Black Panther #1

Ta-Nehisi Coates and Daniel Acuña deliver an unexpected but entirely welcome game-changer with this new volume. It's a sci-fi action story that is the very definition of "out there," and yet it still has the core of fascinating ambiguity that's become Mr. Coates's trademark. Black Panther #1 is a whole lot of awesome things: A highly entertaining popcorn comic, a perfect provoker of deep thoughts, a remarkably good follow-up to the Black Panther film, and an excellent jump-on point for new readers. It is as close to perfect as any #1 can get. Read Full Review

In simpler days, this would be a simple Issue 25 Deluxe release.In these times of short memories and reboots, however, we get a new "Black Panther #1." Not mad at it. The legacy numbering initiated by Marvel actually fits well into the new "Fresh Start" logo and sits elegantly underneath the larger reboot number. Whereas other Marvel titles affected by the "Fresh Start" are using the opportunity to restore legacy characters into their classic roles (Iron Man, Thor, and Wolverine), Coates endeavors instead to take us where no Panther has gone before. This is only the beginning. Read Full Review

BLACK PANTHER #1 is definitely worth your time. It has excellent world-building that develops both the plot and the characters. Daniel Acua's art is very telling of the tone of the comic. Overall, it's a great read! Read Full Review

"Black Panther" #1 lives up to the promise of a new volume, taking the series in an exciting and completely different direction. Read Full Review

Black Panther #1 is a major home run every way you slice it. Top to bottom, it's a dazzling spectacle. Ta-Nehisi Coates continues to build on his already impressive legacy at Marvel, this generates even more excitement for his upcoming Captain America as well. Read Full Review

A great story and deep mystery is unfolding in this issue and the story seems to be leading to some interesting places thematically. Read Full Review

Easy thumbs up. Grab this and tell a friend. Read Full Review

Black Panther #1 is a completely new story and the perfect jumping on point for movie fans who have never read a comic. No backstory is required. Longtime Black Panther fans might find it hard to digest how far from tradition this Black Panther story is, but if you're willing to go in with an open mind you will be rewarded. Read Full Review

Acuna's visuals and Coates' growth as a comic book writer are sure to make Black Panther #1 the undisputed King of Marvel's Fresh Start. Read Full Review

As a complete issue, Black Panther #1 is about the strongest issue on the racks this week. It lacks nothing as it over does nothing. The book is so balanced even Thanos with his insatiable appetite for balance would love it. Seriously Coates and Acuna have crafted a definitive first issue, it is intriguing without being needlessly pedantic and confusing. Read Full Review

Black Panther #1 takes T'Challa on a fantastic galactic voyage and this is already shaping up to be one of Marvel's most promising titles of 2018. Read Full Review

This first issue is intriguing and action-packed from the first page to the last. Read Full Review

Black Panther #1 delivers a wildly different and compelling new status quo for T'Challa. Read Full Review

Readers looking for a jumping on point, a fresh start to the series, or just an intriguing, stylish sci-fi story need look no further than this issue. Read Full Review

Black Panther #1 is a tight and fast-moving introductory issue for this new era of TChalla. The story is fresh to the character and series, the narrative is interesting, and the art is great. This one earns a recommendation. Give it a read. Read Full Review

Excellent art helps to overcome the difficulties of the first chapter of a story full of mysteries. Read Full Review

Even larger thematic issues loom. Coates and Acua are addressing slavery, a slavery perpetrated by T'Challa's own people, that will require a deft touch and raise far more difficult questions than those in the plot itself. Read Full Review

Coates definitely won me over here and showed me what he has learned about comics since he started writing at Marvel. Acuna is a great choice for the issue making the title a BUY for me. This is how you craft a good debut script. Read Full Review

Veering off into a wildly new direction, Black Panther #1 utilizes shock and disorientation to help focus on the defining traits of its lead character. While some may find it disappointing that plot threads such as the missing Wakandan gods are seemingly on hold, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Daniel Acua appear to have found a new vein worth exploring. Hopefully the answers to the mystery are as interesting as the question itself. Read Full Review

