Reviews

Black Panther: World of Wakanda #2 by Afua Richardson, Roxane Gay, Alitha Martinez, Ta-Nehisi Coates

aprilpoole's review

5.0

It is no question: this is the best ongoing series right now. A comic of queer black women is everything we need in comics right now, and I can't wait for the next issue. Roxane Gay and Ta-Nehesi Coates are a brilliant team that craft a well structured and written story, and Gay creates nuanced, thoughtful characters. Even after just two issues, I am hooked on this story and these women, and their story is compelling. Can't wait for January for the next issue.

theresidentbookworm's review

5.0

In a year when so much happened, when there were so many deaths and tragedies and atrocities and disappointments, it's easy to start thinking that we are losing somehow. That we can't make the world better no matter how hard we fight and scream and make our voices heard. I wish that it didn't feel like that sometimes, but it does. When I start to think of the things that sucked this year, I make a list of all the good I saw in it. A good movie. A great song. My friend's hugs. Poetry. My cat. I try to remember that we are making strides, slowly but surely. I remember that anyone can marry anyone they want in this country now. I remember that global poverty has gone down significantly in the last 20 years. I remember that I got to go back to school this year, my generalized anxiety disorder in check. I remember that there is a Wonder Woman movie coming out in June. I add all these things together, and then I start to feel better about the world.

One of the things continues to make me feel better about the world is Black Panther: World of Wakanda. I'm not sure what powers that be made this possible, but every month there is a Marvel comic book about the Dora Milaje, the personal bodyguards of the Black Panther, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay. Roxane Gay, the author of Bad Feminist and one of my personal role models, is co-writing a comic book for Marvel about a group of female warriors and heavily featuring a lesbian relationship between two badass women of color. What more could I want out of a comic book? I just love every page of this series, and it's only on its second issue. At this point, I kind of only buy the main Black Panther series so I can see Aneka and Ayo in it. I love the depth Gay (because I know that she is the one who really developed their relationship in this series, no offense Mr. Coates) gave to Aneka and Ayo's romance. I love that these women can be both badass and struck by love. I love the writing and the art and the issues brought up about injustice and bad governments by these characters.

The world does not deserve this amazing series, but luckily we got it. I can't wait for 2017 just to see where Coates and Gay take World of Wakanda.