Book Review Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet Book 1

Monday, February 19, 2018

Book Review - Black Panther A Nation Under Our Feet Book 1

Black Panther

A new era begins for the Black Panther! MacArthur Genius and National Book Award-winning writer T-Nehisi Coates (BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME) takes the helm, confronting T'Challa with a dramatic upheaval in Wakanda that will make leading the African nation tougher than ever before. When a superhuman terrorist group that calls itself The People sparks a violent uprising, the land famed for its incredible technology and proud warrior traditions will be thrown into turmoil. If Wakanda is to survive, it must adapt--but can its monarch, one in a long line of Black Panthers, survive the necessary change? Heavy lies the head that wears the cowl!

About the Author

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an American writer, journalist, and educator. Coates is a National Correspondent for The Atlantic, where he writes about cultural, social and political issues, particularly as regards African-Americans. Coates has worked for The Village Voice, Washington City Paper, and Time. He has contributed to The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, The Washington Monthly, O, and other publications. In 2008 he published a memoir, The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood. His second book, Between the World and Me, was released in July 2015. It was nominated for a 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction. He was the recipient of a "Genius Grant" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 2015

Reviews :

Ta-nehisi Coates crafts a brilliant comic in his first turn as writer for Black Panther. The tale addresses tradition, power dynamics, and oppression in a way that brings life and current themes into the comic that I look forward to seeing on the silver screen. Volume 1 sets up a conflict between two nations, a system of oppression between two peoples, and the legacy of the kingdom. I look forward to reading Volume 2.

With the new Black Panther movie looking astonishingly good from its trailers, a timely Amazon sale sent some of the recent comics starring the King of Wakanda tumbling my way.
Well, I suppose from 2016, so not the most recent - but the run by Ta-Nehisi Coates has been raved about by fellow fans of T'Challa so it was about time I took a look.
I've long been a fan of Black Panther - I tend to gravitate towards heroes who aren't mighty gods or universe-menacing Phoenixes - and so the combination of genius scientist and stealthy warrior has long appealed.

 
I'll confess, though, that I'm awfully glad that I bought book two at the same time as book one. Coates takes his time to find his feet with his story - or rather, more to the point, he has a big story to tell but sometimes in volume one rushes through the actual telling, and you end up piecing a couple of the parts of the tale together in your head rather than reading it on the page. He's much more in his stride by the second volume, so if you find yourself put off a little by the opening collection, stick with it, it comes together much better as the issues go by.

 
The story itself tackles the tale of Black Panther as king, fighting to hold together his kingdom from threats within and without. He isn't all-seeing or all-wise, rather he's a man underneath the legend, making political choices that might not always be for the best, but are mostly made with the best intentions.

 
The tale tackles issues of nationalism, identity, monarchism and democracy - weighty matters that go beyond the usual super villain hokum of many comics. Sometimes, that strays into territory of info dumping, but as I say, the method of telling the story keeps improving.

 
I'm not terribly sure it will serve as a great introduction to readers for the Black Panther movie - but it's a powerful look at the world the comics character inhabits - with a wider landscape than his stories are often afforded.

 

Black Panther

• Genres : Comics, Manga & Graphic Novels
• Series : Black Panther
• Paperback  : 144 pages
• Publisher  : Marvel; 1st Edition edition (September 13, 2016)
• Language : English

Description

: Book Review Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet Book 1

Rating

: 4.5

Reviewer

: Bey Alhamdi

ItemReviewed

: Book Review Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet Book 1