New Avengers, New Black Panther, New Black Power???

While Hickman's New Avengers is an entertaining read, his new Black Panther still suffers The Sin and the Fear. The Sin is there yet remains consistency in the necessary signatures that define the Black Panther. The Fear is those signatures have to be centered in and around an Afrakan and his culturally independent nation.

For characters to be and remain impactful they require defining traits (origin, abilities, powers, weapons, ideologies, sigils, tools, responsibilities, supporting characters, base of operation, etc...) to establish and maintain their uniqueness and identity. These signatures are immutable but adaptive to the zeitgeist of the real world. In addition to signatures characters need epic tales that invoke their Raison d'être.

Hickman is credited for introducing some new powers, abilities, tech and responsibilities to the Black Panther, yet their presence has not been seen or expanded on since Fantastic Four #s 607 & 608 and the first issue of New Avengers.

This is most evident in New Avenges #9 in which the battle between the Black Panther and the Black Dwarf occurs off panel. Comic books are about show and tell and that is predicated on consistency. This is how signatures remain permanent.

The Sin first reared it's ugly head soon after the Black Panther's introduction in FF # 52. Writers such as Roy Thomas, Larry Lieber, Gerry Conway, Don McGregor and even Jack Kirby himself ignored the defining traits inherent in the first appearance of the Black Panther.

This syndrome became virulent again post Priest as it was Priest who properly inoculated Tchalla during his run. Priest afforded the Black Panther a proper voice, mannerism, personal weaponry and equipment (based on a singularity inherent only to the character, that being vibranium), supporting characters and positioned Wakanda as a world power. In other words Priest endowed the Panther with all the signatures necessary.

Black Panther's next writer Hudlin ignored or only slightly touched on the signatures of Priest; instead choosing to focus on Afrakan (African American, so called blacks) political, historical and cultural indexes.

Hudlin also gave the Panther his most epic event, the marriage to Storm of the X Men. The first Sin committed by Hudlin was his having the Black Panther walk into an obvious trap and confront Dr.Doom without any offensive or defensive capabilities. The glaring contradiction is that Hudlin created some new signatures (i.e. the light armor first used against none other than Dr.Doom himself).Hudlin's second Sin was taking the mantle, the very title of Black Panther and the kingship of Wakanda away from Tchalla. The removal of these most vital of signatures were to have long felt consequences.

While I have had very little to say that was positive about Maberry's tenure as writer of the Black Panther as he too ignored the signatures of Priest; Maberry is to be given points for creating some interestingly potential signatures. Perhaps more contrivance for a single story than intended signatures the Nowhere Room, Shadow Physics, a new martial art that never uses the same move twice, the Caves of Basts, the Midnight Angels and Shuri's armor had potential. The ignored possibilities of these signatures is truly tragic. The armor as a mainstay for example would have helped distinguish Shuri physically and psychologically from Tchalla.

The Fear is first intoned in the very name Black Panther. For some it still conjures images of Afrakans (so called black) men and women who were intelligent, politically astute, organized and armed; engaged in warfare against the white world and its way of being.

The Fear is expressed in writing an Afrakan nation that is anything more than a primitively impoverished savage land, who's better days were under European colonial rule and enslavement. A cursory examination of Astonishing Tales: #s 6, 7 and Jungle Action #s 6 -18 clearly illustrates my point.

The Fear manifests as a belief that Afrakan people are nothing more than a minority incapable of managing their own affairs. The Fear also manifests as a deep rooted lack of appreciation for the inherent aesthetics and cultural nuances that earmark the Afrakan.

Ironically enough it was during the Priest era that the question Who Can Be The Black Panther? first came into being with his introduction of Casper Cole. The concept that the Black Panther could be someone other than Tchalla removes the most essential signature of all. The Fear was present in the fact that Casper Cole had to be bi-racial and be entrenched in an urban soap opera.

Priest is also responsible for creating the all so necessary prerequisite white characters (Nikki the white girlfriend, Hunter the white brother and Ross the omniscient white narrator) to assuage the Fear that white readers won't be interested in a book sans any white characters. A consideration not afforded to so called blacks for decades. So called blacks have been fans of white superheroes decades before tokenism, civil rights or minority representation came into effect. One didn't need so called black characters for so called black people to identify with white characters.

The next Fear was addressed under the pen of of writer David Liss, who arguably did more with less than many other Black Panther writers. This Fear revolved around the concept that the Black Panther was somehow too powerful. So to allay this particular Fear Tchalla was written as no longer being connected to the Panther spirit, stripped of his title as king, could no longer use the name Black Panther, no longer had access to the vast resources of his country, Wakanda and finally...had very limited contact with his wife.

I've no patience for cowardice masquerading as doing something new or different with the character. I am tired of seeing signaturesignored or forfeited. I do not wish to witness Hickman's Black Panther going into battle the same as McGregor's, Kirby's or Thomas' did. The concepts and ideas postulated by Hickman are pertinent enough to carry solo title, not to mention the art work by Epting and Deodato. Ever the optimist I remain grounded in the realization of the remoteness of a solo headed by such a creative team.

The Black Panther is over forty years old. The The Sin and the Fear curtails his ability to cross over into merchandising, video games and movies. His contemporaries Spider-man, Hulk, Iron Man and X-Men all have their signatures. The fact that Black Panther is sometimes seen as a Batman knock-off speaks volumes. If the primary writers and editors of the Black Panther do not agree on the signatures what chance does the character have of true growth and expansion?