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Black Panther (2023)
Black Panther: Reign at Dusk, Vol. 1
A new era of Black Panther begins, finding T'Challa lurking in the shadows, fighting for his people in secret!
There’s a man in the city of Birnin T’Chaka — a man with no name. He’s a king of nothing. He avenges no one. When the moon rises high over the city, he makes his way through the streets, aiding who he can in the hopes that he can remember who he once was. Or perhaps he wants to forget himself. He’s a myth, a shadow, a dream that makes you shiver in the morning. He’s the Black Panther. Get ready for an exciting new era that sees T’Challa stripped down to his most basic elements, continuing to protect his people from the shadows! Far from the gleaming capital of Birnin Zana, he stalks the streets of a city ruled by organized crime families, fighting for those who feel ignored by Wakanda’s former monarchy!
There’s a man in the city of Birnin T’Chaka — a man with no name. He’s a king of nothing. He avenges no one. When the moon rises high over the city, he makes his way through the streets, aiding who he can in the hopes that he can remember who he once was. Or perhaps he wants to forget himself. He’s a myth, a shadow, a dream that makes you shiver in the morning. He’s the Black Panther. Get ready for an exciting new era that sees T’Challa stripped down to his most basic elements, continuing to protect his people from the shadows! Far from the gleaming capital of Birnin Zana, he stalks the streets of a city ruled by organized crime families, fighting for those who feel ignored by Wakanda’s former monarchy!
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 2024
15 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Eve L. Ewing
99 books1,205 followersDr. Eve Louise Ewing is a writer and a sociologist of education from Chicago. Ewing is a prolific writer across multiple genres. Her 2018 book Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism & School Closings on Chicago's South Side explores the relationship between the closing of public schools and the structural history of race and racism in Chicago's Bronzeville community.
Ewing's first collection of poetry, essays, and visual art, Electric Arches, was published by Haymarket Books in 2017. Her second collection, 1919, tells the story of the race riot that rocked Chicago in the summer of that year. Her first book for elementary readers, Maya and the Robot, is forthcoming in 2020 from Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Her work has been published in many venues, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Washington Post, The New Republic, Poetry Magazine, and the anthology American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time, curated by Tracy K. Smith, Poet Laureate of the United States. With Nate Marshall, she co-wrote the play No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, produced by Manual Cinema and commissioned by the Poetry Foundation. She also currently writes the Champions series for Marvel Comics and previously wrote the acclaimed Ironheart series, as well as other projects.
Ewing's first collection of poetry, essays, and visual art, Electric Arches, was published by Haymarket Books in 2017. Her second collection, 1919, tells the story of the race riot that rocked Chicago in the summer of that year. Her first book for elementary readers, Maya and the Robot, is forthcoming in 2020 from Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Her work has been published in many venues, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Washington Post, The New Republic, Poetry Magazine, and the anthology American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time, curated by Tracy K. Smith, Poet Laureate of the United States. With Nate Marshall, she co-wrote the play No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, produced by Manual Cinema and commissioned by the Poetry Foundation. She also currently writes the Champions series for Marvel Comics and previously wrote the acclaimed Ironheart series, as well as other projects.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 20, 2024
T'Challa in exile resides in a more down to earth city of Wakanda...Burnin T'Chaka.
New challenges...new allies face the fugitive who must try to find his place in a new setting.
Like this fresh start...art works very well for me.
New challenges...new allies face the fugitive who must try to find his place in a new setting.
Like this fresh start...art works very well for me.
June 17, 2024
Reign at Dusk is almost Black Panther noir, and it would truly be all the better if it had fully leaned into that idea. T'Challa is persona non grata, so he's retreated to one of Wakanda's less prosperous cities. Chris Allen's extremely detailed artwork brilliantly lays out this afrofuturism-gone-to-seed landscape - I wish the setting had been more of a key element of the story.
T'Challa being T'Challa, he's still putting on the Black Panther outfit to solve minor crimes around town. Shuri is looking out for him from afar; closer up, there's a local thief in white who sometimes helps Black Panther. The main villains are the weak link: rival gangs who have almost nothing interesting to say. One of the gangs resurrects a Deathlok that's quickly dispatched. The conclusion randomly introduces some malevolent spirit that's going to haunt the town in the next volume? Weird.
