by Randy Lander

BLACK PANTHER #43 "Enemy of the State II Book Three:The Kiber Chronicls" Highly Recommended (9/10) 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 It's not every writer who can weave a story that involves complex economic warfare, strong dialogue-based comedy, super-hero slugfests and a hunt for a golden frog into one coherent tale, but that's exactly what Priest offers in the third chapter of "Enemy of the State II." The book offers something for everyone, whether they're looking for intelligent manipulation of foes or the classic super-heroic method of beating the enemy physically, and guest appearances by Alpha Flight, Wolverine, Iron Man and other such high-profile characters makes a nice counterbalance to the more obscure Kirby villains who make up some of the foes of the arc. With Velluto and Almond providing their consistently great artwork, this is another strong chapter for Black Panther. There is a whole lot going on in this issue, as Priest jumps madly from three or four different settings and a multi-layered plot that all centers on a threat of global proportions. As always, Panther reads more like an action movie or maybe a story about politics than a super-hero tale, although the Kirby riffs, the costumes and the powers do help keep it firmly in the super-hero mold as well. I'm really impressed that Priest can convey so many tones, from humor to intrigue to retro, and manage to make the whole thing so cohesive. Part of the reason he can pull that off is because of his artists, Velluto, Almond and Schellinger, who have become one of the most consistently good teams working in comics. They're called upon to handle an underwater combat between three super-heroes, a chat with the President, an assault on a super-villain hideout (done in a Kirby pastiche style, mind you) and a dialogue between Alpha Flight and Panther's ad hoc team. And they never falter, not once, keeping the story moving and the action exciting throughout. There's a lot of history in this book, whether it's the four-year relationship between Ross and Panther or the references back to the stories of Khiber Island, but at no point does this become a "if you haven't read past issues, you're screwed" type of story. In fact, there's more danger in getting lost in the very intelligent and complex economic manipulations that are Panther's most effective actions in this issue, but anyone paying attention to the story will have no trouble following them. What's more, those complex economic manipulations are just cool, even for a more mainstream action junkie like myself. Priest boils down economics into action movie soundbites for those in the cheap seats, and even if you don't get the manipulation of Gravel Berry prices or secret mergers, it's impossible not to be impressed by "Panther just shut down Stark Enterprises with one phone call." Of course, the issue doesn't rely strictly on economic conflicts. The underwater battle between Wolverine, Panther and Iron Man is an impressive action piece, and the attack on Khiber Island is a nice retro style action sequence as well. In addition, the cliffhanger, while somewhat surreal given what it involves, has me as anxious to read the next issue as always. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.