Black Panther, Vol. 2: Avengers of the New World

Black Panther by Ta-Nehisi Coates #4-5

by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Wilfredo Torres (Illustrator), Jacen Burrows (Illustrator)

Eons ago - before Black Panthers, before Wakanda, before time itself - there were only the Orishas! The pantheon of gods and goddesses from which the world as we know it was manifested: Asali. Ogutemeli. Bast. But now, when Wakanda burns, they are silent. Where have all the gods of Wakanda gone? And what came before even the Orishas? Find out, as the terrifying Originators return! The Black Panther's greatest foe is back as well, ready for war - and Klaw plans to stand supreme! All this is only the beginning, as a cadre of villains strike, monsters pour through strange gateways, and Wakanda is brought to its knees! T'Challa must defend his country from within - and turn to unlikely allies from without. Who will join the king's ill-fated crusade? The answers will surprise you! COLLECTING: BLACK PANTHER 13-18, 166-172

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comic Book, Superheroes, Comics Manga

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 27, 2018

About the author

Ta-Nehisi Coates is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Between the World and Me, a finalist for the National Book Award. A MacArthur "Genius Grant" fellow, Coates has received the National Magazine Award, the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism, and the George Polk Award for his Atlantic cover story "The Case for Reparations." He lives in New York with his wife and son.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Points awarded for scope but also points deducted for being unnecessarily convoluted. Reading these funny books shouldn't feel like a first year University reading assignment added to the syllabus because the author is friends with your Prof.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Woooshhh… that‘s the sound of the story going over my head. I didn‘t read Vol. 1, so that might be on me. The artwork is okay-ish, the story is mostly not there. DNF at 68 pages and 23%. I really can‘t see myself muddling through another 230 pages of this.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two complaints from the last volume, too wordy and too slow of a pace, Coates fixed here. This vol was not as heavy on the dialogue and it moved a little faster. Plus there was a lot more action. It seems as though the Wakandan gods, or Orisha, have stopped responding to the people as if they were no more or had left the people. Plus these portals kept opening up and these half man half creatures would come through and attack. T’Challa and company were trying to figure out what was going on and how this potentially could be connected to the return of Klaw. Really entertaining reading that journey and the character development they did with characters like Dr. Elliott Richards, Ol buddy form the wrecking crew. Different artists for this book but it still looked good and my goddess was Storm written so good here. Damn she was kicking ass in this volume. Overall nice improvement from the last volume.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ambitious is

a great thing when- as here- the contributors have all the skills to make good on their ambitions. Another excellent and enjoyable arc. Thanks!

[Andy Zell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second season (roughly 12 issues) of Coates's run on Black Panther felt more assured and flowed better. I mentioned in my review that the first volume that it sometimes felt like a political essay. Not so with this one. There was even an extended wordless sequence that really stood out. This one had action and ideas about government. I'm excited to see where it goes next.

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sicuramente più supereroistico e meno politico della precedente saga. Un po' ci voleva per il lettore medio fornire un po' di cazzotti old school, però ho decisamente preferito i volumi precedenti. Non sono un fan delle storie che coinvolgono la politica, però per la perfettina nazione del Wakanda ci voleva una storia come "A Nation Under Our Feet". Avrei preferito si fosse continuato su quella strada

[Diana Gagliardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoy!

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I would have enjoyed this one more had I read issues 7-12, but even so it's not too confusing if you have a basic sense of Wakanda. In the gap between the first story arc and this collection, Coates has gotten the hang of writing for comics (the first volume feels like an essayist/prose writer trying to squeeze into a new field, which...wasn't surprising, I guess).

[Yong Feng · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second story in Coates’ Black Panther run builds on the fledging proto-democratic Wakanda established in the first, and tests it against a new, external threat in the form of Klaw. This one hews more closely to the format of the superhero comic, with teams of heroes and villains brought together in combat. But there is also a parallel story about the gods of Wakanda who are absent, and a backstory which reveals that the early Wakandans were also colonisers in some way, complicating the legitimacy of their claim to the land in a manner that doesn’t seem fully resolved at the end. The ground that took a while to establish in the first volume allows the action in this one to flow more quickly and read more like the comic book it is rather than a treatise on government, and showcases Coates flexibility in changing between the two styles.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the nation of Wakanda back under control (sort of), T'Challa can begin to deal with some other pressing problems - like the fact that the gods of Wakanda appear to have abandoned them, and a new threat has risen to take their place.

Ta-Nehisi Coates' second year on Black Panther takes the political bent that the first year did so well and turns it towards the mythological and the religious, as we dig into the nature of what it is to be a god, and what a god means to their people. He does this with the multiple villains that plague the series, as well as by bringing Storm back into the fold, and her scenes with T'Challa are always perfect.

