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BLACK PANTHER #41
"Enemy of the State II Book One: Mirror, Mirror"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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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 |
I'm beginning to get that urge to go back and reread all my Black Panther issues to date, as Priest is playing off stories begun way back in
the early days of the series with the sequel to "Enemy of the State." There's a
danger of becoming overly complex, and though I had no trouble keeping up, I do
think that new readers may fall into a bit of a daze as acronyms, factions and
secrets collide with one another. However, the complexity has a reward for those
willing to ride it out: some of the best and most intricate plotting and
characterization found in Marvel Comics.
Those who read the first "Enemy of State" series in the newly-released trade may be quite confused by one thing in particular with this issue, and that's how incredible the art has become. Early on, Panther had some troubles with
rotating artists, some of whom weren't really suited to the stories at hand, but
Velluto and Almond have been doing a great job from day one, and they actually
seem to improve on that with every issue. Little details like a Kirby-styled
version of the old Panther co-existing alongside the more realistic Panther,
stunning realism on the characters and detail on the backgrounds and the ability
to distinguish characters without the cheat of costumes or even clothing are
only a few of the attributes that these artists have to offer. Incredible
storytelling, a necessity when dealing with Priest's complex and dense scripts,
is the other gift they bring to the table, and with Jennifer Schellinger turning
in colors worthy of the art, the book looks as good as it reads.
I confess that I love the complexity of this book. It's not every super-hero book that features secretive CIA splinter groups, inter-tribal warfare and genetic duplicates, or at least not every one that features those elements and doesn't just throw them all together into a big slugfest. The conflicts in Black Panther are political, happening on a level that can't be solved with a
punch or a repulsor blast, and they are defeated through planning, intellect and
manipulation. What's amazing is that these less action-oriented conflicts are as
exciting and interesting as a good fight scene.
Of course, what makes the
complexity and the mysteries work is the reactions from the characters. In
Priest's hands, T'Challa, Agent Ross and Queen Divine Justice have all become
believable people with complex motivations and goals, and I'm as interested in
seeing T'Challa's obvious conflict over the newly released "Black Panther" as I
am in finding out who this new character is. It's just as fascinating watching
Queen struggle with the knowledge of her past as it is watching her fight it out
with someone who's after her as a result of that past. And of course, the humor
that comes through in the dialogue is an added bonus.
As another bonus, this story
features some guest stars who are being written better than they have been in
quite a while. I loved the work done with Tony Stark and Wolverine this issue,
playing up aspects of the characters that we generally don't see and making them
a part of the story as much as they are a couple of sales-boosting guest stars.
Black Panther is a complex and fascinating read with beautiful artwork, and it's been good from the start. "Enemy of the State II" is a perfect chance for new readers to jump on, with Marvel providing background material in the form of The Client and Enemy of the State trade paperbacks.
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