BLACK PANTHER #39
"Return of the Dragon, Part Two of Three: Silent Stone"
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/$3.75 CAN |
Priest is one of the Marvel writers who unfortunately had to incorporate the "'Nuff Said" smack dab in the middle of a story arc. On top of that, the complex and dialogue-heavy nature of the title doesn't lend itself to the silent treatment. To my surprise, though, Priest does a good job with it, not allowing the unusual approach to derail the book. Mind you, without the dialogue for extra exposition, this is far from the most new-reader-friendly issue of the series.
Everett K. Ross, trapped in the body of the Black Dragon (which looks like Mephisto for a while), learns that his current host body is about to self-destruct thanks to the "genetic bomb" that Nightshade implanted. Meanwhile, the Black Panther fights a newly empowered but unfortunately deranged Iron Fist, the unwitting pawn of the dragon.
The main action of the plot -- the Black Panther's violent confrontation with a deranged Iron Fist -- works just fine without "sound." To my surprise, though, Priest handles the Ross/dragon body plotline capably without dialogue, and he maintains the typically humorous Ross tone as well.
The greatest strength of the "'Nuff Said" theme is how it really lets the artists strut their stuff. There are no dialogue captions getting in the way, and the intensity of the fight scenes lets Velluto and Almond cut loose. The strong Neal Adams influence on the penciller's style has never been so clear, and I see a hint of some early Sienkiewicz elements in his work as well.
I first read this story by way of a black-and-white, photocopied preview provided by Marvel. The colors really add something to the visuals, though. Schellinger has chosen an oddly bright tone for the colors; neon-like hues are employed throughout the book. It works, though, as it reinforces the martial-arts movie riff of the main action.
It would seem that most, if not all, of the "'Nuff Said" comics will include excerpts from the writers' scripts for these issues. If you're like me and interested in the process and craft of making comics, these script snippets are a real bonus. Priest's script is particularly dense, even without dialogue. He places an important emphasis on little details, and the color notes are of particular interest.
Note: Some comments in this review were reproduced from a previous related feature on the website.
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