T'Challa being T'Challa, he's still putting on the Black Panther outfit to solve minor crimes around town. Shuri is looking out for him from afar; closer up, there's a local thief in white who sometimes helps Black Panther. The main villains are the weak link: rival gangs who have almost nothing interesting to say. One of the gangs resurrects a Deathlok that's quickly dispatched. The conclusion randomly introduces some malevolent spirit that's going to haunt the town in the next volume? Weird.
March 6, 2024
I'm not sure I like this shift in focus for Black Panther. Street level heroes are a dime a dozen, not so much ones that are active rulers. I don't have any particular concerns with the execution, just not terribly thrilled with where Marvel is taking the character at the moment.
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March 25, 2024Eve Ewing's Panther run begins with the now obligatory renumbering, but I like that she resists the opportunity to hit the reset button at the same time, T'challa still deposed and in theory exiled after the democratic reforms of John Ridley's time on the book. Except that, being T'challa, he hasn't left Wakanda at all, just headed northwest, far from the Golden City, to Birnin T'chaka, or Biti to its residents, a much less glamorous location, rife with economic inequality, caste (or maybe clan - the two are used interchangeably) discrimination, and everyday corruption. Which is where the problem begins, because yes, we get obligatory reminders that at least in Wakanda everyone has somewhere to live, enough to eat, and sure, it can't be entirely perfect or it'd be a tough place to set stories - but seed too many of these problems and what becomes of the Afrofuturist dream it represents, and which has become a wider inspiration since it hit big on our world's cinema screens? As for the intimations that the situation is getting worse, not better, since the monarchy fell, well, that feels uncomfortably Divine Right of Kings to me, and I say that as someone living under a King Charles reading a comic written by an American. The other side of that, of course, being that at its best, especially the Priest run, Black Panther was specifically a comic about a hi-tech monarch, which stood out. Whereas here it's a comic about a vigilante in a moderately grim city, with a secret identity and only limited allies, and that's a far more crowded field - hell, there's even a Catwoman analogue introduced, though given the feline theme is taken she does get a different animal vibe. And in general, the feel and look of it are enough that it still feels distinctive - albeit more so the more thoroughly any given issue's art is down to Chris Allen, whose style is wonderfully intricate and clear, as against the missing backgrounds and confusing action which creeps in once he starts handing over first inks and then pencils, a problem most pronounced in the fight seemingly resolved by T'challa deprogramming Deathlok with his flaming nipples.
March 10, 2024
Picked this up Eve Ewing since I loved her Ironheart run and this is a joy too! Just like in her Ironheart run she does hone in on a certain aspect of the character and dig into it. In here its T'Challa's love for his people and country even as he exiled from it.
I love the premise! With T’Challa in exile he hides around in large city working from the shadows. It’s like Wakandan Batman and it’s amazing! The storyline builds up to the unrest as Wakanda deals with the transition to its new government and how people react through violence and organized crime with a slowly boiling gang war on Birkin T'Chaka's hands. It both creates a fun gritty urban action with Ilonga vs Nkisu (which works even better with the fun Afro-futurism Black Panther comics normally add touches of) and relates back to T’Challa’s love and want to improve and defend his nation. The new characters like Beisa (who is trans I believe) and N'Yobi are fun to read and bounce off of T'Challa well.
Design-wise the new Black Panther outfit is cool! At first I wasn’t digging the strap of knives but it doesn’t stick out as much I thought it would. The stripes on his mask work as both claw marks and a cool tribal design. And the panther shield fucks so hard!
The art is very strong too. Chris Allen does issue 1 and 2, with 3, and 4 having help from Matt Chater who does all of issue 5. Both are strong artists. Chris Allen has an amazing level of detail for everything. I love his attention to backgrounds that brings the bustling city to life. Throughout both there is also fun paneling choices and I love Chris Allen's like when Beisa relaxes on another panel, or T’Challa’s memories appearing in the busy network of pipes behind him.
Matt Chater has similar art to Chris Allen. I appreciate the wide use of digital brushes they choose to use. In general he normally uses a brush similar to Chris Allen or this chunkier look with thicker lines. They use other nice digital brushes like this rougher pencil one which mimics chunky lead and this ever-slightly transparent one. The use of different brushes really slaps some pizzazz on the art as he seems to use on the money panels or shots to make them pop even more.
Although, I am a bit confused as to why there are so many blank pages. Every couple of issues has a blank page. I’m guessing the original issues had ads or something there? That or the person in charge of layouts wanted a two-page spread and noticed the layouts were a page away from having that happen so they just slapped a blank page.
