X-Men: World's Apart Retro-Review

Issue: World's Apart #1-4
Date: 12/2008-3/2008
Writer: Christopher Yost


General Black Panther Spoilers

- After Storm arrives in Wakanda and orders the release of the Wakandan mutant Gentle, she is confronted by T'challa, who tells the crowd essentially that marrying the her was a mistake he intendes to rectify. He then winks at Storm... and we learn the Shadow King has taken over T'challa (and Cyclops) bodies. 

- After that, all hell breaks loose as Storm refuses to surrender and eventually takes Gentle away and they run. After Storm eventually takes out the Dora's with the help of Gentle, T'challa himself arrives to essentially kill her. 

- In the confrontation, T'challa strikes a near fatal blow, but in that blow Storm realizes T'challa is fighting the Shadow King as it would have killed her otherwise. 

- Storm ends up unleashing on T'challa and knocking him out after he begs Storm for help (Storm knew it wasn't him because T'challa would never ask for help). She then takes his body to the altar of the Panther God, where she communes with Bast.

- Bast shows the people of Wakanda that Storm is still Queen, and orders N'gassi to keep T'challa under sedation until she returns. 

- Storm does X-Men stuff. The Shadow King enters her brain... only to see that Bast is there. Bast devours the Shadow King for messing with T'challa. 

- Back in the Wakanda, all is well again. Gentle returns with the X-Men. 

Importance to the Mythos

- Showed Bast in a more active role than what is normally seen.

- Reminded everyone that Gentle and N'gassi exist. 

- Demonstrated T'challa ability to somewhat resist the Shadow King.

Other Thoughts

- This was a Storm story through and through but it was cool to see Wakanda in the back drop. Yost wrote T'challa and Wakanda quite well and produced an interesting story about a character I do not really care for (Storm). It was also cool to see the forgotten Gentle used again. Yost did a great job showing how formidable Storm was without chumping T'challa or the Dora's.

- The return of N'gassi!

- I wish Bast actually made it impossible for a Black Panther to be mind controlled. It would make perfect sense in theory. Kind of how T'challa tricked Mephisto but with telepathy instead. 

Should You Read It?

- If you are a fan of Storm, yes.