Priest Back in Wakanda? Plus a Whole Lot of Comics
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Happy New Comic Book Day! This week is absolutely stacked, and I feel sorry for everyone like me who was already a little overwhelmed. From new entries like DC x Sonic The Hedgehog and Absolute Flash to ongoing events like One World Under Doom, we've got a lot of reading to do this week. But paint me red and call me a sucker, because I'm here for all of it. An Unexpected Return Last week, Marvel released Reggie Hudlin's blockbuster Black Panther run in the coveted Omnibus format. It was a big deal for me, as I hope to one day own all of T'Challa's solo adventures in oversized hardcovers. By my own head mapping, we only need two more books to fill in the gaps. One covering Jack Kirby's Black Panther Vol. 1 run and Don McGregor's Panther's Quest. The other would cover the Doomwar Saga immediately following Hudlin's run. As I said in my overview, Hudlin's Black Panther run made T'Challa an blockbuster action hero. He saves the day, shows who's boss, and gets the girl. But you can't talk level-ups for Black Panther without bringing in one name -- Christopher Priest. Before Joe Quesada tapped Priest to write Marvel Knights Black Panther, it had been 20 years since T'Challa's last ongoing series. Priest added a ton to the mythos, building on McGregor's legend with the addition of the Dora Milaje, the Jabari Tribe, Kimoyo Cards, Everett Ross and many other things we saw immortalized in the 2018 film. Now, more than 20 years removed from Marvel Knights Black Panther, Quesada and Priest are reuniting in Wakanda for Marvel Knights: The World to Come. Per Marvel's solicit: The King of Wakanda is DEAD, leaving unguarded the world’s most advanced technology, most precious metal, and a cryptic vault of dark secrets while triggering global conflicts among Marvel's heroes, villains and mutants. With T'Challa gone and the future of the Marvel Universe teetering on a vibranium knife edge, a tribal challenge ensues for the Wakandan throne and its mysterious victor will emerge as the new leader of Wakanda and usher in THE WORLD TO COME. While I'm not sure how I feel about T'Challa dying, I LOVE Priest as a writer and trust him to make this an entertaining entry. When I spoke to him last year, he made it clear that he wouldn't come back to Wakanda unless he felt like he had something to say. It appears he was being coy, as this project has apparently been in the works since 2017. But after the heat that was the Eisner-nominated Superman: Lost; I'll be here waiting with bated breath. Read Something Dope Today, BJ KICKS P.S.: I finally read Civil War (2006) by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. It was pretty good. More on that next week. |
Comics Are Dope
Celebrating everything Dope about comics. Curated by BJ KICKS.
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