If you’re like me, you’re inclined to pass over tie-in one shot comics. They can feel forced – divorced from cannon and the continuity beats of the current run.
And as one who’s only paid attention to Knull and the King in Black saga from the periptery, I don’t really know what’s going on, nor, if I’m honest, do I care. I get the gist – venom God is taking over the world – but I also know this won’t last forever. It’s a story with a beginning and an end, and like so many tie-in stories, the lasting ramifications for tie-in titles will likely be, at most, footnotes and Easter eggs.
So yes, I would understand your cynicism around a King In Black: Black Panther tie-in. I would sympathize with it.
But as I put my assumptions aside and read, I must tell you: passing on this issue would be a mistake.
The strength of this issue does not lie in its connection to KiB or Knull. Nor is it in any connection to any recent cannon or continuity in the comic: This is a one-shot in the truest sense. The strength of this work is in how disparate narrative ties – T’Challa’s thoughtfulness and insecurity; his dedication to his people and the strain and personal sacrifices he makes to fulfill that dedication; the support and respect he has for his female compatriots – are welded together coherently.
The symbioties have invaded Wakanda. The people are scared, if they’re not being turned into mini-Venoms. And T’Challa’s erstwhile love, the mutant Storm, has been lost to this “infection”. Though I won’t spoil the particulars, you can guess how things turn out. This is a comic, and comics will do comic things. The ultimate resolution of the plot, though, is irrelevant: the journey, narratively, emotionally, and pictorially matters most.
And this journey is most definitely worth taking.
Geoffrey Thorne deserves accolades for making accessible work that doesn’t simplify it’s characters. The art, by Germán Peralta, effectively conveys the urgency of the caper. Action feels fluid and characters emotive, though skin tones, colored by Jesus Aburtov, feel a little flat. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t note illustrations of Dora Milaje general Okoye felt a bit inconsistent as well. Still, I felt immersed narratively and artistically in the work. This is an excellent way to pull someone who’s never picked up a Black Panther comic in. Where it lacks the intellectual gravitas of Coates’ work, it melds action and narrative together effectively and efficiently, clearly and directly.
There was a clear mission and the team accomplished it with aplomb.
King In Black: Black Panther #1 is worth your time. Even if you don’t know (or care) about KiB. Maybe especially so. Good stories will always reign supreme, and you would be wise to add this good, self contained story to your pull list.
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.
Find more of Jude’s writing here.