Whereas his first two years of writingBlack Pantherfocused on T'challa as monarch, Ta-Nehisi Coates uses the new space operatic setting ofBlack Panther#1 to narrow in on T'challa as hero and legend. Daniel Acua's art and colors are virtuosic from the gorgeous spacescapes to T'challa getting beaten within an inch of his life. He has mastery over both cinematic and intimate moments, and the book is worth picking up for his visuals alone. Read Full Review

As a first issue, Black Panther #1 displays a solid handle on what it wants to be and establishes that clearly to readers. As a story, it feels both fresh and exciting, crafting a distinct identity that stands out against the many other books on the stands. Read Full Review

The first issue is good and has me interested, much like Coates' first issue of Black Panther so long ago. While it doesn't have me pumped, it has me intrigued as this feels like a concept and attempt at something very different for the character. While much of the first issue is a frustrating mystery, that's part of the point. With what's presented this is one series I'll check out further to see how it plays out and where it all goes. Read Full Review

We travel to a galaxy far away to an empire of Wakandans. Coates leaves us with more questions than answers as we learn about the kind of empire is being run at the expense of others. The focus lies with one of the Nameless, a slave and a remarkably accomplished fighter, who seeks only to return home. The art is beautiful and worth the price of admission but the exposition a little slim. Join the journey and hopefully, it will all make sense soon. Read Full Review

CrazyforRAMU

Dec 03, 2018

We're dropped into a wild sink-or-swim sci-fi adventure along with a T'Challa who might or might not be the king we know from previous volumes. The action is breathless and enthralling. Scene-setting hints and plot foreshadowing are woven through the adventure with exquisite skill, never meddling with the strong pace. There are a few pickable nits (very minor ones), but this new world is so audacious and inventive that I'm absolutely thrilled to explore it.

Tree Fingers

May 24, 2018

sign me up.

Dispatchdcu

May 26, 2018

Welcome to the Oblivion Bar where the first round is on me and the pretzels are free! Be warned: like the pickled eggs at the bar, this issue is going to get SPOILED rotten. Marvel has been killing it lately. Creativity has been literally oozing from these comics as of late and this Issue of Black Panther fits that mold. Now, before I start, let me just be honest with all of you to say that I’ve read very few Black Panther comics. I’ve never been too interested in the character but told myself I was going to read all the “Fresh Start” number 1’s to see the direction of the comics, the creative teams, and to see if I should stick it out or not throughout the series. Well, after reading issue 1, I’m definitely in for issue 2! We open with someone, who we “think” is T’challa waking up and marooned on some slave planet to work the mines... probably mining vibranium. He’s having visions of again someone I assume is Storm... not sure. Anyway, he tries to escape and gets really close. But, they grab him and throw him back in the mines. While in the mines, he’s working hard and the soldiers there guarding the prisoners tell this alien dude name Dauod to basically put “T’challa” in his place. Again I say “T’challa” because we are still uncertain at this point who he is. The two fight and Dauod gets his butt kicked. Meanwhile, we find out that over 2000 years ago, a group of Wakandans traveled the galaxy and set up an outpost on a planet which eventually grew into a galaxy, and then another until they had over 5 galaxies in their name. There mission appears to be gaining more vibranium, freeing slaves, and extending peace and their empire... at least that’s how I took it. Well, right after the fight with Dauod, these intergalactic Wakandans land on this slave planet to free the slaves and ask them to join their empire. The character we think is T’challa, picks up Dauod who he just kicked the poop out of, and drags him onto the Wakandans ship through a hail of gun fire. Then, he turns around, goes back out, and proceeds to save some of the Wakadan soldiers before they take off. At the end of the issue, we find out that the main character that we “think” is T’challa cannot remember anything, which is why he is not stunned at all to see dozens of Wakandan soldiers that look like Black Panthers coming to his aid. They ask if he would join their cause and he agrees. They suit him up in a Black Panther-ish suit... not his but one that looks like an armor panther suit... and give him “the name of a man who was born a king and died a hero... T’challa.” To me, this implied that the person we are following in the comic may not be our T’challa after all. Who knows? The issue was a fast read filled with nonstop action. Sure, we are left with questions that I would want answered but they are not questions that are in-depth or confusing to the story. They are easy questions to answer as the story goes along. Who is this man? How did he get there? What happened to our T’challa? Is this our T’challa who lost his memory? I’m sure, the writer will gradually answer these questions along the way. Every comics needs to leave unanswered threads to draw you back. However, I hate when I’m thrown into a story that is convoluted, confusing, and backs itself into a corner that can only be fixed with something made up, dumb, and magical like a wishing machine, 15th Metal, or a warp whistle! That is not this comic. We are guided with the perfect amount of information to guide us from the start without telling us too much so we want to come back for more. It’s called GREAT storytelling. What makes this issue phenomenal is the imagination of the story. And again, the creativity of the story is so dang impressive. Maybe the idea has been done before in a Black Panther comic? But I’m new to the character so it’s new to me. It has “feels” of Planet Hulk, which I loved, but I hope we go in a different direction than that comic. After reading this, I’m pumped and excited to read the next. You should all definitely read the issue and definitely add it to your pull. You will be happy you did. I don’t know where I would put it in my stack yet BUT it’s definitely towards the top. If you like what you heard, love talking all types of comics, and are interested in joining a comic chat group, hit me up at dispatchdcu@gmail.com or @dispatchdcu on twitter. Catch you all later! Peace more

