Monday, March 27, 2017

Cable #54 Retro-Review



Issue: Cable #54
Date: 05/1998
Writer: Joe Casey


General Black Panther Spoilers

- Cable crash lands in Wakanda. He is found unconscious by W'kabi and some Wakandans and is taken back to the city for medical aid and to inform the king.

- Cable wakes up. T'challa is there. He knows Cable but at the same time doesn't. He knows he is dangerous but informs Cable he is with friends and that his cousin, Dr. Joshua Itobu helped treat him. T'challa mentions he just returned to Wakanda from his Avengers adventures. Cable says he knows who he is and where he is at... Wakanda.

- T'challa welcomes Cable to stay. During dinner with Cable and Itobu, there is a discussion about Wakanda that is oddly relevant to the current, Coates, Nation Under Our Feet, story.


- We discover the Itobu has smuggled Klaw into Wakanda as he wants to overthrow T'challa to push Wakanda into being a superpower with influence all over the world while Klaw's motivations are unclear.

- T'challa takes Cable down into the Techno Jungle, where they are running experiments on Vibranium in a vacuum for safety.

- Itobu and T'challa debate using Vibranium and Wakanda's resources for military might. Itobu meets with Klaw later, where we discover he is dying of vibranium poisoning from his sonic blaster. Klaw snaps, attacks Itwobu and decides to just do things himself.

- Cable notices the door to the Techno Jungle has been left open. He explores and discovers Klaw. They fight and Klaw eventually takes him out before being confronted by T'challa. T'challa attacks with vibranium knuckle bands and opens the vibranium testing door. With the help of Cable, Klaw is thrown into the room... which is a vacuum. Without sound existing, Klaw is essentially evaporated and killed.


- Itobu is alive but now deaf. T'challa gives Cable and aircraft and tells him that Wakanda is always a safe haven for him.


Importance to the Mythos

- Telepathic resistance feat by T'challa

- One of the few appearances from Itobu

- Another fight with Klaw where T'challa seemingly kills him



Other Thoughts

- I didn't know  a Cable comic with no giant gun existed.

- This is yet another Klaw/BP meeting where BP dispatches his "arch" nemesis with relative ease. Hell, he even offered to help the dude. That is so odd. T'challa is full on, "noble monk" in this comic.

- I have no idea what the, "I know you kinda but I can't remember" thing was about. Maybe it was a time travel story or something? I am not a big Cable back history reader. Cable made it sound like he knew Wakanda from the future though.


Should You Read It?

- For a guest appearance, it was a pretty substantial and solid issue that takes a look at a conflicted Wakanda (traditional vs western) and of course, another Klaw vs. BP fight. There is nothing earth shattering in here but if you can find it (it isn't on Marvel Unlimited), it is worth the five minutes to read it.

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Friday, March 24, 2017

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Black Panther vs Lt Kathy Ling aka Spitfire (Ultimates² #3-5)



Story: Ultimates² #3-5

Background: The Troubleshooters invade the ship of Galactus, looking for the Ultimates. When they find them, cool heads do not prevail and a fight breaks out. Lt. Kathy Ling, a techno-kinetic who can control her suit with psi-control, ends up taking on T'challa.


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










I always appreciate writers who realize that T'challa isn't just a tech dude who makes fancy tech stuff. Dude is a warrior, with or without tech. More writers need to realize it and show it!

Shadow Combat... Ewing is a man after my heart. 

Monday, March 20, 2017

Friday, March 17, 2017

BP Sighting: Monster Unleashed #4



They just had to put Storm there. Would have preferred the continued use of Shuri

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Black Panther vs. Beast (Avengers #53)



Story: Avengers #53

Background: The X-Men (O5 minus Angel) were brainwashed by a machine of Magneto to attack and kill the Avengers (Hank, Janet, Black Panther, Hawkeye). Beast took on the Black Panther, while Iceman fought Hawkeye, Cyclops fought Giant-Man, and Jean fought Janet. 



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







Young Hank just got schooled by T'challa!

This would actually be a pretty cool fight in the current comics. I believe Hank put a beating on Sabertooth when Hank was blood lusted. They are both quite agile, fast, and very intelligent. 

Monday, March 13, 2017

X-Men #45, Avengers #53 Retro-Review




Issue: X-Men #45, Avengers #53
Date: 06/1968
Writer: Gary Friedrich (X-Men), Roy Thomas (Avengers)

General Black Panther Spoilers

X-Men #45

- X-Men are prisoners of Magneto and the Brotherhood. Cyclops escapes and eventually ends up fighting Quicksilver. Right as he knocks him out, the Avengers arrive with T'challa's only panel appearance.



Avengers #53

- The Avengers think Cyclops is attacking Quicksilver (who was an Avenger) as they don't know he switched to the Brotherhood. Cyclops beats them, including blasting T'challa to kingdom come.


- Flash back to before this, where Angel arrives at Avengers HQ to recruit the Avengers against Magneto.

- Avengers discover a tracking device on Angel and think he is a traitor and tie him up. The device was actually put on by Magneto, in order to draw the Avengers to him.

- Flash back forward to post Cyclops beating and the Avengers quarrel and fight each other with some strong insults thrown T'challa's way (oh the 60's....).

- Magneto uses a machine to force to kill the Avengers. Beast attacks Black Panther and they brawl.

- The Avengers prevail and BP beats Beast.



- They attack Magneto who stops them... until Angel arrives. The tie up and fighting between each other was a ruse by the Avengers.

- Magneto ends up escaping but is betrayed by Toad, who blows up the island, along with Magneto.


Importance to the Mythos

-  First meeting with the X-Men

- Brawl with Beast


Other Thoughts

- The incessant "Tarzan" type comments is just grating to read in 2017. It is like in every single issue up to this point in publication. I get it was the 60's, but I figured if Marvel was progressive enough to put an African genius king in a book, they would be progressive enough to tone down the racist type comments.



Should You Read It?

- If you are into the Roy Thomas version of T'challa, then yes, as he is in this issue a lot. Just read the Avengers issue as he is in one panel of the X-Men issue. There is also a decent fight with Beast.

For more modern Panther fans, other than the fight with Beast, there really isn't anything worth reading.

BP Sighting: Old Man Logan #19



Old Man Logan was looking for someone that could help him time travel and hop dimensions at the same time, in order to save the Hulk baby he left back in the Old Man Logan timeline.

Everyone said no.

Sunday, March 12, 2017

BP Sighting: America #1


This was following a fight that MAC, CM, and Monica were in with some creature thing.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

February 2017 Sales Report




Black Panther #11, featuring the "meh" defense of the Golden City...

35,492



Thought there might be a slight bump up thanks to the strength of #10 and the fact this was the (anti) climatic battle that has been built up for a year. But... not quite.

For comparision sake, this issue was outsold by Amazing Spider-Man, JaneThor, Old Man Logan, Dr. Strange, one Deadpool, one Steve Rogers, Venom, RiRi Iron Man but it did outsell Miles, the other Deadpool, the other Steve Rogers, Thanos, and Daredevil.

Here is the complete publication history of T'challa's solos...




Ultimates² #4, just chugging right along...

21,235



It is going to be what it is going to be but damn, the book needs to do something to stem the slow decline or it is heading to the cancellation zone.


Black Panther: World of Wakanda #4, showing us that....

17,454



... well, it is showing us that there is a reason this book is ending at #6. This isn't going to be pretty at the end.