926: Ultimate Black Panther was compelling drama…
In this episode, This Black Panther run reminded me of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ runs…
Friends, friends, friends.
Welcome back to Teatime Reading where there are books in progress.
My narration journey continues in 2025, so before we get to the review,
check out my works on A03
I’ve been discussing the Ultimate Universe re-launch of various Marvel Comics. Ultimate Invasion led to The Ultimates, and last time I talked about the unique strengths of the Ultimate Spider-Man run that started in 2024.
The Watcher’s council that ruled over his reshaped world was an interesting premise in those runs, but in Ultimate Black Panther, Ra and Khonshu (AKA Moon Knight), the Watcher’s brutal rulers of Africa were a hands-on threat to the Kingdom of Wakanda.
If Spider-Man was a personal story, Ultimate Black Panther was an intense political story that fused the mystical mystery of Vibranium and its possible sentience into the larger narrative.
Part of the appeal of this story is getting to see the characters that get introduced in each run, and how they may come together in the larger Ultimates universe. Here, we got Kilmonger and Storm as powerful vigilantes and they were stunning to see on the page.
So far, I have realized that these Ultimate universe runs make me realize the incredible possibilities that the on-screen MCU has at their disposal and the significant restraint that is needed to tell a cohesive story. Not having to cast, budget, and produce films means that the comics can really explore all types of fantastic stories.
Next time around, I have to talk about the most unique series in this new Ultimate Universe: X Men.
Until next time, keep your bookmarks close.
Peace, Love, Pages.
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