RaisingBlack

May 29, 2018

A great Fresh Start and the jump on point many have been asking for. I have really enjoyed Coates run on BP and I am happy to see him continuing in a new direction. In the previous runs by Coates, he really made the focus about the supporting cast. At points, his run was a full political drama mixed in with superhero elements, but this fresh start puts T'Challa right at the forefront and the star of a great space epic. Coates waste no time setting up players and getting us into a story that has the potential scratch the itch of those seeking a BP closer to the high action movie and the promise of high action is all around. The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda has a lot of potential to be one of the best settings in the marvel univers e but the mystery of where they came from and how such a place exist are questions that Coates will likely shine in answering. Pick this up more

MKW69

May 24, 2018

This is how do you start a 1 issue. It also shows how much Coates evolved as A writer. 1 issue of his 2015 series was very over wordy and not Good for New readers. This one is kinda confusing, but we learn with T'Challa what's going on.

RustonLF

May 24, 2018

The story started here leaves you feeling disoriented and lost. Something that is not helped by the art. I enjoy Daniel Acuna's art but there is a lack of distinction to it that can be harder to interpret when you are unfamiliar with the characters and setting of the story. While this seems like it would be a bad thing it is actually what Coates was going for in this story. It works to reflect on the reader the feeling T'Challa has as he is enslaved in space with no memory of who is he or where he is from. We get a very different Black Panther story that is more of a space fantasy tale that is set up with an opening page that gives you a general idea of what is happening. The complete change in the books premise might be jarring for some, b ut I thought it does keep things from getting redundant. It is a very nice start that is worth checking out. more

Kalaoui

May 24, 2018

Started rocky but ended up being great and it makes sense that Coates might wants us to relate to T'Challa this way. The art of Acuna is what sold me on it and the story being a mystery is a plus.

Superheroes for Hire

Jul 29, 2018

I wasn't actually going to buy or read this issue, because of the $4.99 price to start with. And the few issues I read of Coates' previous series were impenetrable. But I got this issue in a prize bundle with some other comics, so I read it. My overall impressions are: great art, competent writing, good pacing, sparse dialog, and an intriguing premise for the series. I'm a little skeptical of the premise (why do the names transfer across the galaxy, how did T'challa get abducted, etc.). As a reader "new" to this franchise, I did find it all very accessible though. It should be pointed out that Daniel Acuna displays a mastery over his craft, providing unique character designs, kinetic action, at least moderately detailed backgrounds that th e characters fit within, and a diverse mix of panel layouts. If Acuna can stay on for art, and if Coates continues to drop in small bits of explanation to the mystery in each issue, then I'm in for the longer haul with this series. Only deduction is -1 point for the oversized and overpriced first issue. It's an impediment for bringing in new readers, and instead only gets a quick buck out of previous ongoing readers and first issue speculators. If I hadn't won this issue for free, I had planned on not reading. Instead, I got the issue for free and will buy future issues at $3.99 per month. Marvel would do well to consider affordability for bringing in new readers with future series relaunches. more

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Superheroes for Hire - Jul 29, 2018

I'll also add that I felt a few scenes could have been shortened or plot points omitted in order to facilitate pricing the issue at $3.99 for closer to 22 pages.

