Black Panther, Vol. 1: A Nation Under Our Feet, Book One in Around the Year in 52 Books

Sep 11, 2016 Marta rated it really liked it

Shelves: poc-author, graphic-novel, library, lgbtqia

This is not a superhero story - and that's a good thing. We have some of the obligatory butt kicking, but it is mostly about a divided, suffering people and their king. The nation is terrorized, lawless, in pain, people are blaming their king for not being able to protect them. He also blames himself. There is a revolution brewing, fostered by a shaman and a witch using ancient nature magic to flame people's rage. Members of the elite female guard have taken upon themselves to protect suffering This is not a superhero story - and that's a good thing. We have some of the obligatory butt kicking, but it is mostly about a divided, suffering people and their king. The nation is terrorized, lawless, in pain, people are blaming their king for not being able to protect them. He also blames himself. There is a revolution brewing, fostered by a shaman and a witch using ancient nature magic to flame people's rage. Members of the elite female guard have taken upon themselves to protect suffering women, creating a powerful female army.

I loved that there are no good and bad sides - each party wants to help the nation, but wants it a different way. They all have to make tough decisions in no-win situations, are wary and troubled. The king feels divided from his people, who are torn between loyalty and anger. The "deceiver" turns out to be not evil, but a "revealer" of the truth. Technology is pitted against magic, monarchy against revolution, vile men against the elite female guard.

The art is fantastic. The world is a unique blend of high-tech and traditional society. The characters are beautifully designed based on African traditions, the clothing, hair and accessories create rich personalities. I especially loved the sumptuous white dreadlocks of the queen mother and the old philosopher. The coloring is vibrant and changes based on the mood or theme.

The story starts a bit haphazardly but it gains traction and develops into something forceful by the end. The drama is high - a bit too high, I felt there were too many heavy statements, a bit of levity occasionally would help the dramatic moments stand out. I also felt that the superhero branding did disservice to the story. I understand that this is how they pull in money, but sometimes it was difficult to see the king in that man in spandex (yeah, I know it is vibranium, but it looks like spandex), and his need to go out and punch people himself made him look rather immature.

Overall - great story and arc, but clearly just a setup. Can't wait for more. ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2018 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was ok

Shelves: graphic-novels-and-comics, superheroes

I had never read a Black Panther comic before, but I saw the movie (and loved it!) so I thought I would have an idea of T'Challa's background and know what was going on. Plus, this is promoted as the "beginning" of a new series, so I expected everything to be explained. But, no. I was completely confused throughout. I enjoy complex and mysterious comics, and I'm okay if I don't know who everyone is, or what all the place names mean, or what is going on, but I'm not okay if I don't know all three I had never read a Black Panther comic before, but I saw the movie (and loved it!) so I thought I would have an idea of T'Challa's background and know what was going on. Plus, this is promoted as the "beginning" of a new series, so I expected everything to be explained. But, no. I was completely confused throughout. I enjoy complex and mysterious comics, and I'm okay if I don't know who everyone is, or what all the place names mean, or what is going on, but I'm not okay if I don't know all three of those, all at once, throughout the entire first four issues.

I actually ended up taking notes, which I think is ridiculous for a comic book. A well-written comic should initially confuse, and then provide that "aha!" moment, it should not confuse and then add more confusion. The dialogue and "thought boxes" from Coates really didn't add much. (And enough with Ayo calling Aneka "beloved" all the time - who speaks in such a stilted fashion? - or maybe it was the other way around, I don't know, and eventually I was so irritated by being confused that I just didn't care.) I've never really enjoyed anything I read by Coates - he just seems to be trying to hard too impress us, which makes me wonder why is he trying so hard? who is the real Coates underneath all that? Is he okay?

Part of the problem may be the art (from Brian Stelfreeze), because there were many panels of people fighting, and apparently killing others from across the room (how? I don't know), and I had no idea why they were fighting. On the first few pages, people's eyes seemed to be glowing - were they glowing? or was that just an odd artistic choice? I don't know, it was never explained.

I am concerned that the plot seemed to be using rape as a motivator for the characters - that is so old and tired, could we just stop raping women to get everyone excited? I'm also concerned that the women (justifiably pissed off over all the rape) seem to be morphing into the "bad guys" - that had better not be the case! I'm not sure if I'll read the next volume to find out, or not, because I wasn't in love with this one.

I have to assume that this was not really meant to be an introduction to the character, and I do not recommend this to new readers. ...more

1 like · Like · see review