Black Panther: The Sound and The Fury #1
Welcome to our Weekend Warriors, where we do reviews in a similar way to how we do our Collective Consensus reviews. The staff do a review of one book, that we didn't get the chance to cover during the week. The book would be a one-shot, start of a new series or the start of a new arc, just so that anyone can jump into the book. The multiple reviews allows readers to get a wide range of opinions and the sense of how the book is.
Marvel Comics Solicitations: "The fantastic technology of Wakanda comes to Dubai! But when the villainous KLAW launches a plot to extort billions from the citizens of the city, T'CHALLA's diplomatic mission becomes a search and rescue for the BLACK PANTHER! Written and illustrated by industry legends Ralph Macchio and Andrea Di Vito, THE SOUND AND THE FURY puts the Black Panther on a mission that will test his prowess against his long-standing nemesis, as well as three new villains – BLOKK, GARROTTE, and SHEN-YU!mFeaturing a special presentation of FANTASTIC FOUR #53, featuring the earliest conflict between T'Challa and Klaw, and the introduction of VIBRANIUM!"
Writer: Ralph Macchio
Artist: Andrea Di Vito
Colorist: Laura Villari
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Charles
Black Panther saves Dubai from Klaw. While I can respect the aim here - produce a simple introductory story suitable for first-time fans of any age - the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Ralph Macchio's script (especially its stilted dialogue) slides well past simple into simplistic, and the underwhelming result is unsuitable for mature readers or even smart kiddies who can appreciate something more complex than "Head Wound Theatre." At least Andrea Di Vito's art is solid.
Bundling this new story with Fantastic Four #53 is an interesting choice. It's a classic Lee & Kirby corker and it's superior to the modern story in virtually every way. Ben Grimm being a huge dick by heckling T'Challa's origin story is especially wonderful. And it even weakens the modern story further by revealing that Mr. Macchio's Panther/Klaw fight is a complete ripoff of the original.
What I'd love to hear are reactions from the very young readers the book is obviously aimed at. I think that the Lee & Kirby story shines through as the superior tale even 52 years after its original publication date, and that even non-critical kids would be able to see it.
Ratings-wise I would peg the modern strip at 5/10. The Lee & Kirby story I would rate considerably higher, but we can't go boosting the ratings of dreadful new stories just because they're packaged with reprints of great ones.
Stephen
Hmmm I have very mixed feelings about this issue. It wasn’t bad and I was entertained but I can’t see myself going back to it or continuing the series. It was a nice little introduction to the Black Panther character if you’ve never read anything with him before and the issue does contain a great bonus issue of Panther’s first appearance in Fantastic Four #53 by the greats Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Truth be told I enjoyed the bonus more than the main story. The new story is something I can envision reading with my kids.
This issue read a lot like many issues I read in the 1990s. Very basic plot with an ever-easy solution to get out of jam, and just tons of over-explanation narrative. We spend more time with Black Panther’s thoughts, which is used to explain exactly what is going on, than anything else. It takes away the second essential element of a comic book, the illustrations. I found myself reading the narration and ignoring the art. Once I realized this, I would purposely stop at the end of each page and take in the visuals. It is a shame the story detracts from the art because it is quite lovely I especially like the Dubai landscapes. It’s a nice break from all stories taking place in NYC or DC.
As I said in my intro, not the most memorable story but still a solid intro to a younger new Black Panther fan with some pleasing artwork. For older fans I’d still call it an entertaining read even if it is an average storyline plus we get the nice bonus story with amazing Kirby artwork and classic Stan Lee dialogue.
Batmanaruto
This issue felt like it was made becasue of the movie that is coming out. In a basic summary of the story it was Black Panther rescuing a bunch of people and defeating a bunch of villains. As someone who is a fan of the character this felt like a very hollow attempt at the character. I did find it entertaining but it didn't really feel like the writer got the voice of T'challa right.
