The Avengers #27: Return of the Panther

Given how Black Panther and Captain America were the first avengers to set foot on the Impossible City, changing the course of the sentient megastructure’s life forever after freeing it from its abusive owners, it’s poetic that the fate of the team’s newest companion and headquarters once again rests in their hands. This time the city is no longer just a victim to be rescued, but actively fighting alongside the heroes against the intruding Masters of Evil, bringing its arc full-circle.

If there’s one gripe to be had about the story of Avengers #27, its how quickly it puts a cap on the T’Challa-centric subplot initiated in issue #20. The king of Wakanda had taken on a dangerous mission to bring peace and order to the thousands of extraterrestial prisoners trapped within Meridian Diadem’s pocket dimension. The issue was gritty and adventurous, a romp with shades of Planet Hulk that gave T’Challa his first real opportunity to shine in this series. Picking the thread back up seven comics later, the Black Panther has started and ended a revolution entirely off-page, giving the dimension’s inhabitants the wisdom and hope necessary to found their own civilization.

While its understandable if MacKay wished to avoid dragging out an already familiar narrative, one can’t help but wonder if more time deserved to be dedicated to this plot. Not to say that the story at hand isn’t engaging, as T’Challa arrives in the nick of time to save Sam Wilson from Mr. Hyde, further developing the trust between the two. Since the beginning of his run, MacKay has often paired Sam and T’Challa together, these two black men of differing cultural backgrounds united through a shared respect for justice and honor, birthing a dynamic unlike anything else on the team.

Artists Andrea Broccardo and Farid Karami bring impact and momentum to the two-one-one brawl against Mr. Hyde, concrete and metal shattering and denting everytime a character is slammed into it. Once they’ve ramped up the energy, its non-stop action from there as the Exterminatrix appears with an army of plastoid drones. The sheer scale of this action setpiece makes for an excellent climax to the issue, seeing the heroes finally gain the upperhand in this battle. However, the Mad Thinker, ever the opportunist, has one final trick up his sleeve. Having stolen the best traits of his failed Masters of Evil, the Thinker becomes a walking tank ready to flatten any heroes in his path.