The political intrigue continues, as Zenzi, Zeke Stane, and all their villainous friends continue to menace T'Challa in new and exciting ways that manage to draw on the main plot and enhance it in at the same time. The Marvel Legacy arc of the book also brings back Klaw in a very clever way, as well as another Black Panther villain that I literally had to Google to find out who they were, so that's a deep cut, but it definitely feeds into the themes that Coates establishes early on.

The art is still kind of all over the place, as Wilfredo Torres and Chris Sprouse share the first six issues, while Leonard Kirk takes over for six of the final seven, with Sprouse taking the middle issue there. Black Panther doesn't seem to get particularly flashy artists, but they all do the job, and they do them well.

Another year of Black Panther, another impressive feat of storytelling from all involved. I have no idea what Coates is going to do next, but I definitely want to find out.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe it is partially because I haven’t read Volume 1, but I had literally no idea what was going on throughout this story. It throws more names around than the Game of Thrones TV show, then throws all kinds of in-world terms, then jumps about between different places.

[John Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

Try as I might I just can’t get into Coates’ comics writing.

[Rolando Marono · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esperé un año para poder continuar con esta historia escrita por Ta-Nehisi Coates y debo de decir que la espera valió la pena.
Primero hay que aclarar que definitivamente este cómic no es para todos. Es mitad cómic y mitad ensayo, tal como lo pudimos ver en el primer volumen. El maestro Coates no se pone barrera para tocar temas difíciles y los aborda desde varios puntos de vista. "Una nación bajo los pies" habla sobre monarquía y autoritarismo; en este volumen habla sobre fe, folklore y libertad.
Como continuación funciona bastante bien; continúa la historia exactamente dónde se quedó, con T'Challa tratando de recuperar su nación pero al mismo tiempo adaptándose a la democracia. Parece ser que los Dioses abandonaron a Wakanda, algunos grupos empiezan a alabar a nuevos Dioses y el folklore oculto de Wakanda comienza a surgir. Me gustó la tensión y el riesgo de los problemas, Panther se enfrenta a varias guerras en diferentes frentes.
Coates se atreve a reinventar un personaje como Klaw y volverlo de cierta manera interesante. Este volumen es una continuación directa y si leíste el volumen anterior tienes que leer este porque amarra las interrogantes que dejó en el volumen anterior.
Me hubiera gustado ver más a Changamire y a Tetu; tuvieron pocas apariciones en este volumen y aunque la serie no baja en calidad de los diálogos; esos dos personajes eran una gran oportunidad para el autor.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong improvement over "A Nation Under My Feet" which featured strong politicraft--but wasn't necessarily a good comic (it was someone clearly learning the ropes and balancing the synthesis of words with images). The first arc felt like a political essay.

This story feels like a true comic arc however--and not just a "vanity" project dipping their toes in. Coates does exceptionally impressive work here. He marries canon together with plot development and new ideas--while again, the story is a bit long with 12 issues, it moves much faster than the previous story.

He makes some daring choices including the origins of Wakanda, the nature of the missing gods, an interesting cast of villains (including Thunderball from the Wrecking Crew), the issues of the newly "Democratic" country, and actually a bit of sympathy for Klaw himself.

And my guess? The Gods left for space (out of boredom)...leading us to the Wakandan Intergalactic Empire

There's a contingent of "fans" who lament diversity comics. I'm not one of them, but I can get some of the sentiment (especially with the Safespace/Snowflake announcement from the New Warriors. This is a perfect balance of stressing the need for diversity, but also treading new water. Coates possibly casts some shade at Mark Millar for his "Black Bruce Banner" in Ultimate Avengers.

Great stuff

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with the general consensus - this fixes my complaints about the first volume where the ideas took precedence over the plot. The larger issues and themes were well-developed and unusually dominant for a mainstream comic release. However, I felt like character and action both suffered - they were crammed and at service to the philosophical questions. Those questions were fascinating but it did not align with my expectations. I have a feeling that I would enjoy the first volume on a re-read to not only understand more of the details and plot that were muddled before, but Aldo having a clearer expectation of what the story is about.

Here, the story finds more balance - themes of power, subjugation, colonialism and race are woven into the fabric of the narrative instead of being stamped on top of it. While I wish I could've seen Stelfreeze illustrate this volume, the artwork here is still excellent. My favorite part had to have been the "silent" battle with Aneka - truly exhilarating.

I flew through this volume and had a blast. It not only helped me enjoy this tale but also the work Coates put in the first volume - the consequences and themes are continued here, but it would've had less impact if the groundwork hadn't been laid.

