With the next of the MCU movies due in February, now’s the perfect time to bone up on the history of one of Marvel’s most radical heroes, the King of Wakanda himself, the Black Panther.
DK’s latest ‘Ultimate Guide’ follows the usual format of brief overview and timeline as well as covering all the major players that appear in the Black Panther’s world and highlighting key issues and pivotal moments in the character’s history.
These kinds of books are great for newcomers as they give one a flavour of the character, as well as understanding their place in the grand scheme of Marvel’s history. Although the Black Panther has crossed over into other comic books from time to time (most notably Fantastic Four and The Avengers), there are so many facets that the casual fan may not be aware of. Whether it’s his unique gallery of foes or the insight into how Wakanda fits into the Marvel Universe (for the uninitiated, it’s fairly damn pivotal). While long-time fans may not learn anything new, but they will get a massive kick out of devouring the artwork – which includes some fantastic double-page reproductions of some of the most iconic Panther cover art.
As you pass through the years and compare the character’s first appearance to how stylised and buff he’s depicted currently. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, he’s almost just a shape with eyes. The early artwork from Jack Kirby is still stirring and compared to the certainly more dynamic and technically perfect recent depictions is much more aesthetically pleasing, at least to this writer’s eyes. Which makes it a shame that more isn’t made from that period, although the character has clearly had a bigger effect on things later on.
Unfortunately, there is little commentary on the true importance of Marvel’s first black superhero apart from in the introduction, but it’s a small niggle when most readers will just want to get to the who’s and what’s of the stories and peripheral people in the King of Wakanda’s world. One thing’s for sure, you’ll certainly be eager to see the film when it comes out.
MARVEL BLACK PANTHER THE ULTIMATE GUIDE / AUTHOR: STEPHEN WIACEK / PUBLISHER DK CHILDREN / RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 4TH