I love the premise! With T’Challa in exile he hides around in large city working from the shadows. It’s like Wakandan Batman and it’s amazing! The storyline builds up to the unrest as Wakanda deals with the transition to its new government and how people react through violence and organized crime with a slowly boiling gang war on Birkin T'Chaka's hands. It both creates a fun gritty urban action with Ilonga vs Nkisu (which works even better with the fun Afro-futurism Black Panther comics normally add touches of) and relates back to T’Challa’s love and want to improve and defend his nation. The new characters like Beisa (who is trans I believe) and N'Yobi are fun to read and bounce off of T'Challa well.
Design-wise the new Black Panther outfit is cool! At first I wasn’t digging the strap of knives but it doesn’t stick out as much I thought it would. The stripes on his mask work as both claw marks and a cool tribal design. And the panther shield fucks so hard!
The art is very strong too. Chris Allen does issue 1 and 2, with 3, and 4 having help from Matt Chater who does all of issue 5. Both are strong artists. Chris Allen has an amazing level of detail for everything. I love his attention to backgrounds that brings the bustling city to life. Throughout both there is also fun paneling choices and I love Chris Allen's like when Beisa relaxes on another panel, or T’Challa’s memories appearing in the busy network of pipes behind him.
Matt Chater has similar art to Chris Allen. I appreciate the wide use of digital brushes they choose to use. In general he normally uses a brush similar to Chris Allen or this chunkier look with thicker lines. They use other nice digital brushes like this rougher pencil one which mimics chunky lead and this ever-slightly transparent one. The use of different brushes really slaps some pizzazz on the art as he seems to use on the money panels or shots to make them pop even more.
Although, I am a bit confused as to why there are so many blank pages. Every couple of issues has a blank page. I’m guessing the original issues had ads or something there? That or the person in charge of layouts wanted a two-page spread and noticed the layouts were a page away from having that happen so they just slapped a blank page.
January 23, 2024
I feel like this book is 50% inner monologue. I also feel like it's a bit of a struggle to follow what's happening when I've only watched SOME of the Marvel movies (most relevant: Black Panther and Infinity War) and read (but forgot to review and, thus, have forgotten the contents of) Shuri: Wakanda Forever, but as one person told me, her husband—a Marvel FAN—has to read the comics with a wiki open to follow what's going on.
Despite this being *a* volume 1, a lot of things happened before the events of the story that I can only sort of follow: T'Challa was deposed and exiled but still carries out the role of the Black Panther, he is a stranger in the very city named for his own father, . It's also a bit weird that the [SPOILER]'s climactic battle ends pretty much immediately, but to be honest, battle sequences lose me easily, so I'm not particularly sad about that. Art is fantastic, at least.
I guess it's a good read for Marvel fans? Heck if anyone completely new to the series/universe would appreciate it in quite the same way.
Despite this being *a* volume 1, a lot of things happened before the events of the story that I can only sort of follow: T'Challa was deposed and exiled but still carries out the role of the Black Panther, he is a stranger in the very city named for his own father, . It's also a bit weird that the [SPOILER]'s climactic battle ends pretty much immediately, but to be honest, battle sequences lose me easily, so I'm not particularly sad about that. Art is fantastic, at least.
I guess it's a good read for Marvel fans? Heck if anyone completely new to the series/universe would appreciate it in quite the same way.
June 2, 2025
[Review for both trades, read all at once]
T'Challa, banished from Wakanda at the end of the last run, sneaks back into the country to live as a civilian in one of the 'poorer' cities in the country, only to run afoul of a kidnapping plot that involves a gang war, a space station, and a creature from a hundred years prior.
My first thought when I started this was 'if he was banished, why have him go right back again?' - but what I thought would be a redundant plot point becomes ten issues of T'Challa learning about the country he has sworn to protect before, and the people that live within it. It starts off as a more street-level story than we're used to for the Black Panther, but by the end of it, we're fighting ghosts in space, and it feels like a very natural progression, surprisingly.
Ewing peppers the story with fun civilian characters, and the mob bosses range from fanatical to incompetent, which is hilarious. New supporting character Beisa is also a treat, and the guest spot by M of the Uncanny Avengers is neatly folded in as well. And unlike my biggest qualm with the last run, Ewing's voice for T'Challa feels spot on.
I saw three artists across ten issues and got worried, but Chris Allen, Matt Chater, and Matt Horak manage to create a very cohesive tableau across the series. There's a lot of background detail that really makes the city of Birnan T'Chaka come to life, without being overdesigned, and even as the series comes to a close, there's no skimping on any of it.
