Black Panther (1998) #7

Bp7 It’s a good but unfortunate issue of Black Panther. Writer Priest is firing on all cylinders, while the art is a Many Hands mishmash of styles—the issue credits Jimmy Palmiotti and Vince Evans (washes for Evans). But there’s also additional help from Alitha Martinez and Nelson DeCastro. So the art never looks consistent for more than a few pages. Some of Evans’s washes appear to be over pencils. Somehow they took the fun out of Joe Jusko pencils.

Good thing Priest’s got a killer story. The stuff with Everett K. Ross is starting to get tired. This issue has him roller-blading away from an enraged Bill Clinton, who’s chasing him through the White House with a hockey stick. This bit started last issue, but we still haven’t found out exactly what’s going on because Priest fractures Ross’s narration for dramatic effect. And comedic. Best for comedic.

But we do find out something about why Ross is in such hot water. For the cliffhanger. Before the cliffhanger, there’s a resolution to the Kraven guest spot—with Kraven doing that whole “cut me, make me bleed” thing, and it’ll be wild if they do it in the movie. It’s not like there’s much else to Kraven’s character. He blathers on to Black Panther during their rematch about how much he always wanted to fight him and so on–Kraven’s exhausting, which Priest fully acknowledges and embraces.

There are a couple weird moments to date the issue: Ross lusting after the teenage girl bodyguards, who change in front of him, and then Ross saying if he were “Black and gay,” he’d be into T’Challa. We’re seven issues in, and there’s still nothing more to Ross, which would be okay if Priest weren’t still relying on him. I’ve got a specious memory he’ll be gone soon, but it might also just be wishful thinking.

Or maybe if they draw him like Michael J. Fox again.

Or if the book could get its act together art-wise. The action scenes should’ve been good, and instead seemed entirely static. High hopes for next time… though I’m definitely not checking the creator credits beforehand.

Black Panther (1998) #6

Black Panther 6 ml The issue begins with an Everett K. Ross scene; he’s debriefing the President about his latest adventure with Black Panther, only to quickly offend and have to roller-blade his way out of there. Writer Priest knows how to play Ross for comedy—I guess they couldn’t do the whitest white boy in the world in the MCU because Chris Pratt was already playing Starlord—but Priest continues to have problems with Ross professionally. He’s got a wacky reaction to the finale, but also, it was 1999, and maybe even the wokest CIA (sorry, OCP… OmniConsumer What?) agent is going to call armed response at a crowd of Black people.

Minor quibbles, it turns out, because Priest’s got the plotting down for Black Panther business, and Joe Jusko is doing the art. After the Ross bookend, which will presumably continue through the arc like last time, there’s a five-page fight between Kraven the Hunter and Black Panther. Jusko tracks the successes and fails from panel to panel (except cuts to Ross cowering) so the reader can see how Kraven gets the upper hand or how Black Panther reacts. It’s beautiful stuff. And it’s just the beginning.

The story then backs up to the White House reception for Black Panther, decades late, with the President still too busy to attend and no Black folks on the guest list except T’Challa and his guests. Great comedy beat for Zuri, T’Challa’s bodyguard, who’s otherwise mostly out of the action this issue. Priest is still doing his distant third-person perspective when it comes to T’Challa. He spends most of the issue dancing with Doja Milaje warrior Nakia. At the same time, the story flashes back to her hiring (and T’Challa promising he isn’t going to be creepy with her, especially because she’s a teenager, while Ross narrates about how he would be creepy with her and go to jail… ah, the 1990s, though also perfect for Chris Pratt). We also get flashbacks to T’Challa’s college days and the white girl who occupied his romantic attention (who may be Ross’s present-day boss and girlfriend; Jusko draws her like Gwen Stacy anyway, I can’t keep track).

The finale has the Black people of New York City (“all of them, I think”) arriving outside the hotel to ask Black Panther why he’s not their hero. At this point, Ross calls in the OCP SWAT team (no ED-209s, come on, Marvel, lean into it) and tells the crowd to disperse while escorting Black Panther away from the dangerous crowd. Then, in comes Kraven, but before the fight scene earlier, so there’s more fighting on the way. More glorious Jusko fighting, I should hope.

In addition to the fight scenes being so good, anything with motion is delightful. Jusko captures the enthusiasm and energy of a seventies Marvel comic but with far more detail. But you look at how Kraven’s expressions work throughout, and it’s just old school.

I knew I was in for a treat with this Black Panther run. Even with Priest’s occasional character bumps, it’s such a delight.