DarioV

May 29, 2018

A great way to introduce a new chapter in T'Challa's story. It is not even clear IF the protagonist is T'Challa himself (and the same can be said for M'Baku and the others), but the storytelling, favoring silence over excessive explanations, makes it an emotional and definitely intriguing read. Only negative note: it reminds me way too much of "Black Bolt", which came out just a year ago.

Spock's Brain

Jun 01, 2018

I really enjoyed issue #1 of the new "Black Panther" by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Daniel Acuna. This comic is really suspenseful and action packed, creating some very interesting questions to create a really great hook for a first issue. The mood and tone of the book are super cool, as I found I was really drawn into this new galactic world while I read this issue. Acuna's action scenes have a great sense of movement, flow and momentum, really great sequential storytelling in these scenes. I tried to like the last "Black Panther" series, but I eventually just found it too...thick, if you know what I mean? Too stuffed with ideas to really work as a narrative. But this issue is a fantastic new chance to get into T'Challa...highly recommended!

Gizmo

Jun 17, 2018

Coates is trying something new with Space Panther, I wonder what inspired him to take this direction, it is totally out of left field. There are so many questions remaining, are we in the future? Is this the real T'Challa? I appreciate the allusions to American slavery robbing culture with regard to the empire robbing the miners of their memories.

Lucas

Jan 03, 2024

Amazing start. The story itself was already pretty good, and so did the action, but the real star of the show is the incredible art. Very optimistic about this series. Mixing BP with space opera is a match made in heaven.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln

May 29, 2018

The art in this issue was very strong.

SloboSOY

May 24, 2018

At first I was very upset that we didn't see how tchalla was taken, but at the end I understood that is not the King Tchalla we know. And in a way that was very daring to do this story. Sure I didn't like some part, but at the end I loved the team-up for this black panther incarnation. That may be a new way to make old friend & foes in another shape ... And that will surely entirely free of the Marvel univers. Coates can address slavery & revolt in a all new way. I wasn't very convinced by this Black Panther in space before reading it, but at the end, I love it. Cover - A cover in link with the first one of the previous volume. Not related but nice. 1/2 Writing - I have some issue with how coates plan his story. But at the end he conv inced me. 2.5/3 Arts - Acuna isn't easy to read. And he play with the character we know & the one we see her (I see Storm in the woman the man dream) 2.5/3 Feeling - I will try issue 2 and maybe issue after issue I will find myself hook in it. 1/2 more

Forge

May 23, 2018

This book was confusing. It wasn't until the end that I realized that this is all taking place in the future. I guess the space Wakandans have evolved into these gray skinned guys with barracuda teeth? But a few still look like regular earth brothers. I'm not sure why the guards didn't just kill future T'challa when he tried to escape. Also, all the flashbacks and flash-forwards added to the confusion. This book seriously needs an editor. Acuna's art sort of works for SciFi.

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BloodyNinja - May 23, 2018

Darling, it's not the first time I see you giving low rates in your reviews and you justify them by saying "it is not as it is supposed to be" or "it is confusing". All of your criticism rely on the fact the comic is not written as you would write it. I recommend you to creat your own comic book so maybe you'll find a comic worth of your taste. And, for your information, this issue does not take place in the future, you didn't get it at all. Stop posting worthless reviews please.

Herushalaim - May 24, 2018

The different types of people were explained in the back of the book. The guards are comprised of many different species, usually taken by the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda. The guards said more than once that they don't want to kill the emperor's property and that they'd face becoming a minor themselves if they did. And the flashbacks are just T'Challa remember his life. And the art differentiated to clue you in on what was and wasn't a flashback.

The-MJP - Aug 7, 2018

@Billyndo this guy's either very cynicsl, or he's just mad the 90's are over