(I originally read these comics in mid March 2015)
I'd been curious about Don McGregor's Black Panther for over twenty years, since first seeing a page reprinted in the 'Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades' book. It's hailed as a highpoint of the company's '70s output, up there with Tomb of Dracula, Warlock, Man-Thing, etc... so I had high expectations. So does it hold up? In a word, no.
Holy shit, these comics are overwritten. I've seen it referred to as "Marvel's first novel," but if McGregor wanted to write a novel, why was he writing comics? Both have different strengths and weaknesses and McGregor simply didn't know how to play to comics' strengths. There are words crammed into every spare centimetre of white space.
It doesn't even strike me as being well structured. The initial arc, 'Panther's Prey,' runs thirteen issues and the first half dozen issues or so just follow a 'villain of the month' format as the Panther goes up against lieutenants of chief baddie Erik Killmonger, with names like Venomm, Baron Macabre, King Cadaver... All of these characters were new, I believe, but none are very memorable. The plot consists of Erik Killmonger leading a violent rebellion in Wakanda. However, apart from razing one village to the ground early on, he doesn't do much and is a background presence till the end.
Aside from the 1970s purple prose, which can be poetic but is more often than not just laborious to plough through, the amount of pain dished out to T'Challa borders on parody. Everything's about tearing flesh and dripping blood, delineated in excruciating detail. Despite the complaints, however, it does remain compelling enough to stick with.
The second arc, 'The Panther vs. the Klan' (referred to as "the Clan" on the covers) is worse. The action's transplanted to Georgia for this one and I felt it would have worked better without the introduction of a second hooded cult whose motivations I never quite understood.
The storyline was cut short as Marvel, in their wisdom, decided to launch a new Black Panther mag by Jack Kirby, prompting howls of protest from readers who'd enjoyed McGregor's approach. After Kirby left in one of his typical strops, the Klan story was belatedly (and clumsily) concluded by Ed Hannigan in BP # 14 and 15, and then in Marvel Premiere # 51-53, after that title's cancellation. It's dull stuff, and not worth what by then would have been a four year wait.
Dare I say it, I'm sure this run of comics wouldn't be anywhere near as highly regarded if the protagonist wasn't black.
YEAH, I JUST DID.
Holy shit, these comics are overwritten. I've seen it referred to as "Marvel's first novel," but if McGregor wanted to write a novel, why was he writing comics? Both have different strengths and weaknesses and McGregor simply didn't know how to play to comics' strengths. There are words crammed into every spare centimetre of white space.
It doesn't even strike me as being well structured. The initial arc, 'Panther's Prey,' runs thirteen issues and the first half dozen issues or so just follow a 'villain of the month' format as the Panther goes up against lieutenants of chief baddie Erik Killmonger, with names like Venomm, Baron Macabre, King Cadaver... All of these characters were new, I believe, but none are very memorable. The plot consists of Erik Killmonger leading a violent rebellion in Wakanda. However, apart from razing one village to the ground early on, he doesn't do much and is a background presence till the end.
Aside from the 1970s purple prose, which can be poetic but is more often than not just laborious to plough through, the amount of pain dished out to T'Challa borders on parody. Everything's about tearing flesh and dripping blood, delineated in excruciating detail. Despite the complaints, however, it does remain compelling enough to stick with.
The second arc, 'The Panther vs. the Klan' (referred to as "the Clan" on the covers) is worse. The action's transplanted to Georgia for this one and I felt it would have worked better without the introduction of a second hooded cult whose motivations I never quite understood.
The storyline was cut short as Marvel, in their wisdom, decided to launch a new Black Panther mag by Jack Kirby, prompting howls of protest from readers who'd enjoyed McGregor's approach. After Kirby left in one of his typical strops, the Klan story was belatedly (and clumsily) concluded by Ed Hannigan in BP # 14 and 15, and then in Marvel Premiere # 51-53, after that title's cancellation. It's dull stuff, and not worth what by then would have been a four year wait.
Dare I say it, I'm sure this run of comics wouldn't be anywhere near as highly regarded if the protagonist wasn't black.
YEAH, I JUST DID.
Jungle Action (1972) # 6-24 are collected in:
Hardcover:
Softcover:
