A review by seeyf
Black Panther, Vol. 1: A Nation Under Our Feet by

4.0

This was my first Black Panther comic; my only prior introduction to the character being the 2018 film. Coates’ plot is dense and complex, and at times there were too many characters and subplots referencing previous plot lines that made it difficult to follow. Here, the villain is not a simple external threat, but a challenge to the traditions of Wakanda itself, in particular monarchy as a form of government. Coates inventively asks why the most technologically advanced nation in a world — a near utopia — would use one of the oldest structures of power, and the moral responsibility that comes with being not just a king and leader, but also a fighter and protector. At one point, Edmund Morgan’s “American Slavery, American Freedom” is referenced with slavery compared with monarchic rule, connecting to Coates’ nonfiction writing and adding depth and realism to the superhero plot. The plot devices of having T’Challa enter the realm of the dead to consult previous kings, and Shuri’s immersion in the old stories of Wakanda also intensify the tension between tradition and modernity, and questions how rulers should respond to change.