Black Panther #1

The result, at least in this week's debut issue, is a fantastic exploration of a character readers have known for years, making him seem both brand new and entirely familiar. Read Full Review

Black Panther #1 is a very strong foundation for what could potentially be the best solo run since Christopher Priest. This is the first time in nearly two decades that the main title has a writer with experience, a love for comics, and a love for the character. Read Full Review

Years in the making, the latest volume of Black Panther puts the former monarch of Wakanda into a new exciting place as the character must adapt to a world that has moved beyond him in many ways. A visually stunning debut that breathes even more unique life into this section of Marvel and promises great things to come. Read Full Review

Black Panther #1 is an intriguing start that sets the character off in a new direction. Add in amazing art and you have a debut that can't be missed and worthy of a (former) king. Read Full Review

Allen delivers some great art in the issue. I love the look of the city and how it beautifully mixes the Wakandan aesthetics into a city that feels apart from the rest of the country. Read Full Review

Black Panther #1 is an engaging look at a Wakanda (and TChalla) at a crossroads that scales back the epic science fiction nature of the book to a more street-level approach. Echoing some previous points in Black Panthers history, this decision makes for an excellent place to explore the people and structures of Wakanda beyond the royal family. Ewings excellent scripting pairs with Allen and Yeung pencils and inks to bring this version of Wakanda to life, and Aburtovs colors add a new texture that reinforces the tone the book is swinging for. Fans of Black Panther wanting to see the continuation of the character or those looking for a jumping-on point will want to check out this debut issue. Read Full Review

Black Panther #1 kicks off the new series by turning Black Panthers world upside-down. Lost, fighting crime in the shadows and questioning his existence, it gives us a fascinating look at a Black Panther weve never seen before. We get some great action throughout the issue too, and I look forward to seeing where the book goes from this strong first issue. Read Full Review

This comic was a joy to read, and I cannot wait for the next issue so I can see how Wakandas new democracy grows, where its displaced king will find himself, and what challenges both will face separately and together as danger looms around every corner. Read Full Review

The foundations are laid for this relaunch in a strong, well-written and well-drawn first issue. Everything is put in place where it needs to be, and there's enough to the characters and the events to hook a new reader, like me. Read Full Review

While a new volume to the franchise Black Panther #1 very much acts as an extension of the previous run by John Ridley. This approach by Eve Ewing comes with both positives and negatives. Luckily, it's the positives that largely outweigh the negatives as Black Panther #1 concludes. Read Full Review

Black Panther #1 introduces intriguing new ideas but stumbles when delivering the necessary exposition. Read Full Review

This title promises big, thoughtful development it might not be totally invested in. Read Full Review

A thought provoking but overwritten issue that could stand to show at least as much as it tells. Read Full Review

Theres lots of interesting worldbuilding here,, such as the introduction of a previously unseen urban metropolis in Wakanda where TChalla has been doing much of his crime fighting, that almost gives this issue a Batman-esque feel; low-level criminals on the streets of Birnin TChaka speculate and fear the specter of the Black Panther wherever they go. This run seems to be telling a Black Panther story of political intrigue through the lens of neo noir, which is a solid take to go with. Chris Allens art is appropriately dark and brooding when it needs to be, and the way he draws a looming Black Panther only feeds the Batman comparison in a way that makes for a compelling hook. Read Full Review

Black Panther #1 starts a new chapter in T'Challa's legend with an issue that builds an amazing amount of texture and detail into the less-frequented corners of Wakanda. However, this issue is almost all exposition and setup with very little action or Black Panther to show for it, resulting in a detailed but ultimately dull comic. Read Full Review

