A review by billyjepma
Black Panther, Vol. 1: A Nation Under Our Feet by Ta-Nehisi Coates

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

After an admittedly choppy start, this quickly became a proper knockout of comic book storytelling. I don't love the art style, though--the designs are excellent, but the colors come off as a bit heavy, and there's less detail in some of the frames than I expected. But it makes up for that with some sharp blocking and staging of the frames, which paces out Coates' wordy scripts very well. Those scripts are top-notch, too. It took me a few issues to find my footing since the plot throws you into the deep end of lore, politics, and relationships you may or may not be familiar with. But once things get going, Coates really cooks. I love how unafraid he is to make a mainstream Marvel book reckon with genuinely thorny ideas about nationalism, monarchies, domestic terrorism, and a helluva lot of other stuff. That Coates manages to weave it into the trappings of a traditional superhero book without coming off as overly didactic or removing the teeth from his commentary is just one more reason I was so thoroughly won over.