A review by dozmuttz
Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers by Reginald Hudlin

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

5.0

REGGIE HUDLIN ONCE AGAIN COMES UP WITH A CINEMATIC LIKE STORY FOR THE KING OF WAKANDA AND I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF IT! 

This 4 issue mini-series takes us back to the 40s during WW2 and shows Captain America and the Howling Commandos taking a trip to the mysterious city of Wakanda. They’re on their way there on a mission to see what the Nazi’s were doing in Africa in that area. The Nazi soldiers are inquiring about Wakanda for its valuable metal vibranium, in order to get the edge over the Allies since they have their super soldier, Captain America. Red Skull and Strucker are the two vile men in charge and come up with a plan to invade Wakanda’s borders. Meanwhile Cap and the Commandos have their tiny duel with Black Panther and his Wakandans, but after clearing up the misunderstanding, they team up together to keep the Nazi’s away from the vibranium. It will be a challenge though because Red-Skull has recruited some nasty Nazi supervillains and even one of Black Panther’s biggest rivals, White Gorilla, for some closer intel. 

Reggie Hudlin just knows how to write a good story, and in particular his writing of Black Panther is done with great detail and feels very prolific. I love the overall idea for this one and showing the relationship of Black Panther and Captain America. In this story the current Black Panther is Azzuri, the grandfather of T’Challa and it is Captain America’s first time ever meeting one of the Black Panthers. Reggie hinted this interaction in the start of his Black Panther run so it’s really cool to see his idea expanded and the similarities it holds to that first 6 issue arc from 2005. Another thing I liked about this mini-series was the darker turn it took. Taking place back in the 40s, and involving characters like Red-Skull, you know you’re in for a violent read and it sure was that. There were a lot of shocking scenes but the no hold back attitude was not just on the villains side, but from the Black Panther himself. He did everything in his ability to make sure his people were safe but also grew to like his American intruders and valued their efforts in the battlefield. He was especially fond of Captain America and realized that the two made a very formidable duo. It was very subtle character growth but nonetheless you could see what Hudlin was doing. 

Denys Cowan was the man on art duties and I loved his work for this one. His style is the perfect fit for the gritty and brutal story that is being told. His villains in particular were terrifying and the raw action looked awesome, taking it back to his work on ‘Hardware’ I loved so much. It was a great tone that showed the seriousness of the event occurring in this mini-series and everytime he did a splash or spread page I was enthralled by the action. Plus he had two inking legends in Klaus Janson and Tom Palmer joining him, so you know the polished details were there from start to finish. 

Overall; another knock out of the park by Mr. Hudlin in a story he had kinda set up 5 years prior. I love his ability to write the character of Black Panther so well and you can tell it’s a character he holds very near and dear to his heart. The pacing and time he takes with these stories are wonderful, and it makes me want to read more of his work in hopes that it’ll even be half as good as what he did with this.