Ultimate Black Panther #2 Review

Written by: Bryan Hill
Art by: Stefano Caselli
Colors by: David Curiel
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Stefano Caselli, David Curiel
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: March 13, 2024

Ultimate Black Panther #2 finds Wakanda at war with Moon Knight (No, not that Moon Knight) when T’Challa discovers a traitor is among his people, and a prophecy portends a troubling future.

Is Ultimate Black Panther #2 Good?

The Ultimate Universe of Earth-6160 continues to make progress toward a fateful conflict against the Maker in Ultimate Black Panther #2 from Bryan Hill. This time, T’Challa is drawn into a war against invaders, but his problems extend further into Wakanda’s borders than he realized.

When last we left T’Challa, an assassin killed T’Chaka, forcing T’Challa into war against Khonshu and Ra, the Council members known collectively as Moon Knight (Yes, it’s needlessly complicated naming. Let’s move on.). Now, T’Challa institutes authoritarian tactics to root out terrorists hiding among the Wakandan populace, causing him to second-guess his fitness as king.

When T’Challa answers a request to meet with the Vodu-Khan, he’s given a prophecy that a woman of light will bear him a son who will be the heir and savior of Wakanda. Assuming the woman in the prophecy is Okoye, T’Challa continues to investigate Moon Knight’s intentions when he learns the invaders are after Wakanda’s Vibranium mines and that they have a spy feeding them information. T’Challa heads to a “quiet” part of the jungle as a possible hiding place for Khonsu and Ra when he’s ambushed by invading soldiers. To his surprise, T’Challa is rescued by a woman wielding lightning, Storm.

Watch our Ultimate Black Panther #2 Review

What’s great about Ultimate Black Panther #2? Hill is proving to be the right choice to write a tried and true Black Panther comic. T’Challa moves with regal authority while bearing the weight of a heavy crown when he contemplates how his actions affect his people. Sure, there’s plenty of action, but the added character depth makes this title worthwhile.

What’s not so great about Ultimate Black Panther #2? Strip away the “Ultimate” moniker and you’d barely know this was an alternate universe. If Hill’s assignment was to create a fresh twist on a familiar character, he missed the mark. Further, it doesn’t make sense that the Maker would strip out any hero who could pose a challenge to his authority but leave Storm, an Omega-level mutant, unchecked.

If the preceding paragraph sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same critique as issue #1. Ultimate Black Panther #2 is a very good Black Panther comic, but there’s almost nothing “Ultimate” about it.

How’s the art? Stefano Caselli does a banger of a job giving readers powerful-looking figures, dramatic lighting, and eye-catching action. This issue looks as great as it reads.

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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Bits and Pieces

Ultimate Black Panther #2 is a rock-solid Black Panther comic with political intrigue, action, drama, and superhero goodness. That said, the promise of the premise to create a new Black Panther in the Maker’s utopian universe feels too much like the regular Black Panther to stand on its own as unique and separate.