Blamed for the assassinations that have started an all-out galactic war, T’Challa will first need to survive a brutal assault from the World-Breaker Hulk and Amadeus Cho before he can even think about hunting down the true culprit, and all while his spacecraft spirals towards certain doom. Imperial War: Black Panther #1 is written by Victor LaValle and Jonathan Hickman, drawn by CAFU, colored by David Curiel and lettered by Ariana Maher.
Maybe not the most pivotal, but certainly the most telling moment of Imperial War: Black Panther comes on the very last page, as we see the only panel of T’Challa unmasked.
He has no beard.
From his last solo outing, to his stint on the Avengers, to an Ultimate alternate universe, T’Challa’s well-sculpted beard has been prominent everywhere. Yet here it’s absent, creating an (admittedly mild) incongruity among years of recent depictions.
This is the crux of Imperial in a panel: a composition of cherry-picked pasts to create a composite that’s both familiar yet detached from characters’ ongoings (see: the relationship between Star-Lord and Richard Rider, Bruce’s Hulk, the lack of Arakkii, etc.). This isn’t a bad thing, per se — arguably it’s good for those who may only be marginally aware of characters ancillary to their favorites. People need an entry point, and the point of accessibility is the lowest common denominator.
So as an entry point — a presumable precursor to a new Intergalactic ongoing, how does the lowest common denominator for our Wakandan emperor king look?
Pretty good! And a bit concerning!
I say concerning because while there’s a lot of plot here, there’s very little character development. We see T’Challa run from an enraged Bruce Banner, convinced Wakanda was responsible for his son’s death (and not, say, the horde of Skrulls attacking them both). Of course T’Challa finds a way to escape. Of course he establishes communication and threatens the assemblage of Imperial war ships — outgunned and overwhelmed by the Wakandan fleet — with demise if they do not surrender.
Of course he’s backstabbed by an Accuser who sends three warships to attack a Wakandan command center.
Within the rubble of that command center lie two wandering Wakandans: a living boy, and the body of the father who died protecting him. Of course they are not simply wandering Wakandans: Maybe they’re the source of the errant vibranium that started the war. Maybe they’re not even Wakandan! There’s a lot of possibility within their brief (but I assume pivotal) appearance, and while they were not given much to do here, the possibilities for them going forward feel consequential.
And as they go, so does the comic.
The issue flows well, moving from dogfights to diplomacy with aplomb. Fans of Jonathan Hickman T’Challa stories will love his ruthlessness, decisiveness and assertiveness here, while fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ depiction will be happy with his thoughtfulness and the continued ascendancy of the intergalactic empire. (Not sure how many fans exist of John Ridley’s stint, but his deconstruction of T’Challa seems to have been ignored here. Good.) Victor LaValle certainly understands the character’s inherent emotional arc (amassing more power doesn’t always mean accomplishing more good), and skillfully articulates how T’Challa wrestles with this contradiction.
Also worth noting: The comic looks great. CAFU does an amazing job rendering large-scale action and small-scale faces. While I have some slight sartorial quibbles (I miss the side shield, T’Challa’s hairline is uneven and, yes, I miss the beard), they are minor; this comic looks major.
Last year’s big Marvel summer crossover was Blood Hunt. T’Challa became a vampire, struggled to control his humanity and seduced the intercession of the Divine for deliverance.
(That’s one hell of a pitch, no?)
Comparing one issue to three isn’t fair. Still, Blood Hunt served as an impetus to introduce new Black Panther-centric characters and lore. Imperial War feels less like its own thing: inexorably tied to plot points outside the comic, with little discovered or resolved inside. This is more a proof of concept preamble than fully fleshed out work; it’s in that lack of depth where I feel the most disappointed.
That said, the proof of concept works. An ascendant empire deserves space on the shelves. I just wish its emperor was adorned with a beard, representing a more direct connection to the things that came before, a clearer, ambitious picture of the things that will come after, and less adherence to the ancillary actions of those who won’t be in its orbit.
Buy Imperial War: Black Panther #1 here. (Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, ComicsXF may earn from qualifying purchases.)
A proud New Orleanian living in the District of Columbia, Jude Jones is a professional thinker, amateur photographer, burgeoning runner and lover of Black culture, love and life. Magneto and Cyclops (and Killmonger) were right. Learn more about Jude at SaintJudeJones.com.