derbycomics

Jun 16, 2023

Self-discovery is the name of the game in Black Panther #1 on shelves today from the creative team of Eve L. Ewing writing, Chris Allen penciling, and Jesus Aburtov on colors. It’s a powerful and moving introduction to a series that seeks to explore the legacy of T'Challa, the meaning of the Black Panther title, and the future of Wakanda. Picking up after the events of the previous Black Panther run, the issue starts with T’Challa in exile from Wakanda by order of the new Prime Minister after the country shifted from a monarchy to parliamentary democracy to avoid a civil war. After spending time away, including rehabilitating his relationship with the Avengers, and failing to feel part of any other society he was amongst, T’Challa returns to Wakanda, the only place that ever felt like home, to truly discover who he is as a person. Ewing's writing is sharp and insightful, and she brings a fresh perspective to T’Challa without completely changing who he has always been. Some of my favorite superhero (and villain) story arcs focus on the why of a character’s actions and based on what Ewing is doing with this first issue, it appears that will be at the core of her time with the character. I’m excited to see how she evolves T’Challa into a more confident person compared to his current state, which will only make his role as Black Panther and what that means for himself and the people of Wakanda more impactful. The artistic combo of Allen & Aburtov do an amazing and important job world-building the city of Birnin T'Chaka, the area of Wakanda where the majority of the issue takes place. Unlike the futuristic, technologically advanced capital we’re used to seeing, Birnin T’Chaka is rougher around the edges and its inhabitants live a more humble life. The backgrounds and colors of the city show a sense of imperfection, while still evoking vibrancy and culture that many depictions of these types of areas can often rely on. Yes there may be more nefarious things happening here, yes there may be more shady individuals walking around, but that doesn’t mean the area is devoid of community. Ewing is careful to avoid traditional tropes and ensures the reader understands how this compares to underserved areas of US cities by having T’Challa note: Wakanda provides for its people. There is nothing of the struggle I saw in my day in New York, for instance. All are housed. Fed. Clothed. But my father used to say that it is many days’ walk between necessities and abundance. Birnin Zana is a land of abundance. Birnin T’Chaka is a land of necessities. The artistic work also shines where it may be recognized most — T’Challa’s new Black Panther costume. The new suit is sleek without being gaudy, simple without being boring, and unique without being gimmicky. While more may be explained in future issues, it felt as though T’Challa was deep in his thoughts exploring the connection between the mantle of Black Panther and the nation of Wakanda when he made these design updates. Overall, this was an impressive debut issue that had a tall task in distancing itself from some of the more controversial decisions made by the previous series’ creative team. Without disregarding or overlooking what they were left with, Ewing has seemingly picked up the pieces and is dedicated to restoring Black Panther, both the character and series, to a level of sophistication it deserves. I’m invested in how she will continue give T’Challa the space to find himself and I’m excited to continue exploring the world of Wakanda that Allan and Aburtov create. more

Screaming Enigma

Jun 23, 2023

Following the ending of the last series from John Ridley, I wasn't sure what to think going into this issue. After learning more, the concept intrigued me, Allen's art looked super cool, and I like T'Challa's new design. Now that I've finally read it, I can say that I like what Ewing and Allen are putting together and I'm very interested to see where things go from here. I like that this seems to be making T'Challa more of a street-level hero, despite being on the current Avengers roster. The letter at the end from Ewing said that she wanted to explore more of Wakanda outside of the capital, and I think that's a great idea. This was something that was seen a little bit in Ridley's run, and I'm really glad it's being dived into more here. Pl us, Allen's art throughout the book is very nice. This was a good opening issue and I'm looking forward to seeing how this story unfolds. more

CrazyforRAMU

Aug 26, 2024

This series is off to a slow start, but it's packed with promise. The art goes for broke in the first act, painting a beautiful picture of an intriguing city. Even though detail seeps away toward the end, what remains is still strong, clear visual storytelling. I'm not thrilled with the prose, the pace, or the characterization--but neither am I disappointed. T'Challa is going searching for his soul in a way that feels realistic and valid, but not particularly novel. It sure does go on at length, reminding me in a bad way of Ms. Ewing's Photon miniseries. What fills me with hope here is the spectacular world-building. We're getting to see Wakanda's skid row, full of class conflict, social commentary, and an incipient gang war that (we can only hope) will deliver a nice twisty plot. more

BillyBat

Jun 14, 2023

It was decent and not agressively insulting to the fans of T'challa. And maybe it's the best we can get for a Black Panther book this day.

ComicWorm

Jun 14, 2023

The story is bland and boring. The artwork also does not look good. Overall, not that much is interesting. I hope the story gets better in the next issue.