Written by: John Ridley
Art by: Germán Peralta
Colors by: Jesus Aburtov
Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover art by: Alex Ross
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: October 12, 2022
Black Panther #10 continues the Avengers’ battle against the Colonialist and his lethally-armed henchman, the Buffalo Soldier. What’s a Panther to do against an enemy with weapons that can pierce Vibranium?
Is It Good?
Black Panther #10 ends the current arc with lots of fighting, Orwell quotes, history lessons, and an uncertain future for a former King. Filled with great art and (admittedly) tons of creativity, the issue ends the conflict better than it started.
John Ridley’s script uses a collection of big action, history lessons about the real-life Buffalo Soldiers, Orwell quotes from 1984, and a few catchphrases from modern politicians to make a point about racism and “just following orders.” and believing Fake News. If the preceding run-pon sentence sounds heavy-handed, it pales in comparison to the utter lack of subtlety or value in the reference made in this issue. It’s as if Ridley decided to write a story around every historical ill and modern social talking point he could find and still hold a super basic plot together. It’s not fair to call this comic propaganda because there doesn’t appear to be a single, clear message.
When you peel back the layers, the plot really is super basic. Powerful alien invades, the Avengers fight, and a plot device is discovered to win. The end. None of the historical, literary, or political references have anything to do with the central conflict or its outcome, so all that remains is a bizarre two-parter that brings T’Challa right back to where he started in the previous issue.
Thankfully, Peralta’s art is excellent. The characters are designed with a high amount of detail. The action is energetic. And Aburtov’s coloring is vivid. This is a visually exciting comic if nothing else.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts:
Black Panther #10 ends the bizarre conflict with the Colonialist with a boilerplate action comic. Between the history lessons, Fake News references, politician jabs, and 1984 quotes, the Avengers fight a powerful alien and win with the help of a superhero science machine. The only reason anyone will remember this two-parter is for its weird tone-deafness.
Weird Science Marvel Comics 