As far as “getting to know you” issues go, Black Panther #513 (continuing from Daredevil #512) is pretty damn good. Getting to know you issues fall into two categories, informative and fun or just a mess. Black Panther falls into the former and that’s no small feat. You have to remember, Black Panther isn’t exactly a first string Marvel character and certainly isn’t in the same league as Daredevil, so introducing him as the new Man Without Fear is a slippery slope. Black Panther #513 works because it balances what we need to know with what’s happening now.
Writer David Liss is smart to keep the action at street level. With all of the silly supernatural happenings in Daredevil since Shadowland started, it’s nice to see some good old-fashioned street violence. In brief, T’Challa (Black Panther) has abdicated his throne and turned over the metahuman powers and technology to his sister. Why? Well, I know it has something to do with Dr. Doom but, since I don’t read Black Panther, I’d say go check that out for more details. T’Challa wants to prove to himself, who he is, and Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, needs somebody to watch over Hell’s Kitchen while he’s away doing his best David Carradine from Kung Fu.
The big bad in this issue, a Russian mob boss with super human powers named Vlad The Impaler, is kind of hokey, but the rest of the issue is solid. Liss manages to tell the history of T’Challa, the current status of Black Panther and how this situation arises by deftly controlling flashbacks, something not everybody can do. I also enjoyed how T’Challa has been set up as an every man, and his dedication to doing all of this on his own. If the book sells, it could give some real emotional meat to the story. There’s little straight up action in this issue, but you don’t really miss it. The writing and new story arc is that interesting. Well, either that or because Shadowland sucked so badly anything is a breath of fresh air.
There is something bizarre about Black Panther #513, something I can’t figure out if I’m reading into or it’s really there. For my money, the entirety of Black Panther #513 is an ode to Batman: Year One. First there’s the art from Francesco Francavilla, which is so much like Year One artist David Mazzucchelli it’s almost lifted from it. I’m in no way saying Francavilla ripped off Mazzucchelli because the similarities are too exact. Everything from the art to the coloring seems to try and tip a hat to Batman: Year One in a very intentional way. Subtle things also arise, such as the first page when Black Panther is battling Russian mobsters. A shadow is cast that looks exactly like the shadow of Batman’s cowl. The scene between Matt Murdock and T’Challa is reminiscent of the last scene in Batman: Year One between Commissioner Gordon and Batman.
The only thing I can take from this is that the similarities in what Marvel is doing with Black Panther are close enough to what DC did with Batman that Liss and Francavilla decided to have some fun, almost a comic book Easter egg. Issue #513 is as much a re-launch of who Black Panther is and how we understand him as Batman: Year One was back in 1987. Don’t get me wrong, Black Panther #513 isn’t on that level, but it is good and the parallels are there. Then again I might just be insane and acting out against all I know. Guess I should check and see if I’ve been possessed by a Hand demon!
