BLACK PANTHER #41
"Enemy of the State II, Book One: Mirror Mirror"
Recommended (7/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Priest
Pencils: Sal Velluto
Inks: Bob Almond
Colors: Jennifer Schellinger
Letters: Sharpefont
Editor: Mike Marts
Price: $2.50 US/$4.00 CAN |
Thanks to online buzz, I started following Priest's work in the mid-1990s on such titles as Xer0, Quantum & Woody and Steel, and I picked up Black Panther on the strength of those preivous works. I haven't regretted it, not even a little. Priest is a writer who brings maturity, complexity and humor to bear in his stories, much to the delight of his fans. But as this series progresses through its fourth year, I fear those complexities are making the book inaccessible to new readers at times. This issue is one of those times, which is too bad, since it's the first chapter of a high-profile story arc.
The murder of a record producer/gangster/U.S. intelligence operative cataches the interest of T'Challa, King of Wakanda and Chief of the Panther Tribe. He discovers that a rogue branch of the CIA -- the same one that gave him troubles in Wakanda a while back -- is planning a quite coup of the United States from Canadian soil. Meanwhile, Henry Peter Gyrich involves Tony Stark in the espionage intrigue, and a goofier version of T'Challa is enjoying his resurrection, much to the confusion of everyone around him and to the frustration of his far more serious double.
I continue to be impressed with the realism that the artists bring to this book. I've often compared Priest's storytelling in this title to The West Wing with super-powers, but it would be for naught if Velluto and Almond weren't presenting such convincing portrayals of the players. Their incorporation of the non-realistic, exaggerated Jack Kirby-inspired elements works surprisingly well, visually speaking.
To be honest, I find those Kirby-related elements to be puzzling, though. Not only would they pose a challenge to a new reader coming into this book cold, but they don't fit with the tone of the series as a whole. On the other hand, since I trust in Priest's skills (especially when it comes to humor), I have no idea where he's headed with this odd plotline, and I can't wait to find out.
I admit it... one of the I'm excited about this story is the incorporation of Canada into this story of international intrigue. National pride aside, though, it's the politics of this series that have made it such an intelligent, high-quality and unconventional read every month. I know a little about what Priest has up his sleeve, and I'm thoroughly excited about it. He's not going to delve just into international diplomacy, but cultural politics as well.
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