Scan barcode
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
2.0
So this is more of a general review of this issue and the issues leading up to it (from #15).
BTW -Queen still rocks. I need Queen in everything now.
But in many ways this issues and the events in the comic leading up to it are a classic illustration of why I stop reading Marvel comics for many years, and even today, with the exception of Coates' run on Black Panther (not the space one, the one before that) and Moon Girl, I will not pay for Marvel comics.
Spoilers ahead too.
The Priest run, up until around this issue has been really good, and even these issues are good despite the CURRENT BIG MARVEL CROSSOVER EVENT THAT MAKES NO SENSE happening (and these always lead to weak writing, though not the fault of authors per se) There are aspects of this run I love - QUEEN. I mean Queen is just wonderful. I love Queen, she's a Queen which is why I call her Queen even though her name is Queen something something too long WTH.
In general Ross's voice is wonderful and while Panther does not always stay in Wakanda, he does act a King, he is concerned about his people.
BUT,
There is after issue #15 a plot point that involves Ross hitting Nikki, his girlfriend and boss. Now he's mad because she did not tell him that she and Panther were lovers while she was in college (ten years prior to the start of the story at least). She says something like, don't you want to hit me, and then he does. And I got a problem. And it ties into the problem I had (and still have) with Marvel and its male characters (though to be fair, some women get the same pass :stares at Emma Frost:). At no point is Ross's hitting of Nikki while her back is turned ever examined. Ross doesn't feel guilty about it, and before he and Nikki can hash out the relationship, she is killed. In other words, she is fridged so we can see how broken up Ross and Panther are about her death. And this is not the only time that Marvel has given a pass to its male characters and abusive behavior. Justice, for instance, was never condemned for his treatment of his then girlfriend Firestar (his lying, manipulation, and willingness to sacrifice her). And while the relationship and characters are perhaps a little more complicated then what I am implying, it would have been nice to have someone, anyone call foul. Just like someone should have called foul for Ross' behavior in this run of Black Panther. (Or Cyclops treatment of Maddie or all of X-Men saying that Polaris should be punished for what happened when Malice took possession of her, or Gambit getting a pass on everything. Marvel keeps saying if you a woman, men are going to treat you like crap but its okay because they really care about you).
Just like someone should called foul in the treat of Okoyne and Nakia in this run of Panther. They are 16-17 in this run and dressed and depicted like pin ups. Nakia gets consumed by desire for Panther (they are possible wives but not wives) and while Ross might make the odd mention about the girls, he never fully points out the problems with treating too young women as almost wives throughout much of their development and the harm it might do to them. (Panther is allowed to date, they are not). When Nakia is given punishment for her behavior (she tried to kill the Panther's true love, the amount of women in this series who have or have had or wish to have a romantic relationship is every damn woman in the book except for his stepmom), there is no real examination from anyone about what this might do to her. And yes, different cultures - but both Ramona (who is not from Wakanda) and Ross could have said something besides "remember she is young". That's it. In fact, Ross salivates over the girls at points. (It's worth noting that Nikki is killed by Nakia-Malice by that point - who is trying to killing Monica the singer because Panther loves Monica. Monica feels a little bad about Nikki getting caught in the crossfire because Nikki had spunk, she guessed).
I mean, c'mon. Malice's betrayal and Nikki's death are only used to see the effect such events have on the men - not on the women. And it's worth noting that Malice's betrayal is basically -she wanted too much and should have known that the kiss meant nothing blame game as opposed to a possibly just reaction (let's say like a certain X character because of what happened to his parents). Then Monica gets upset because Panther kisses Storm because you know, the only two major Marvel characters from Africa must know each other. (Sorry). But Panther still really loves Monica; it just will not work or anything. And for some reason Storm and Queen were flying around naked, and wouldn't that be, well, drafty? (And shouldn't Monica have something so say about the teens?)
It's anger inducing. In part because there is Queen who does question some of it - like the whole bit about being a Panther half wife - but not all of it -the hitting of Nikki. Additionally, there are some much that Priest goes after - capitalism, colonization for instance - that his overlooking those other issues feels icky. In particular because the excuse that "the devil made Panther kiss Nakia" while true in terms of story, also sounds like the same old excuse that older men use all the time for raping younger women/girls.
