The King Comes Home In Black Panther #15
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
The Maroons manage to turn the tide on the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda after the apparent death of Emperor N’Jadaka. Now, Black Panther and the Maroons have set up a galactic bridge to take the Mackandal back to Earth and Wakanda. The bridge works, and T’Challa goes to Earth. Manifold, Nakia, M’Baku, and the other Maroons wait on a base of operations on the moon. T’Challa receives a warm welcome from Shuri and Storm, but the rest of the Maroons are still uneasy. There was a strange biological reading on the Mackandal as they crossed over to our solar system.
Black Panther #15 finds T’Challa finally coming home to Wakanda. The Maroons struck a victory against the forces of the Wakandan Empire, and T’Challa needs to see his people again.
It’s another sort of cooldown issue like the last one, but we now get the proper reunion that comic set up for the Black Panther.
It’s a pensive issue; T’Challa discovered that the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda isn’t truly an ancient offshoot of the Wakandan people that made it to space–it’s the future of the Wakanda we know. T’Challa isn’t sure what to do with that information, and Shuri believes they should only concern themselves with the present regardless.
It’s a little slow on the whole, though the T’Challa and Ororo reunion is particularly heartwarming. I look forward to what the next issue brings, and this comic does set that up. That said, I can’t say I was ever excited or invigorated by this comic.
Daniel Acuña is once again the all-star of the comic. His trademark painted style is beautiful and evocative. The scenes with T’Challa and Ororo are all the more emotional thanks to Acuña’s work. His color art is brilliant to boot, bringing an explosion of color to every page.
Black Panther #15 is a solid issue of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ continuing T’Challa saga. While it is slow, it poses some interesting ideas and sells its emotional scenes well thanks to the brilliant visual work of Daniel Acuña. All in all, this one is worth a recommendation. Feel free to check it out.
Black Panther #15 comes to us from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, artist and cover artist Daniel Acuña, letterer VC’s Joe Sabino, and variant cover artist Ryan Benjamin with Rain Beredo.
Final Score: 7/10
