With the end of Shadowland, Daredevil has left Hell’s Kitchen to once again ‘find himself’. In the aftermath, the former king of Wakanda T’Challa steps in to his place with this week’s Black Panther: Man Without Fear 513 by David Liss and Francesco Francavilla.
T’Challa is back in America because he lost his kingdom in the aftermath of the recent Doomwar story. Now without the abilities granted by the panther spirit or any of his high technology items, T’Challa has gone back to basics. Even the name ‘Black Panther’ isn’t his to use, as his sister now holds that title.
He does still have his fighting skills and he uses them well as we get twenty-two pages of T’Challa setting up a new life as the protector of Hell’s Kitchen. His new identity is simply known as Mr. Okonkwo, manager of the Devil’s Kitchen restaurant.
That’s only the beginning of the story though. A crime epic seems to be in the works even in this first issue. This is only novelist David Liss’s second comic writing experience (his previous work was the Daring Comics 70th Anniversary Special, also from Marvel). Despite that mark, he weaves a solid (though narration-heavy) tale.
Francesco Francavilla (Zorro) shows in this one issue why he’s one of the fastest growing artists in all of comicdom. Though his recent Detective Comics back-up has been cut short, he doesn’t lose a beat with his jump to Marvel and Black Panther. His noir-tinged art style fits the series perfectly. He even provides his own colors to keep the atmosphere the perfect dark tinge.
It all comes together in an incredibly professional package for two talents new to the big two. It may very well be the best launch of a Marvel title all year.
Black Panther: Man Without Fear 513 should be available still in most comic shops, including local stores like Alter Ego (in Cedar Rapids) and Daydreams (in Iowa City).
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