero comic seems too dramatic, what about this: Would you want to read modern Batman comics told through the lens of 1960s Robin? Probably not. It might work for one "special" issue, but not for an arc that lasts a few years.
From the time I read Christopher Priest's introduction to The Client, I was extremely alarmed and concerned about the whole premise of this "fan favorite" run of Black Panther. In that intro, he lays out his fears and hesitance about writing this title when it was offered to him. His '90s solution to what were perceived as difficulties was this: center the series not around Black Panther, but around a goofy, middle-aged white guy based directly on Chandler from Friends (and named Ross, after another character from Friends). And let the guy be homophobic and racist, but all in a jokey, self-aware, "Diet Bigotry" sort of way.
With both volumes of this series, I cringed so much within the first 20 pages that, had these books not been sent cross-country to me courtesy of InterLibrary Loan, I would have thrown them across the room.
Having finished them, I can say they get a little bit better after the initial focus on Ross, the immature, irrelevant, white bread '90s sitcom-based narrator. What consistently happens in this series is Christopher Priest paints pictures of a serious, poker-faced, brilliant badass - and one of the most significant people of color in the comics world - using the broad strokes of a corny, white, uninteresting joker. And then Priest fleshes out the complex political intricacies of Wakanda and various Intelligence and Mob factions with wordy exposition lifted almost explicitly from Oliver Stone flicks.
Oh, and I can't not point out the constant sexualization of the Dora Milaje. The Black Panther has two bodyguards/personal servants/potential future wives, who the obnoxious narrator Ross points out are minors...and yet that doesn't stop him from taking every opportunity to make gross nudge-nudge, wink-wink comments like a lecherous old man.
Christopher Priest is probably one of the most successful black comic book writers, and I was initially glad to find out that a black writer had helmed some of the definitive canon for this character. But he straight-up says in that intro that he didn't want it to be "politically correct" (which, IMO, whenever someone derides "PC language," it's a red flag warning that they're about to unapologetically say some offensive shit because they don't know how to do any better or aren't willing to try). I'm aware of the need to tread carefully here as a person with white privilege making a critique about the white supremacy in a book written by a POC. But I've also seen enough internalized bigotry and expressions of living as an assimilated minority or marginalized person to suspect that the storytelling methods in this series were largely the product of marketing and editorial pressures. These pressures are sometimes so strong systemically that they carry themselves out in a self-imposed manner on creative persons who are used to taking on the brunt of oppression. Systemic oppression often leads to oppressed individuals throwing themselves and their oppressed peers under the bus in order to gain success with the masses in power.
My previous familiarity with and love for the Black Panther was based on the Disney/Marvel animated series Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and the BET animated Marvel Knights: Black Panther miniseries. Both of those cartoons presented the King of Wakanda with much more respect, and I have my fingers crossed that the MCU will avoid the temptation to water the character down or pander to white liberalism's notion of a "color-blind, post-racial" society. I have utter faith that any screenwriters or producers working on that film will be able to discard the Ross character as an ugly relic of '90s pop culture.
Now to cleanse my palette before trying to find some better Black Panther comics to read.
gave-up-on
December 9, 2015My Brief Bookshelf Overview: bold-or-unapologetic, gave-up-before-finishing, hell-of-a-ride, odd-or-unconventional, playful
Other Useful Reviews: Todd's review
Additional Notes: This collection contains Black Panther issues #1-5.
Probable Rating (if I had finished this) : {3/5 stars}
If memory serves, finishing the first issue was a task to difficult for me to accomplish both times I have attempted to read this. But one thing's for sure: Christopher J. Priest conceives a boldly unique take on the character of the Black Panther, and the story will probably read like nothing you've read before. It's the kind of borderline-schizophrenic writing that I'm guessing most people would either love or hate, with few people lying anywhere in-between. Judging from what I've read of the first issue, as well as some of the top reviews, all the events portrayed in this book seems to be told from the perspective of some ordinary character, rather than T'challa himself (i.e. the Black Panther). And as risky as that sounds by itself, it is only made worse by Priest's distant and peculiar sense of humor. It's all such a shame too, since this book looks like it could have been one of the most fun comic books I've read in recent memory.
Other Useful Reviews: Todd's review
Additional Notes: This collection contains Black Panther issues #1-5.
