T’Challa faces down a planet of villains. For each he defeats, another takes its place, and the power behind them all still awaits its chance to beat the king. His only hope is to finally reunite with his sister, Shuri, and the orphaned boy, Femi. And only by working together will all three have any chance of surviving. Black Panther: Intergalactic #3 is written by Victor LaValle, drawn by Stefano Nesi, colored by Bryan Valenza and lettered by Ariana Maher.
Most young people dream of becoming a firefighter or an astronaut; I dreamt of being a teacher or a journalist. Though I’m officially neither, in some very limited but interesting ways I’m both when I write here, for is my role not to educate and inform?
So indulge me as I go back to the basics, when I learned about the five W’s: Who, What, When, Where and Why.
Who?
So T’Challa is here — it’s his comic, of course. Shuri is here, as her full mystic, magical, bird- and mass-transforming self. M’Baku is here — the skeptic, the loyal disbeliever, maybe the best character rebrand of all time. Femi is here — the child introduced in the Imperial one-shot, the son of a scientist who, in his work for an evil emperor, created a planet of clones modeled on superpowered Earth characters, plunder planets. Also here: T’Challa Two (that’s not his name, but that’s what I’m calling him because I love alliteration), the clone of T’Challa currently on his throne while the actual king explores the clone planet.
ALSO also: Doc Ock, Sauron, Peter Parker(s) and Juggernaut clones all mixed with Panther DNA.
What?
The comic has three strands of stories, all converging on the clone planet (B’Wete): T’Challa inches his way toward the source of all the trouble, outwitting clones with style; he is, after all, on camera, via an array of satellites operated by T’Challa Two.
Two is also on his way to the planet, after announcing to the world that he is, in fact, a clone. He seeks to challenge the concept of royalty by showing how much better he is than the original.
ALSO on the planet are Femi and Shuri, looking for T’Challa, but only finding T’Juggernaut (that’s not his name, but that’s what I’m calling him because I’m a bit corny.) Their fight comes to a head quickly, as the clone reveals his programing only has two strands: Protect the emperor; protect the son (Femi).
The stage is set then for T’Challa to once again prove his worth through works, with the help of his friends, and a little antagonism from his funhouse mirror image.
Where?
Beyond the literal location of the drama (the aforementioned Planet B’Wete, a subject planet of the Wakandan Empire), It’s notable where this isn’t happening — Earth. For all we know, only two of the characters have ever spent real time on Earth’s Wakanda. It’s not clear if any of the other characters are familiar with anything but legends of the planet and the characters that inhabit it. Which makes it interesting that all the clones are of quite niche Earth characters. I could see someone from another planet maybe knowing Thor or Phoenix. Doc Ock, though?
When?
Lack of temporal cohesion was one of my major criticisms of last week’s 60th anniversary Black Panther special. That book still assumed T’Challa was exiled from the throne; he’s very clearly king, not only of the country, but of the empire. When did all this happen? How did those wounds caused by deceit heal? There’s no clear clue or hint here, and while it’s likely best we just accept it as comic book timing and move forward (how long has Valeria Richards been a teen now?), It’s still a bit disorienting to careful and close readers of the comics.
Why?
I suspect the plan for this comic changed between the writing of the last issue and this one. Whereas in the last issue, T’Challa Two seemed to relish his subterfuge, implying he had a long-term plan to win influence, he belies that secretiveness quite abruptly here. He does the standard villain “tell everyone my brilliant plan before it’s foiled” soliloquy. This marked tone shift is reflected in the comic, which feels a bit slower and stationary compared to the previous issue (not to mention completely ignoring the repercussions from Imperial).
This is, of course, an assumption that could be wrong, but this issue feels like a rush to close. The grandeur of the empire, the haughty nature of T’Challa’s interactions with the Kree, Skrull and other intergalactic organizations — all that seems tossed to the side for a relatively simple, if not cute, clone story. There’s nothing wrong with a cute, tight story (I’m a fan of the illustration style, even if I, again, wish T’Challa had kept the beard), but given the promises of the pitch, this execution and impending conclusion feel muted at best.
As of this writing, there are no ongoing solos announced for any Black characters. In fact, it seems comic houses are forcefully walking away from diversity efforts (I haven’t seen a Marvel’s Voices issue this year, have you? Was that 60th anniversary Panther special it? Where is The Power Company? Will New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident finally give the Milestone characters a prominent place in the DCU?) for reasons we can only guess and bemoan. So while I can’t answer why the issue feels rushed, why the original concept of the empire feels unfulfilled, why Black heroes — including and especially the most notable Black hero — feel sidelined, I can make a few sad assumptions.
And that’s a shame, because all the ingredients for a great comic run were here, but instead of a gourmet meal, we’re asking a more than capable chef to make fast food.
A frustrating waste all around — though, at the very least, I was able to flex a journalistic muscle that once felt dormant.
We’ve gotta take wins where we can, sadly.
Buy Black Panther: Intergalactic #3 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.
