The Totally Awesome Hulk #12 (T'challa Guest Appearances) Spoilers and Thoughts...

Quick Spoilers...

- Start with a Cho/Banner moment

- Back to where we left off. Cho asks T'challa for help, T'challa wonders if its a trick but Cho powers down from Hulk form.

- Jake then fires on him anyway. T'challa asks him why and Jake says they have to stick to the plan and send him to the Negative Zone because he is out of control.

- Maddy stops them, saying the monster took the ladies child. T'challa has a touching moment where he calls her daughter and promises to find her son.

- They track the monster to a crack in the run. T'challa is too big ot fit, reminds Cho he has to control his emotions, and he goes to find another way in to flank the monster.

- Cho finds the monster in human form. Some villain monologue and then he throws the baby off a cliff... T'challa shows up to catch him.

- Cho transforms, fights the monster, tells them to teleport them both to the Negative Zone, but Maddy stops them. Maddy ends up isolating the monster and he is teleported off.

- Maddy scolds Cho and leaves him. T'challa returns the son to the lady.

- Cho goes off to meet Barton and they have a heart-to-heart of sorts.


T'challa Thoughts...

- While I prefer fisticuffs, this was still a nice little cameo appearance.

- We got a little tech feat there with the little communication spheres. T'challa doing "superhero stuff" is also kind of un to see. I would prefer more "superhero" and less "king" these days as the crown stuff is almost overplayed and a burden at times.

- The moment between the lady who lost their child and T'challa gave T'challa more humanity that Coates has done in 8 issues.

- Hopefully this won't be the end of T'challa's guest appearances in this book. Pak simply gets the character.

Relevant T'challa scans below...

Shuri's Complete Journey through the Djalia

Shuri has finally returned from the semi-dead/Djalia, so let's take a look at her complete journey through the Wakandan Djalia one more time.

[If you click on a image, it will enlarge and you can scroll through them easily -- Shadow]

continued after the jump...

MCU Inspired Panther Art

Newest Tech Feat- Black Panther #8

T'challa created a device that would allow Eden to essentially teleport them to the Djalia.

Priest Suit Panther Art

Black Panther #8 Spoilers and Thoughts...

Spoilers...

- T'challa talks and thanks each of the Crew. We get the best conversation between Storm and T'challa since AvX which is a plus. Eden teleports them out.

- T'challa and Eden prepare to journey into the Djalia for Shuri. We learn that the living death she is incased in was a better design than what encased Thanos and that is why T'challa cannot break through it.

- We get a long monologue from T'challa talking about what he had did (left his sister to die) and why he did what he did. And then we get monologues on how he figured out where Shuri was (as well as a panel explaining the last incursion increased his powers aka the soul tracking).

- We then get a powerful line about him gladly giving up his life for his nation, but he refuses to sacrifice his sister for it.

- Back to Shuri. We essentially get the last story, involving a woman leading there armies against a great army after the men of the village surrendered.

- T'challa arrives in the Djalia. And they return... with Shuri as well

Thoughts...

- This was the best issue of the series so far. It played to the strength of Coates and the artist as well.

- Boy am I glad the Shuri journey is over and even happier she is back. Her new powerset could be interesting... talking stories from history and turning it into powers. It could be taken too far into deus ex machina territory but if done right and subtle... could be really cool and unique.

- The inner monologues with T'challa were on point. It made him feel human without tearing him down. Strong feat there building something that could amplify Eden's powers and take them to the Djalia. And the subtle power up with the soul tracking being explained could be cool or could be ignored by future writers. But at least someone is using his enhanced senses again.

- All in all, this concludes the second book/act/trade while at the same time launching it into the conclusion of this story. It si weird how the closing issues of both trades were the best issues of the bunch. Maybe that gives us hope for the final act to be something that truly and finally elevates T'challa.

October 2016 Comic Sale Report

Black Panther #7, featuring The Crew:

60,857

I think me and many others thought there would be more of a boost with the appearance by the Crew, particularly from Storm fans but, as usual, Storm fans never support Storm when she isn't with other X-Men I guess.

Anyway, any sales increase this far in the game is a good thing.

Here is a look at T'challa complete solo book history...

The only two books that sold more than #7 are the Storm marriage issue and a random issue post Civil War.

The Ultimates #12, featuring lots of talking:

23,871

Not really sure what else can be said about the Ultimates. Ewing is a fan favorite but not a sales favorte. But htis book stayed above the cancellation line for a year and now will be getting relaunched so, we will hope for the best.