Summary
Those are all our reviews of Black Panther: The Sound and The Fury #1. The reactions to this issue vary from mixed to poor. What do you think? Tell us below, on Facebook, or on Twitter!!!
Marvel Comics Solicitations: "The fantastic technology of Wakanda comes to Dubai! But when the villainous KLAW launches a plot to extort billions from the citizens of the city, T'CHALLA's diplomatic mission becomes a search and rescue for the BLACK PANTHER! Written and illustrated by industry legends Ralph Macchio and Andrea Di Vito, THE SOUND AND THE FURY puts the Black Panther on a mission that will test his prowess against his long-standing nemesis, as well as three new villains – BLOKK, GARROTTE, and SHEN-YU!mFeaturing a special presentation of FANTASTIC FOUR #53, featuring the earliest conflict between T'Challa and Klaw, and the introduction of VIBRANIUM!"
Writer: Ralph Macchio
Artist: Andrea Di Vito
Colorist: Laura Villari
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Charles
Black Panther saves Dubai from Klaw. While I can respect the aim here - produce a simple introductory story suitable for first-time fans of any age - the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Ralph Macchio's script (especially its stilted dialogue) slides well past simple into simplistic, and the underwhelming result is unsuitable for mature readers or even smart kiddies who can appreciate something more complex than "Head Wound Theatre." At least Andrea Di Vito's art is solid.
Bundling this new story with Fantastic Four #53 is an interesting choice. It's a classic Lee & Kirby corker and it's superior to the modern story in virtually every way. Ben Grimm being a huge dick by heckling T'Challa's origin story is especially wonderful. And it even weakens the modern story further by revealing that Mr. Macchio's Panther/Klaw fight is a complete ripoff of the original.
What I'd love to hear are reactions from the very young readers the book is obviously aimed at. I think that the Lee & Kirby story shines through as the superior tale even 52 years after its original publication date, and that even non-critical kids would be able to see it.
Ratings-wise I would peg the modern strip at 5/10. The Lee & Kirby story I would rate considerably higher, but we can't go boosting the ratings of dreadful new stories just because they're packaged with reprints of great ones.
Stephen
Hmmm I have very mixed feelings about this issue. It wasn’t bad and I was entertained but I can’t see myself going back to it or continuing the series. It was a nice little introduction to the Black Panther character if you’ve never read anything with him before and the issue does contain a great bonus issue of Panther’s first appearance in Fantastic Four #53 by the greats Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Truth be told I enjoyed the bonus more than the main story. The new story is something I can envision reading with my kids.
This issue read a lot like many issues I read in the 1990s. Very basic plot with an ever-easy solution to get out of jam, and just tons of over-explanation narrative. We spend more time with Black Panther’s thoughts, which is used to explain exactly what is going on, than anything else. It takes away the second essential element of a comic book, the illustrations. I found myself reading the narration and ignoring the art. Once I realized this, I would purposely stop at the end of each page and take in the visuals. It is a shame the story detracts from the art because it is quite lovely I especially like the Dubai landscapes. It’s a nice break from all stories taking place in NYC or DC.
As I said in my intro, not the most memorable story but still a solid intro to a younger new Black Panther fan with some pleasing artwork. For older fans I’d still call it an entertaining read even if it is an average storyline plus we get the nice bonus story with amazing Kirby artwork and classic Stan Lee dialogue.
Batmanaruto
This issue felt like it was made becasue of the movie that is coming out. In a basic summary of the story it was Black Panther rescuing a bunch of people and defeating a bunch of villains. As someone who is a fan of the character this felt like a very hollow attempt at the character. I did find it entertaining but it didn't really feel like the writer got the voice of T'challa right.
Summary
Those are all our reviews of Black Panther: The Sound and The Fury #1. The reactions to this issue vary from mixed to poor. What do you think? Tell us below, on Facebook, or on Twitter!!!
A Look Inside