A great run, absolutely. Different, compelling, and well-drawn throughout.
T'Challa, banished from Wakanda at the end of the last run, sneaks back into the country to live as a civilian in one of the 'poorer' cities in the country, only to run afoul of a kidnapping plot that involves a gang war, a space station, and a creature from a hundred years prior.
My first thought when I started this was 'if he was banished, why have him go right back again?' - but what I thought would be a redundant plot point becomes ten issues of T'Challa learning about the country he has sworn to protect before, and the people that live within it. It starts off as a more street-level story than we're used to for the Black Panther, but by the end of it, we're fighting ghosts in space, and it feels like a very natural progression, surprisingly.
Ewing peppers the story with fun civilian characters, and the mob bosses range from fanatical to incompetent, which is hilarious. New supporting character Beisa is also a treat, and the guest spot by M of the Uncanny Avengers is neatly folded in as well. And unlike my biggest qualm with the last run, Ewing's voice for T'Challa feels spot on.
I saw three artists across ten issues and got worried, but Chris Allen, Matt Chater, and Matt Horak manage to create a very cohesive tableau across the series. There's a lot of background detail that really makes the city of Birnan T'Chaka come to life, without being overdesigned, and even as the series comes to a close, there's no skimping on any of it.
A great run, absolutely. Different, compelling, and well-drawn throughout.
November 26, 2023
A king no longer, but always the protector of his people...
Much like Matt Murdock took up shop in Hell's Kitchen to fight for the disadvantaged, so too has T'Challa taken up residence in Birnin T'Chaka. We, for once, get to see more of Wakanda than just the gleaming and glitzy capital city. Birnin T'Chaka is a no-nonsense city. There's a darkness to this city that T'Challa isn't familiar with. Looks like a LOT of things have changed outside of the capital city.
The Black Panther is a king without a country now. The newly democratic Wakanda has exiled their former king, but he can't stay away forever. New friends, new foes, and a new home...
---
This is great extension to what they've shown Wakanda to be. All we've ever seen is the capital and how advanced they are. Every country has a blue collar region, and now we get to see how that part of Wakanda fits into the larger picture.
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Bonus: Definite parallels to Daredevil...(does Ewing remember T'Challa's time in Hell's Kitchen?)
Bonus Bonus: Also parallels to Batman with Beisa, a thief (and the Catwoman to his Batman)
Bonus the Third: Deathlok gets a redesigned outfit (also, WHICH Deathlok is this one?)
Much like Matt Murdock took up shop in Hell's Kitchen to fight for the disadvantaged, so too has T'Challa taken up residence in Birnin T'Chaka. We, for once, get to see more of Wakanda than just the gleaming and glitzy capital city. Birnin T'Chaka is a no-nonsense city. There's a darkness to this city that T'Challa isn't familiar with. Looks like a LOT of things have changed outside of the capital city.
The Black Panther is a king without a country now. The newly democratic Wakanda has exiled their former king, but he can't stay away forever. New friends, new foes, and a new home...
---
This is great extension to what they've shown Wakanda to be. All we've ever seen is the capital and how advanced they are. Every country has a blue collar region, and now we get to see how that part of Wakanda fits into the larger picture.
--------
Bonus: Definite parallels to Daredevil...(does Ewing remember T'Challa's time in Hell's Kitchen?)
Bonus Bonus: Also parallels to Batman with Beisa, a thief (and the Catwoman to his Batman)
Bonus the Third: Deathlok gets a redesigned outfit (also, WHICH Deathlok is this one?)
October 31, 2024
I'm not sure where to begin with this book. Let me start with the good, the art is magnificent! Loved the look of Wakanda, T'challa's look, the suits, the tech, everything looks great! The premise of the story is interesting; however, the execution was done poorly. This book should have been filled with adventure, intrigue, mystery, and action and we received none of it. It was a boring book. The fight between T'Challa and Beisa was done off-panel. It should have been the main fight of the book and there is literally a blacked-out page instead of the fight, Beisa is just captured with no explanation. The emphasis of the book is the dialogue and focuses on nothing of substance, wedding and law talk. Also, not every action needs a thought balloon but this book was over narrated by both T'challa and Beisa. The fight between Deathlock and Black Panther was "meh". Could have been expanded on but was solved very quickly with no real repercussions. I do not recommend. Grade: D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2024
I really really enjoyed this Black Panther volume to be honest. I don't know what happened to Wakanda in previous comics, clearly a lot of things happened. But still, this issue did a great job at introducing it's world and characters. It has lots of action with gorgeous art. And while the main story here wasn't anything to go crazy about, I enjoyed seeing Black Panther being a street-level hero.
