T’Challa has stepped down as King and returned to his role as Chairperson of the Avengers. Wakanda may now have a parliamentary democracy, but it will always need a Black Panther to protect it — a mantle that Shuri takes up in the recent Wakanda miniseries. Black Panther: Unconquered #1, from writer Bryan Hill and artist Alberto Foche, colorist Matt Milla, and letterer Joe Sabino, helps King T’Challa rediscover his faith during a dreadful attack from a terrorist cult.
Black Panther: Unconquered #1 is a one-shot that revisits a time when T’Challa was the King and protector of Wakanda. His faith wavers as his troubled mind wrestles with the existence of Gods who only sit back and observe. But whether they help or not, Black Panther promises to be always present for his country and people. At the same time, a Germanic cult called The Volk attacks the K’Fari village temple to steal an artifact presumed to be the spear weapon of the War God, Magba, a name hidden by Wakandian elders. Volk leader The Archon is a man on a mission who is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with Bast’s champion.
Black Panther: Unconquered #1 explores the technologically advanced landlocked country’s relationship with its pantheon of Gods as its King experiences a crisis of faith. Writer Bryan Hill forgoes recounting old origin stories, instead using Wakanda’s deep-rooted mythology as the foundation for a match-up between doctrine and belief. The tale makes it clear that T’Challa and Archon are opposite sides of the same coin — both accepting the presence of a higher power but not with the same grace. With the fight moving away from philosophical tensions to the reignition of a forgotten war, the plot falls into the usual trappings of the age-old good versus evil fight. Hill deals in absolutes, depicting Archon as a bloodthirsty villain to make it easy for readers to root for the other camp and turn him into an expendable one-off hurdle.
Alberto Foche captures the battle between two champions with acute preciseness and raw energy. The minimalistic style works wonderfully here, for the sole focus remains on the characters without any unnecessary diversions. Not only does it make it easier to follow the action, but it also keeps the panels clean, with the inks only appearing now and then to add volume to ripped musculature. While Wakandan motifs are spread all around the book, it is colorist Matt Milla’s artistic fervor that brings them to focus in a vibrant composition. Secondary colors like emerald and purple exist confidently beside flashes of crimson and ochre, much like the opposing forces in the book itself.
Black Panther: Unconquered #1 plays it safe, treading a road traveled many times in the past. The story is easy to navigate. It doesn’t delve too deep into Wakandan history or mythology, only borrowing elements that are general knowledge to casual comic book fans. Meanwhile, this new adversary and his deity define the central conflict that drives the story toward conclusion, ending with an ominous foreshadowing that gives hope for new stories beyond this one-shot. Overall, Black Panther: Unconquered #1 tries to hold a conversation on blind faith and rational belief, which ultimately gets upended by the action.
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