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than volume 1, for a start it wasn't confusing at all, the story was very straight forward. Wakanda struggles with dealing with being a democracy instead of kingdom whilst the gods have abandoned Wakanda. Ancient beings start appearing and attacking the locals.

Love all the politics, especially when it says you are in charge of your own destiny and choose what path you take. As T'Challa takes a known criminal under his wing, to reform him in order to save his people. Once the big bad is revealed he's quickly dealt with and another big bad shows up who is also quickly dealt with.

The majority of this is big talk with fighting goons, whilst it's a vast improvement over the last volume. There still isn't much happening in the story, given this is two trades in a deluxe format. The story itself just had them doing the same thing repeatedly, it would have been nice to play with some of the ideas that it comes up with.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ta-Nehisi Coates continues to grow as a comic book writer with the second volume of his Black Panther run. This collection continues the narrative Coates developed in the first volume with a strong cast of Wakandan characters and effective use of Marvel villains. Politics and religion remain strong themes that are rarely explored in other mainstream comic titles.

Coates has an excellent knowledge of what has occurred with the Black Panther character previously and effectively builds on T'Challa's relationship with Storm. He also does a superb job referencing other developments in the Marvel universe in a style that has been lost amongst the majority of the publisher's other titles. The dialogue at times can be a bit wordy but I think this can be attributed to Coates' relative inexperience with the medium and ongoing stylistic transition from his journalistic writing career.

[Billy Jepma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The continued emphasis on thoughtful, nuanced worldbuilding and characterizations is excellent. I admire Coates’ commitment to that grit—he’s having his fun in the superhero sandbox, but enriches it with some Big Ideas™️ that give it more dimensions than you might expect from the genre.

This follow-up collection is definitely clunkier than the first one, though. The antagonists are far less defined, the threat too broad to give the stakes much momentum, and it seemingly resolves with little fanfare or payoff. All of the character work is top-notch, especially with the dynamic between T’challa and Ororo, which is a highlight. I hope we see more of them together in the next story arc(s) because the mechanics of their relationship nicely complements the themes Coates is developing.

[Shane Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coates’s stellar run on Black Panther continues. This volume takes things beyond political to the spiritual. Wakanda’s gods have seemingly abandoned them and what came before is returning. This volume also sees the return of Storm to the Black Panther series and Coates uses her very well. While I didn’t find myself immediately loving this volume as much as the last, there are plenty of satisfying moments in both action and character. The largely silent issue was a lot of fun. I’m really excited to see where Coates goes next. This may end up being one of the defining runs of Black Panther.

[L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wakanda is threatened by... I don't know - something, but everybody has issues and these issues must be discussed ad nauseam before anything gets done. Ta-Nehisi Coates was never meant to be a comic book writer. (He was never meant to be a writer, period, but that's another conversation.) The dialogue is ridiculous. Nobody talks like this. Coates makes everyone talk like this so everyone has the same voice. It makes me yearn for old Thor's "Have at thee!" speech.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the artwork is inconsistent and there is an over-reliance on background knowledge of the Marvel universe, this collection cements the themes of Coates run on Black Panther: an examination of the role of leadership, a celebration of powerful black women, and an awe-inducing vision of afrofuturism.

[Morgan (youarethelibrarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as much as the first volume; it was hard to tell who/what the villains were and what their purposes were. But I did like seeing a lot of Shuri and Storm being awesome and using their powers!

[Grant Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meandering, supernatural, and not quite sure what it is or wants to do. Has some exciting fight scenes, but the characters don’t feel fleshed enough for it to be meaningful. The first volume was more confident. I’m stopping my Coates run here.

[Marianna Botticchio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Proseguiamo con la storia dei 3 fumetti precedenti, anche se questo mi è piaciuto meno degli altri. Una storia che continua comunque ad interessarmi e che continuo a consigliare. Le tavole sono come sempre stupende e la storia continua molto bene.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice to see Storm back and I've always loved the interplay between T'Challa and his nemesis Klaw. Filled with rich history for Wakanada, and nicely developed characters. This was a great volume.

[Laura Romig · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 :) I read this all in one sitting and was very satisfied with it. It was engaging and exciting and pretty cohesive. I was confused in some parts but not many.

[Dhilon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5*

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.11 stars

I enjoyed this batch of Panther much more than Coates' previous efforts.

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

A holy war in wakanda.

Several pantheons seem to be fighting over a divided wakanda. A large cast of superheroes and supervillains. The back contains a lot of covers.

[Thomas Chaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection features a lot more action with about the same amount of sociopolitical commentary. It's really damn good!