Probable Rating (if I had finished this) : {3/5 stars}
If memory serves, finishing the first issue was a task to difficult for me to accomplish both times I have attempted to read this. But one thing's for sure: Christopher J. Priest conceives a boldly unique take on the character of the Black Panther, and the story will probably read like nothing you've read before. It's the kind of borderline-schizophrenic writing that I'm guessing most people would either love or hate, with few people lying anywhere in-between. Judging from what I've read of the first issue, as well as some of the top reviews, all the events portrayed in this book seems to be told from the perspective of some ordinary character, rather than T'challa himself (i.e. the Black Panther). And as risky as that sounds by itself, it is only made worse by Priest's distant and peculiar sense of humor. It's all such a shame too, since this book looks like it could have been one of the most fun comic books I've read in recent memory.
May 1, 2019
A somewhat fractured and hard to follow story told from the viewpoint of a minor character/unreliable narrator. I'm not sure that I particularly followed what was going on in terms of the story arc(s). What it felt like was lots of random violence, some barely explicable politics, a supernatural secondary story barely sketched, and an obligatory twist or two at the end.
I picked this up at the library to try and widen my knowledge of superhero comics. I think I've at least got a bit more story, but I don't have a feel for where it fits within any of the rest of the world, so that didn't help. And I was much happier with the story until I read the self-serving introduction at the end of the book, which seemed to be about why it is okay to background a black character in his own book, and make a white guy the important part of the narrative.
I picked this up at the library to try and widen my knowledge of superhero comics. I think I've at least got a bit more story, but I don't have a feel for where it fits within any of the rest of the world, so that didn't help. And I was much happier with the story until I read the self-serving introduction at the end of the book, which seemed to be about why it is okay to background a black character in his own book, and make a white guy the important part of the narrative.
July 11, 2021
It's a 90's comic, that should tell you most of what you need to know before going into this. It also does the whole non-linear storytelling thing made oh so popular by Pulp Fiction. Hell, they even straight up admit to it though dialogue.
Not going to lie, I mostly read this because I love me some Texiera. If not for him, I probably wouldn't have bothered. It's needlessly gritty, confusing, and mostly features a white dude as opposed to the guy you are there to read about. Worse yet, far too many pages are wasted on exposition to try and make up for the failings of doing the whole Pulp Fiction thing.
I've read worse, but unless you are a completist, this is one of those 90's titles that really isn't worth digging out of obscurity.
Not going to lie, I mostly read this because I love me some Texiera. If not for him, I probably wouldn't have bothered. It's needlessly gritty, confusing, and mostly features a white dude as opposed to the guy you are there to read about. Worse yet, far too many pages are wasted on exposition to try and make up for the failings of doing the whole Pulp Fiction thing.
I've read worse, but unless you are a completist, this is one of those 90's titles that really isn't worth digging out of obscurity.
February 6, 2021
This was weird. The art has some flaws and the book has problematic elements, but there's an inherent weirdness of a Black Panther story, told through the point of view of an annoying white dude, that actually makes T'Challa a nuanced and cool character, while also playing with the weirder elements of the Marvel universe.
Though I would like to read what comes next, I also dread that the more problematic elements of the book are gonna be more prominent; still, now I understand why Priest's run is one of the classics.
Though I would like to read what comes next, I also dread that the more problematic elements of the book are gonna be more prominent; still, now I understand why Priest's run is one of the classics.
January 26, 2024
Ik vond het een geweldige strip. Mooie tekeningen en soms ook humoristisch. Heb ik geen 5 sterren gegeven, omdat ik soms niet helemaal mee was in het verhaal. Als je een Marvel fan bent, raad ik jou zeker aan om deze strip te lezen.
February 22, 2015
I feel like I'm reading a different book than the rest of the people here. This was an okay book, and Black Panther is a bad-ass but this book suffers from heavy-handed non-linear story-telling that the book itself feels it must put down.
I'm not sure why this story needs to be from Ross' point of view. Sure, he gets to work some humor into this run but if he's the comic relief why is he the narrator?
The art on this run is awesome. Plenty of great action sequences and definable characters.
This volume isn't so bad that I wouldn't recommend it to people, but I don't know that I would say it is a must read. And if it is a must read of the character, that is a sad state for the oldest black superhero.
