The heroes of the Marvel Universe continued their fight against Knull and his dark forces this week as “King in Black” rages on. While this event is impacting characters all over the globe, and even off of it in some cases, the fight has primarily taken place in New York (who could have guessed?). This week though, the fight has come to Wakanda.
T’Challa, the Black Panther, the King of Wakanda is now facing a threat unlike any he’s ever seen. Knull and army of nightmarish creatures have reached his technologically-advanced kingdom. Like everywhere else in the world, Earth is falling and the king of wakanda has to come up with a plan to turn the tides in “King in Black: Black Panther #1.”
The Black Panther may be a king, but he’s also known for being on the front lines of any battle that may find its way to Wakanda. That is exactly the case here as he faces off with Knull’s army. While Wakanda has grown accustomed to winning these kinds of battles, this time around they do not fare so well.
Meanwhile, the other leaders of Wakanda try to search for answers. Shuri and Okoye debate the best way to go about handling this ominous conflict. Their faith in their king is put to the test when T’Challa makes some unorthodox suggestions that could lead to the end of Wakanda.
The Black Panther is a king, an avenger and a fighter. He has seen everything the universe can throw at him and he has survived it. But Knull is a threat from a different time and this is unlike anything Wakanda has ever faces before. Does T’Challa have what it takes to hold the line and what does this battle mean for “King in Black” going forward?
“King in Black: Black Panther #1” wastes no time jumping into the action, with T’Challa taking on some of the now-familiar symbiote monsters in Wakanda. With some fantastic art from German Peralta, we get to see some classic Black Panther fight scenes play out right from the first page.
There is also an emotional opening to this issue, pulling from context that has taken place earlier in the overarching “King in Black” story. The world has already been through a lot and even the king of Wakanda is not immune to loss in the invasion from Knull.
The action and that impactful emotional moment doesn’t last long however, as this issue hits a bit of a stall as Okoye, Shuri and T’Challa deliberate regarding the strategy they should employ in this fight. With this story having started several months ago, watching characters trying to figure out a plan at this point is growing a bit tiresome. It almost feels as though this issue would have been better suited from a much earlier release.
Luckily, “King in Black: Black Panther #1” does deliver a strong finish and the Black Panther and his team leap back into action and deliver an exciting conclusion. Plus, this issue could have some big ramifications for the overall story going forward, potentially making this a very important issue to pick up.
