Writer: Jim Zeb
Artist: Lan Medina
Colors: Erick Arcinega & Marico Menyz
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino

Release date December 11 2019
Review by D. Brown (WolfCypher)

There isn’t really a Black Panther book on the market, between the two available, that are quite up my alley. The main ongoing Black Panther book just wasn’t a good read to me if I’m being honest and this one, I assumed, would swing more for the goofier, sillier fences. That’s by no means a bad direction to tack T’Challa, its just not what I was looking for in this character. But I understand that there’s nothing wrong with trying something radically new and different with your characters that have been around for so long, and besides, as I mentioned earlier, there IS a more contemporary BP title that keeps the character closer to his standard. So why not give this book a chance?

My judgment of this title proved correct, as this issue, a continuation from the “Moon arc” started in the previous issue (not so much an arc as it is a two-parter) features quite the assortment of eclectic faces, including the Broodling character of the X-Men side of Marvel, Broo, Spider-Man’s John Jameson (aka Man-Wolf, aka Stargod), and Gorilla-Man. T’Challa, Mockingbird, and Okoye come to the moon after they receive a distress call, and wind up getting separated. T’Challa soon learns that the moon is, in part, a living being named Entea who needs sustenance, and is keeping Man-Wolf, Gorilla-Man, Okoye and Broo in stasis, where they experience pleasant dreams…its a little weird, this story. It doesn’t ease up on the weirdness, since near the end of the book, the characters, with Entea in tow, travel to a universe called the Other Realm, which stems from a series from the late 70s called Marvel Premiere. This was definitely not the Black Panther book I’m accustomed to.

But judging it by its own merits? I’d say its a fairly average tale. It sets out to be a fun, not overly-serious book, and I think it does that well, at least with this issue. What I read presented itself to me more like a classic Fantastic Four story, more than a Black Panther book. Hell, T’Challa didn’t feel like the standout character in the book…but…ehhhh, I guess if you’re going to throw so many “interesting choice” characters, you might as well play with them over the usually more stoic Black Panther. Why not give Man-Wolf the spotlight, or play around with Gorilla-Man for however long he’s got in this book?

Final Thoughts

More an adventure book than a standard superhero/super-villain comic book, Agents of Wakanda will draw you in on the premise of seeing Black Panther lead a mishmash team of who’s who(s) into an assortment of missions, but so far nothing I’ve read suggests this book should be taken too seriously.

6/10