I'm not sure why this story needs to be from Ross' point of view. Sure, he gets to work some humor into this run but if he's the comic relief why is he the narrator?
The art on this run is awesome. Plenty of great action sequences and definable characters.
This volume isn't so bad that I wouldn't recommend it to people, but I don't know that I would say it is a must read. And if it is a must read of the character, that is a sad state for the oldest black superhero.
December 7, 2007
I cannot believe how good and funny this book was.
February 2, 2022
T'challa and the Dora Milaje travel to America on a special mission, where they are met and assisted by Special Attaché Everett K. Ross. Meanwhile, back in Wakanda, the threat of civil war allows a usurper to seize T'challa's throne in his absence.
For most of its length, the Black Panther part of this Black Panther story feels like very familiar territory; with T'challa and the Dora Milaje proving themselves badasses whilst Wakanda is threatened in the king's absence. Although I supposed credit should be given that this book does a lot of these elements long before they became something of a cliché for the character (and decades before they turned up in the movie).
However, for all the over-familiarity of the story, I was kept engaged by the running commentary provided by the cynical and often hilarious Everett Ross, who it witness to all sorts of bizarre goings-on and has some really great banter with the devil himself (Mephisto).
The latter quarter of the book actually jumped up a notch for me when Mephisto's role in the narrative actually came to the fore. Rather than just the Black Panther fighting insurgents or usurpers, he has to go on a much more metaphysical journey wherein he has to tap into the spirits of his ancestors and the power of Bast the panther god to prevail. I wasn't expecting it and really rather enjoyed it.
Despite the definite upswing towards the end of the book, the rest was pretty much just 'okay'.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com *
For most of its length, the Black Panther part of this Black Panther story feels like very familiar territory; with T'challa and the Dora Milaje proving themselves badasses whilst Wakanda is threatened in the king's absence. Although I supposed credit should be given that this book does a lot of these elements long before they became something of a cliché for the character (and decades before they turned up in the movie).
However, for all the over-familiarity of the story, I was kept engaged by the running commentary provided by the cynical and often hilarious Everett Ross, who it witness to all sorts of bizarre goings-on and has some really great banter with the devil himself (Mephisto).
The latter quarter of the book actually jumped up a notch for me when Mephisto's role in the narrative actually came to the fore. Rather than just the Black Panther fighting insurgents or usurpers, he has to go on a much more metaphysical journey wherein he has to tap into the spirits of his ancestors and the power of Bast the panther god to prevail. I wasn't expecting it and really rather enjoyed it.
Despite the definite upswing towards the end of the book, the rest was pretty much just 'okay'.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com *
January 13, 2018
Christopher Priest was tasked with revitalizing Black Panther-- a character who was generally not very popular or well-utilizes outside of a Don McGregor run (and poignant at the time--with Black Panther fighting thinly-veiled Klansmen--it felt less apt in an age such as the 90s and early 2000s when mainstream Americans thought we had overcome race issues (a naive notion to be sure).
As such, Priest needed to write a comic that wasn't emphasizing the racial angle of the Black Panther, and instead--trying to make him so cool that he transcended the racial divide. This book is that--a socio-political thriller, where the Black Panther is cool and enigmatic. His friend, Everett K. Ross serves as the white male surrogate to get comic reading audience (mostly white males) a buy in and to feel more comfortable with the book.
I understand that intent, but in some ways--makes the book feel dated and pandering in a way. What is to be commended, is the Black Panther perennial coolness--and how Priest played the politics without being too focused on race (which hurts the book in some ways for me)--yet makes for intrigue (i.e. the Black Panther talking regularly with Namor and Doom, as well as joining the Avengers solely to spy on them--to see if they posed a threat to his country).
It gets a bit weird (even for my standards) when it goes from political to spiritual (i.e. the main bad is Mephisto) but even then it gives some space for T'Challa to shine.
As such, Priest needed to write a comic that wasn't emphasizing the racial angle of the Black Panther, and instead--trying to make him so cool that he transcended the racial divide. This book is that--a socio-political thriller, where the Black Panther is cool and enigmatic. His friend, Everett K. Ross serves as the white male surrogate to get comic reading audience (mostly white males) a buy in and to feel more comfortable with the book.