BTW -Queen still rocks. I need Queen in everything now.
But in many ways this issues and the events in the comic leading up to it are a classic illustration of why I stop reading Marvel comics for many years, and even today, with the exception of Coates' run on Black Panther (not the space one, the one before that) and Moon Girl, I will not pay for Marvel comics.
Spoilers ahead too.
The Priest run, up until around this issue has been really good, and even these issues are good despite the CURRENT BIG MARVEL CROSSOVER EVENT THAT MAKES NO SENSE happening (and these always lead to weak writing, though not the fault of authors per se) There are aspects of this run I love - QUEEN. I mean Queen is just wonderful. I love Queen, she's a Queen which is why I call her Queen even though her name is Queen something something too long WTH.
In general Ross's voice is wonderful and while Panther does not always stay in Wakanda, he does act a King, he is concerned about his people.
BUT,
There is after issue #15 a plot point that involves Ross hitting Nikki, his girlfriend and boss. Now he's mad because she did not tell him that she and Panther were lovers while she was in college (ten years prior to the start of the story at least). She says something like, don't you want to hit me, and then he does. And I got a problem. And it ties into the problem I had (and still have) with Marvel and its male characters (though to be fair, some women get the same pass :stares at Emma Frost:). At no point is Ross's hitting of Nikki while her back is turned ever examined. Ross doesn't feel guilty about it, and before he and Nikki can hash out the relationship, she is killed. In other words, she is fridged so we can see how broken up Ross and Panther are about her death. And this is not the only time that Marvel has given a pass to its male characters and abusive behavior. Justice, for instance, was never condemned for his treatment of his then girlfriend Firestar (his lying, manipulation, and willingness to sacrifice her). And while the relationship and characters are perhaps a little more complicated then what I am implying, it would have been nice to have someone, anyone call foul. Just like someone should have called foul for Ross' behavior in this run of Black Panther. (Or Cyclops treatment of Maddie or all of X-Men saying that Polaris should be punished for what happened when Malice took possession of her, or Gambit getting a pass on everything. Marvel keeps saying if you a woman, men are going to treat you like crap but its okay because they really care about you).
Just like someone should called foul in the treat of Okoyne and Nakia in this run of Panther. They are 16-17 in this run and dressed and depicted like pin ups. Nakia gets consumed by desire for Panther (they are possible wives but not wives) and while Ross might make the odd mention about the girls, he never fully points out the problems with treating too young women as almost wives throughout much of their development and the harm it might do to them. (Panther is allowed to date, they are not). When Nakia is given punishment for her behavior (she tried to kill the Panther's true love, the amount of women in this series who have or have had or wish to have a romantic relationship is every damn woman in the book except for his stepmom), there is no real examination from anyone about what this might do to her. And yes, different cultures - but both Ramona (who is not from Wakanda) and Ross could have said something besides "remember she is young". That's it. In fact, Ross salivates over the girls at points. (It's worth noting that Nikki is killed by Nakia-Malice by that point - who is trying to killing Monica the singer because Panther loves Monica. Monica feels a little bad about Nikki getting caught in the crossfire because Nikki had spunk, she guessed).
I mean, c'mon. Malice's betrayal and Nikki's death are only used to see the effect such events have on the men - not on the women. And it's worth noting that Malice's betrayal is basically -she wanted too much and should have known that the kiss meant nothing blame game as opposed to a possibly just reaction (let's say like a certain X character because of what happened to his parents). Then Monica gets upset because Panther kisses Storm because you know, the only two major Marvel characters from Africa must know each other. (Sorry). But Panther still really loves Monica; it just will not work or anything. And for some reason Storm and Queen were flying around naked, and wouldn't that be, well, drafty? (And shouldn't Monica have something so say about the teens?)
It's anger inducing. In part because there is Queen who does question some of it - like the whole bit about being a Panther half wife - but not all of it -the hitting of Nikki. Additionally, there are some much that Priest goes after - capitalism, colonization for instance - that his overlooking those other issues feels icky. In particular because the excuse that "the devil made Panther kiss Nakia" while true in terms of story, also sounds like the same old excuse that older men use all the time for raping younger women/girls.
More...