Black Panther #1: The Black Panther Returns

Black Panther #1 relaunches the series with a major shift in the status quo for the now-former king of Wakanda. T’Challa was exiled as the nation shifted from a monarchy and embraced democracy in the last volume of the title. Now, the Black Panther is an urban vigilante in the vein of Batman, a hunter operating in the shadows to protect his country as it grows beyond his family’s royal legacy. The new direction comes from writer Eve L. Ewing, penciler Chris Allen, inkers Allen and Craig Yeung, color artist Jesus Aburtov, and letterer VC’s Joe Sabino. 

As Black Panther settles into Birnin T’Chaka, a less regal city in the northern region of Wakanda, his priorities are reshuffled into protecting the people from the power vacuum created by the change in government. After a cold opening of stopping a thief, T’Challa sets his sights on a young lawyer, N’Yobi Umaru, who works for the people of the city, often neglecting payment in favor of doing the right thing. He’s also the son of an old family friend of T’Challa’s father. The bulk of the issue is Black Panther trailing N’Yobi and exploring the day-to-day life of Birnin T’Chaka. 

It’s made clear as they reunite and talk about the issues that persist under the surface of the utopian Wakanda, and the power that the debt collectors hold. After N’Yobi forces T’Challa to leave, one of these debt collectors in a costume that evokes a certain cat-themed thief enters the home searching for something. The issue ends with a hint to some of the wider issues facing the city, pulling a second string character as a reveal that promises a bit more sci-fi to this straightforward first issue. 

Ewing is a great choice for this relaunch and brings a strong voice to not only the running narration but the various elements shown in Birnin. The establishment of Black Panther as an urban vigilante is a strong choice that centers the character after the space opera and Avengers-level plots from previous arcs. It also evokes T’Challa’s time as the protector of Hell’s Kitchen after Daredevil’s ninja-crazed phase during Shadowland. The scripting and choice in narration channels a bit of that brooding vigilante archetype that makes the better Batman stories successful, but allows for the regal nature of T’Challa to slip in and form a unique voice. 

The scripting does drag in places, but it’s understandable as Ewing essentially is creating this version of Wakanda from the ground up. The foundations of society are shaky, Ewing plays with all expectations of the country. Birnin presents what a less thriving socioeconomic Wakanda population looks like, but never breaks from the notion of the fictitious country’s advancement. Ewing juggles this and the establishment of new characters with solid character beats, like T’Challa and N’Yobi’s discussion about broken teapots and customs, and the brief interaction between the mysterious woman and N’Yobi. 

Allen’s pencils help to keep the pace moving and create a vibrant but different look to Wakanda. It still feels more advanced than most cities in the current Marvel universe, but lacks the distinct shine that the royal Wakandian cities have. Industrial piping, compact cities, and bustling marketplaces give the notion of a cramped but living city and make for an excellent pairing with this street-level approach to the character. From the opening page and the tight establishing shots, Allen and Yeung make clear this isn’t the Wakanda audiences have seen before, and it does wonders to set the atmosphere of the book. 

Much of that atmosphere is also created thanks to Aburtov’s colors, which play up the street-level aspect of the book. The neons lighting the city feel right at home with the pulpy, noir-esque approach to this plot, and reflect a different sense of vibrancy than the majestic hues associated with the sleek look of royal Wakanda. The heavy use of orange and purples helps to make the palette distinguished from say Gotham or Hell’s Kitchen and provides a dynamic contrast to the (mostly) Black and splash of white on the Black Panther costume. Those pairings ensure that the action is concise and easy to follow in the brief beats from this issue. 

That attention to detail transfers to characters as well, as Birnin feels like a melting pot of modernity and tradition, something that T’Challa and N’Yobi reflect. The Black Panther costume in this issue adds elements that give a more hunter-centric appearance, forgoing some of the busier design work for the tech. On the other hand, N’Yobi is dressed in clothing that clashes with the more traditional costuming seen throughout the city. 

It’s an interesting visual motif that reflects the status of Wakanda as a whole, as it tries to balance change and tradition. The more technological or sci-fi elements of Wakanda bleed in through the debt collectors and the mystery woman, who feel more in line with the Wakandian society seen in previous runs. The framing of these elements as the more advanced design elements ensures that the division of progress and tradition feels ambiguous, which feeds into the core tension of the issue.