One of the Good Ones by Geoff Johns There are a lot of books out there. A lot of really great books. But this is just one of them... BLACK PANTHER #49 Black Panther is written by Christopher Priest, and up through this issue, has been illustrated by Sal Velluto and Bob Almond. Next month issue #50 marks a new direction and new art team (Dan Fraga, though rumor has it he isn't staying on long). Regardless, with Priest involved, and from what I know about the next storyline, I'm betting this book is going to stay on the top of my reading pile. Who is this guy? T'Challa, known by most as the Black Panther, is the King of the African nation of Wakanda. With his animal cunningness, intellect and awareness, Panther governs his country within and acts as a liaison of sorts with the outside world. First off, this issue marks the best work from Sal I've ever seen. The cover is absolutely breathtaking. And Priest has really opened up his scripting quite a bit allowing Sal to really show what he can do. There's a handful of great splash pages and a spread that are both incredibly powerful, and one in particular, emotionally shocking. The greatest thing about this book is Priest's take on Black Panther. The depths he's gone to understand and create this deep, complex mind. Panther falls into the gray area. He isn't a super-hero or a super-villain, he's more a leader trying to protect his people and his legacy as best he can. And he does that very, very well. An example of the intensity -- Panther actually converses with Magneto (albeit a dream) in this issue, showing us not only the respect Panther commands and demands, but also that Panther is regarded as one of the greatest leaders in the world. He can, essentially, get anyone on the phone. From Captain America to Namor. Although there's a lot going on within this issue, Priest does a pretty good job of bringing everyone up to speed. As a prologue to issue #50, I suggest fans of strong, alternative and complex super-hero books give issue #49 a look. Geoff Johns currently writes The Flash, Avengers, Avengers Icons: Vision and The Thing: Freakshow as well as co-writing Hawkman and JSA. Each week he'll offer another recommended read for comics fans here on The Fourth Rail. Discuss this review on the Fourth Rail message board.