The fictional African country of Wakanda has always been a monarchy, but as Ta-Nehisi Coates’ run on Black Panther continues, it’s looking more and more likely that this tradition will be changing soon. Coates’ run is trafficking in some very complex political ideas as it details the growing revolution among the Wakandan people, exploring the conflict from a variety of angles that make it more complicated than the typical superhero-versus-supervillain plot. T’Challa understands why his people are turning against him, and while there are definitely malevolent forces taking advantage of the turmoil, the main reason the movement is spreading is because there are legitimate concerns about the governing of the country that need to be addressed.
Chris Sprouse and inker Karl Story take over art duties from Brian Stelfreeze for the current arc, and these preview pages of next week’s Black Panther #6 show how smooth the transition is between art teams. The quality of Sprouse and Story’s linework is very similar to Stelfreeze, and colorist Laura Martin is the connective tissue between the teams, providing consistency with her clean, evocative coloring. The visuals successfully intensify Coates’ script, and Sprouse is as skilled with staging talking heads as he is with depicting explosive action. Readers curious about Coates’ Black Panther run can check out the first collected volume in stores now, and if they like what they see, there’s only one chapter to read to get fully caught up before next week’s new issue.