Really wish T'challa was on Avengers proper though.

T'challa vs M'baku: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Story: "Welcome to Wakanda" (Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Ep #17)

Background: The Man-Ape challenged T'chaka to a Tribal Challenge for the throne and won thanks to a sound device given to him by Klaw. T'challa leaves Wakanda and ends up at Avenger's Mansion, where he eventually asks for help (which ended up just being a distraction to get into Wakanda). T'challa then challenges M'baku to a Tribal Challenge. 

T'challa is restored as king as M'baku and Klaw were vanquished. He also learns to trust the Avengers and ends up joining their team as well.

MCU Panther Art

Black Panther #8 Preview and Solicit

VOYAGE INTO THE DJALIA

- T’Challa’s research and technology takes him to a place that not even THE CREW can follow: THE DJALIA, Wakanda’s collective memory.

- Just getting there was hard, but finding SHURI across their nation’s past, present and future might turn out to be impossible.

- Even so, the strain on his Soul-Stalker abilities might tear him apart before he gets very far…

- That is the most adult conversation Storm and T'challa have had since AvX. So, props to Coates for that.

- Let's go get Shuri!

Black Panther: World of Wakanda #1 Spoiler and Thoughts

Midnight Angels Story Spoilers...

- Aneka is the captain/trainer of the Dora Milaje, Ayo is a new, hot headed recruit.

- Aneka makes an example of her. Sparks fly.

- Boss Dora mentions to Aneka that her actions seemed unnecarry.

- More Ayo/Aneka training.

- Boss Dora brings in Folami, who can't fight but "knows things" whatever that means really.

- More potential love sparks between Ayo and Aneka

- Jump forward to a mission dealing with Atlanteans in Wakanda. Apparantely this takes place during AvX.

- Dora recruits initiated into the DM

- Namor floods Wakanda


Thoughts...

- Good lord this was terrible. Terribly thin, terribly simple, terribly written, terrible thought balloons.

- This book existed to show more of Ayo and Aneka and instead, Roxane turned them into walking Disney caricatures. It is pathetic and pointless. Coates did more in 2 pages than Roxane did with half a book.

- Why on Earth are we jumping way back to pre-AvX?

- I'm insulted by this book. Roxane cannot write comics. This was garbage.


Zenzi Story Spoilers...

- We get a back story and semi origin of Zenzi

- She is Nigandan, who was essentially treated like garbage for being Nigandan. It involved a story of a young friend who was forbidden to play with her.

- There is talks of the Alkama fiends and how the Wakandan's took it from Niganda and that was the source of their strength.

- Zenzi heads ot the city of Azzari, which recently pulled itself back together by themselves, without the help of T'challa.

- Zenzi leaves the city. On her walk she is attacked but uses her powers to stop them. Her powers exhaust her though

- Tetu finds her. Comments on what she did. Asks if she wants to be liberated like him. She says she will not put her faith in one man again. And basically that she wants to liberate a nation.

Thoughts...

- This was a legit story. I wish Yona wrote both parts of the story or I wish Zenzi got all 20 pages to herself.

- The comic weaved the past and present wonderfully to tell the initial story.

- I am unsure what "one man" she is referring to initially but maybe we will find out.

- Small continuity error... T''challa was not king during or post Namor's attack.

T'challa vs M'baku: Round 4

Story: The King is Dead (Priest #48-49)

Background: T'challa is suffering from the after effects of his incurable aneurysm, which is giving him illusions of Magneto giving him "advice." Future T'challa is back in stasis. QDJ and Vibraxas free M'baku from prison, on the condition he goes back to the Crystal Forrest peacefully and returns to the Golden City for his trial. He lied. 

[Scan Tip: Click to enlarge the images and they are easier to read. You can scroll through them all that was as well. --- Shadow]

After killing the future version of T'challa, The King snaps and declares war on the Jabari tribe

The idiots Vibraxas and QDJ, who started all of this, try and intervene and plea to the king. T'challa shows no mercy whatsoever. Due a combination of T'challa hallucinating again and what is essentially Vibraxas sass, T'challa attacks Vibraxas as he thinks it is Magneto.

QDJ gets caught in the crossfire when trying to de-escalate

M'baku then attacks while T'challa is dealing with his aneurysm

Once the medication takes its effects and re-orients T'challa, QDJ, who didn't die after all, pleads for him to stop the attack. He relents. 

In the end, T'challa gives all power to the Tribal Council and leaves the throne to hide in New York. 

Inhumans vs X-Men Kirby Inspired Variant Cover