I understand that intent, but in some ways--makes the book feel dated and pandering in a way. What is to be commended, is the Black Panther perennial coolness--and how Priest played the politics without being too focused on race (which hurts the book in some ways for me)--yet makes for intrigue (i.e. the Black Panther talking regularly with Namor and Doom, as well as joining the Avengers solely to spy on them--to see if they posed a threat to his country).
It gets a bit weird (even for my standards) when it goes from political to spiritual (i.e. the main bad is Mephisto) but even then it gives some space for T'Challa to shine.
February 14, 2018
This book is just wonderful. Shot through with Priest's wit and humor, he does a flawless job of taking a third tier hero in the marvel pantheon and bring him to the first rank just by taking him seriously: what would Black Panther mean, how would he really act, how would this interact with the other Marvel heroes. The creation of K Everett Ross to be the audience entry character so that we _don't_ see into the ever inscrutable T'Challa's thoughts and plots and is ingenious, even if his political plots from the late 90's are oh so quaint now at 20 years remove. The afro-futurism, the intersection between politics and super heroics, the character who was once "the guy who stood in the back of the avengers and said 'It's a giant monster! Thor, go hit it!" per the authors description becoming ineffably cool, the perfect level of making things more 'realistic' without making them GrimDark... Priest and his art teams deliver on every level.
You're seeing a Black Panther movie is because of this book.
If the book has a failing it is that it continues too much of the past continuity, which is a total bloody mess for a character that was passed from book to book, creative team to creative team over the decades. In true late 90's fashion Priest strives to bring all of it in and that can lead to some unnecessary confusion. This is a really minor issue.
You're seeing a Black Panther movie is because of this book.
If the book has a failing it is that it continues too much of the past continuity, which is a total bloody mess for a character that was passed from book to book, creative team to creative team over the decades. In true late 90's fashion Priest strives to bring all of it in and that can lead to some unnecessary confusion. This is a really minor issue.
June 3, 2017
Black Panther is a very cool character and he has some awesome moments here and there in this arc. This arc also contains some interesting moments feeding Nakia's obsession with T'Challa.
HOWEVER,
this isn't much of a Black Panther story. This story is narrated by and overly focused on some white, D-list, forgettable government agent named Everett K. Ross. Why on EARTH the writer(s) thought anyone would care about the internal monologue/report of this nerd, when we could have had the glorious T'Challa's inner monologue, is beyond me, especially when Ross' narration isn't even good (unless you like rambly, fragmented storytelling, I suppose). On top of that, the little creep mostly talks about the (two teenage) Dora Milaje to comment on how hot he finds them and how quickly he would sleep with them if they were his bodyguards. (Side note: Has anybody ever been checking for Everett Ross? Like, what fans was this choice even supposed to appeal to?) Read this if you are just dying for anything Black Panther, but if you're just starting out and want good T'CHALLA-centered stories, go for Black Panther V4.
HOWEVER,
this isn't much of a Black Panther story. This story is narrated by and overly focused on some white, D-list, forgettable government agent named Everett K. Ross. Why on EARTH the writer(s) thought anyone would care about the internal monologue/report of this nerd, when we could have had the glorious T'Challa's inner monologue, is beyond me, especially when Ross' narration isn't even good (unless you like rambly, fragmented storytelling, I suppose). On top of that, the little creep mostly talks about the (two teenage) Dora Milaje to comment on how hot he finds them and how quickly he would sleep with them if they were his bodyguards. (Side note: Has anybody ever been checking for Everett Ross? Like, what fans was this choice even supposed to appeal to?) Read this if you are just dying for anything Black Panther, but if you're just starting out and want good T'CHALLA-centered stories, go for Black Panther V4.
December 22, 2024
I've never cared much for the Black Panther. I've read a few comics over the years and they've never really gripped me. I know that Christopher Priests run is popular, so I thought that I would give it a chance.
This is by far, the best Black Panther I have read. T'Challa is just awesome. The plot revolves around T'Challa being lured to America by the death of a young girl at one of his charities. At the same time, Wakanda is currently destabilized due to a war driving refuges from warring tribes to Wakanda.
While in America, Black Panther, along with the Dora Milaje (two young ninja Wakandan girls who are T'Challa's assistants) create a network of intelligence by attacking members of criminal gangs and using them as informants. During the book, T'Challa starts to unravel a controversy linking these events and includes the Hatut Zeraze (an extremist Wakandan secret faction) and even Mephisto.
