Ultimate Black Panther #5: Wrath of Nature

Ultimate Black Panther #5 – written by Bryan Hill with art by Carlos Nieto, coloring from David Curiel, and lettering by VC’s Cory Petit – accelerates the plot with T’Challa’s return to Wakanda, exploring the results of his pilgrimage. Storm and Kilmonger are with him, ready to support the fight against Ra and Khonshu’s attempts at controlling Africa. The big mystery of the previous issue, the massive green orb, is also on full display as Shuri pokes and prods into its composition. T’Challa seeks answers from the Vodu-Khan, the mystical branch of the Dora Milaje, who reveal the energy source is like a twin material to vibranium. It channels the ability to kickstart and accelerate life of all kinds, both sentient and non-sentient alike. 

Hill’s scripting for the issue does a good job of interweaving history and plot, blending T’Challa’s motivations with the reveal of the green sphere. The MacGuffin framing of the issue’s story makes it easier to fly through the issue, offering a clear line of distinction between the first and second half of the issue. While the first half feels exploratory as the team digs into the meaning of the item, the second becomes motivated by its presence. Khonshu twists a Wakandian farmer into serving the moon god, using him as a weapon to try and steal the green orb. Its presence alone moves the story into another confrontation between Khonshu’s forces and Shuri. It’s a smart way to make the item feel essential even without its magical capabilities. 

That dilatation in the two sections of the issue is made clear in the artwork, as Nieto steps in for series artist Stefano Caselli. Starting in the first half of the issue, the artwork finds itself in less kinetic actions, mostly conversations and science experiments. Nieto spends the primary amount of page real estate on expressions and lush fauna, living in the details of the world and the character’s interactions with it. These beats are no less engaging, still holding attention while necessary information and character work are expressed throughout the art and text. The plant life test (and their subsequent burning) and the contrasting images of T’Challa and the panther (possibly Bast) are the two standout pages in the first section, exemplifying that sense of detail. The former speaks to the book’s mystery as Nieto infuses a sense of overwhelming life into the growth while the latter creates a thematic foreshadowing for T’Challa’s role as leader of Wakanda in these tumultuous times. 

In the back half of the issue, the quieter beats driven by dialogue and character switches for spectacle, as mystical torture and fight scenes center the pages. Nieto displays a clear knack for staging action, as the fight between the bruiser of the Khonshu zealot and Shuri remains clear. The sequencing of panels is straightforward, moving at a breakneck speed, leaving little room for anything beyond the explosive physical conflict. The use of blurring effects and tight panels gives a sense of real weight and kinetic movement to the static images. The choice to add those effects and compose the larger pages in a way that shows a visual thinking appeal that blends the breakneck pace with action. 

The book’s coloring understands the dichotomy of those two sections, playing in two overlapping but distinct palettes. Curiel’s tones in the first portion of the issue channel the earthy green of the orb and the primordial blue from Storm’s lightning to create an organic feeling within the neutral grays filling Shuri’s lab. Even when the lab uses yellow-orange flames to burn the thriving plants, the organic hues control the palette on the page. It’s a great reinforcement of the MacGuffin’s nature, tapping into the palette associated with the natural world. 

Those hues make a pivot when the issue glides into the Khonshu scene, with starker, muted colors laying the foundation. In contrast to the main universe’s ethereal white glow for Moon Knight/Khonshu, the Ultimate version is bathed in a restrained bluish-white. When he deploys his magical abilities to transport the possessed farmer, sharp golden light offers a magical halo effect. It’s evocative of the golden accents found on certain Moon Knight costumes and speaks to the regal nature the god is attempting to channel. Those muted colors offer a different contrast to the backdrop of Shuri’s lab, this time offering an insulting splash against the foundational tones.