I never read Black Panther before and in the movies, he mostly tries to save his country or the entire universe so, street-level Black Panther was a new thing for me and I loved it. I also really like that he is a stealth mastermind and his costume here is pretty cool as well. I recommend this, even if you are a new reader. I was able to understand most of the things, I'm sure you will be able to as well.
I never read Black Panther before and in the movies, he mostly tries to save his country or the entire universe so, street-level Black Panther was a new thing for me and I loved it. I also really like that he is a stealth mastermind and his costume here is pretty cool as well. I recommend this, even if you are a new reader. I was able to understand most of the things, I'm sure you will be able to as well.
March 11, 2024
I really liked the African futurist setting on display here — it’s probably one of the top reasons I like reading about anything set in Wakanda. I felt like the social issues at play were a bit murky and boiled down too much to “gangs are bad!” I also have ZERO context for T’Challa’s exile so I felt a bit in the dark on this story without a bit more framing. I’m also assuming Natima is a new character introduced here, but I felt like she was underdeveloped in the course of a story that seemed to want to make her more important. Generally, she just seemed like…Catwoman? In Wakanda? Man I feel like a dumb reading this!
October 7, 2024
So, this was really bad. Eve Ewing follows the events of the last series but floods readers with tons of new characters that are not distinguishable or memorable. T'Challa is faced with a new status quo but it seems more like a minor annoyance than what it should be. When the final page reveal happened I literally said, "huh?" because I had no idea who or why this mattered. The book was so boring and uninspired. The art was the only thing that saved it from the dreaded one star. Overall, lackluster is too kind.
July 11, 2025
To quote a simple line from this trade paperback, I like how so many of the new BP stories involve "regular people." Often, hero comics make the bystanders just collateral damage or a lead-in to a joke. But the story is made more real, more impactful, with workers and shoppers and news reporters going about their lives while the protagonist's story moves along. The shield is a nice addition to his outfit; more colorful and quite useful.
March 19, 2024
Having become a pariah in Wakanda, T’Challa in Black Panther: Reign in Dusk feels like a promising new direction to take the character following his most recent adventures in Jason Aaron’s Avengers, but this book does not necessarily leave a lasting impact independently beyond the feeling of fun I had reading it.
August 17, 2024
T'Challa banished from the throne, and a fugitive in his homeland seeks solace and who he has become while living in the shadows of the city of Birnin T'Chaka. Considered an imitation of the actual Black Panther by the citizens of the city, only a few know that it is actually T'Challa fighting the underworld and crime bosses that are extorting the people and store owners for money.
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November 8, 2024Pros
+ The Wakandan city was drawn beautifully. It had interesting architecture and colours that made it look unique while also feeling believable and lived in.
+ Black Panther's suit was pretty cool.
Cons
- I can't remember anything that happened in the story and I only finished reading it less than 5 minutes ago.
+ The Wakandan city was drawn beautifully. It had interesting architecture and colours that made it look unique while also feeling believable and lived in.
+ Black Panther's suit was pretty cool.
Cons
- I can't remember anything that happened in the story and I only finished reading it less than 5 minutes ago.
December 8, 2024
Black Panther as Batman, but I liked it. Especially liked the world building of Biti and Ewing’s poet’s sensibility occasionally shone through. Would have loved to see Ewing explore a life for T’Challa outside of fighting crime, but that may be too much to ask of Marvel. Curious to see how this story ends!
January 7, 2024
Empecé a leer Black Panther en la era de John Ridley y nunca he logrado conectar con la historia. Creo que la historia de Ewing me gusta más que la de Ridley, pero la ilustración me pareció demasiado confusa como para disfrutarlo.
February 28, 2024
Love the trans girl super hero!!!! MORE PLEEEEEZ :3
June 16, 2024
A reset for Black Panther…new home, new mission…a plot that’s a bit too big with a questionable cliffhanger which wasn’t foreshadowed enough.
August 22, 2024
"The recon was a failure, your highness."
"Not my title at the moment."
"Your eminently disgraced royal pantherness."
I chuckled.
"Not my title at the moment."
"Your eminently disgraced royal pantherness."
I chuckled.
July 13, 2025
3.5 Stars
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