A great place to start if you're interested in Black Panther. Recommend.
This is by far, the best Black Panther I have read. T'Challa is just awesome. The plot revolves around T'Challa being lured to America by the death of a young girl at one of his charities. At the same time, Wakanda is currently destabilized due to a war driving refuges from warring tribes to Wakanda.
While in America, Black Panther, along with the Dora Milaje (two young ninja Wakandan girls who are T'Challa's assistants) create a network of intelligence by attacking members of criminal gangs and using them as informants. During the book, T'Challa starts to unravel a controversy linking these events and includes the Hatut Zeraze (an extremist Wakandan secret faction) and even Mephisto.
A great place to start if you're interested in Black Panther. Recommend.
February 24, 2018
This is a pretty pimp comic, it feels cool and fresh. King T'challa and his entourage are pretty badass. I just wish we saw more of them. This would have been 5 stars had there not been a "narrator" and it was told in a more linear fashion. It almost felt as if the narrator was more important than the Black Panther, hell they had about the same amount of page time! Anyways the Black Panther comes over from Wakanda to look into the death of a girl that was just featured in his charity (it's a set up!). His American handler, a funny white dude, is also the narrator. He's the one that relays the story to the reader, he's recounting what happened to his co-worker (and friend with benefits) but he keeps jumping around all over the place. IT's funny, it's frustrating, I want more Black Panther!
May 10, 2025
I have yet to find a story about Black Panther that is exceptional. T'Challa is such a cool character but his comics and movies are always so average with potential to be great - and "The Client" is no exception. There was barely any meat on the bones of this plot, so the author streeeeetched it out by making the narrator an unreliable and hyperactive jockey who wasn't even present for most of what happened. The narrator will flash forward, back, forward again, then go way back in the length of a page repeatedly and it was exhausting to read.
If anyone knows of an amazing hidden gem about Black Panther, please let me know. I still think the best version of his character was in the Captain America: Civil War movie and that wasn’t even about him. He was only one of many side characters in that.
If anyone knows of an amazing hidden gem about Black Panther, please let me know. I still think the best version of his character was in the Captain America: Civil War movie and that wasn’t even about him. He was only one of many side characters in that.
February 14, 2023
Definitely a good start to a volume. It does a really good job of bringing in Black Panther continuity in a slow and steady way, and is a good story. I'm not entirely sold on the characterization of T'challa, but the comic in general oozes cool and has got this noir look to that fits it really well.
October 17, 2017
AMAZING COMIC BOOK!!!
It may be confusing in the beginning, but when things unravel it gets amazing!!! I couldn't believe how incredible it was. Artwork is not the best, but it perfectly makes it's part.
Recommended to all Black Panther and Marvel Comics fans.
It may be confusing in the beginning, but when things unravel it gets amazing!!! I couldn't believe how incredible it was. Artwork is not the best, but it perfectly makes it's part.
Recommended to all Black Panther and Marvel Comics fans.
July 21, 2019
3.5 stars. Oozes cool and looks like the comic the movie creators later took inspiration from. Includes a good level of humour through Ross, although his stalling, dragged out story infuriated me almost as much as his boss. I didn't enjoy the Devil part of the story line - just got a bit too weird.
June 26, 2020
Uma história divertida e com desenhos lindos entre o Pantera Negra, Mephisto e o repórter Ross.
Meio complicadinha, meio sem pé nem cabeça, nenhum momento de introspecção que nem eu gosto, mas ok. Estava de graça.
Meio complicadinha, meio sem pé nem cabeça, nenhum momento de introspecção que nem eu gosto, mas ok. Estava de graça.
September 21, 2020
This one's fun. Priest surprised me by focusing the story on a side character, which allowed him to bring in plenty of humor, weirdness, and unconventional storytelling without sacrificing any of T'Challa's power or focus. I'm looking forward to the next part of the run.
November 9, 2022
A good standalone story
This is Black Panther from the eyes of an outsider. Fast paced 5 issues that can be an introductory read for people that want to dive on the character as a force. Even with the change of artist, the transition is almost seamless. Recommend
This is Black Panther from the eyes of an outsider. Fast paced 5 issues that can be an introductory read for people that want to dive on the character as a force. Even with the change of artist, the transition is almost seamless. Recommend
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