The second volume of the Black Panther Marvel Gold line showcases many wonderful moments from the character’s history in an excellent edition published by Panini Comics from authors such as Don McGregor, Walter Simonson and Gene Colan.
If it weren’t for the movie counterpart of this character, we don’t know if we’d ever see his classic platform in Panini Comics’ Marvel Gold line collected in two awesome volumes, but the facts are they are. And at that time, we were given the incredible opportunity to read the adventures of a hero unlike any other, who invaded the pages of Marvel Comics, a great symbol of his generation, putting the think house on the social front. Development as per Stan Lee’s interest. The second volume comes to us under the title Marvel Gold. Black Panther 2 – Panther Hunter.
From Wakanda to the world
With this second volume in hand, Black Panther’s first appearance in the regular Fantastic Four series is far from over. In just a few pages, we are introduced to a warlike African leader who, thanks to his spiritual powers, has the ability to be a powerful ally to Earth’s heroes, another toy in the Marvel Comics show.
What makes this new character so special is that he’s the first black superhero in the comics world, something that he strongly portrayed in his stories at a young age (and continues to do so to this day). ).
The Black Panther (whose name predates the eponymous organization associated with the black power movement) was not only equal to his fellow adventurers, but represented human perfection in almost every aspect: he possessed the physical prowess of Captain America combined with a scientific mind. Similar to Reed Richards and behind him a nation at the forefront of scientific innovation thanks to the vivananium stockpile.
And the nation of Wakanda, represented by its leader T’Challa, was an excuse used by Marvel Comics to contribute its grain of sand to the fight against racial prejudice and social injustice, saying, “Hey, there must be a really superior race living in that African country…”
Politics and action
The story begins with a four-issue miniseries that surprisingly matches the stories done with the character today, as written here by Ta-Nehisi Coates (perhaps without depth). Politics is a fundamental aspect of these startups, which makes sense considering our protagonist is not a millionaire playboy, inventor or Norse god, but a king of a country. Peter B. Gillis and a young Dennis Cowan are responsible for drawing some parallels with apartheid, thus laying the most important stones for building the character’s future.
Later we’re treated to The Search for the Panther, a 25-chapter installment in which T’Challa devotes himself to the search for his mother, which, despite Gene Colan’s work, isn’t the best thing in this volume. That place is occupied by the great saga, which we shall find a little later, which gives the title of this second part…
Panther’s Prey is a series that began publication in the 90’s and featured Dwayne Turner’s artwork in particular. Here we have a drug plot secondary to the main story, in which we are introduced to Solomon Prey (his last name is the title of the saga), a human mutant vampire with wings in certain scientific experiments, which for some reason makes him equal to the Black Panther in hand-to-hand combat. To no one’s surprise, revenge is central to his motivation. Common but effective.
Famous hero
The volume ends with other less interesting stories, some of which are quite curious, like the one we see in the face of our hero Saberette (or?). But the most interesting thing about the volume, in addition to Turner’s art, is what each of these stories contributes to the creation of this character’s classic mythology.
So, aside from the quality of the stories included here, this volume will be especially interesting for those who are interested in the image of Black Panther and want to know more about its roots and the stories that are told. And there’s no better way than this deluxe edition.
Published in hardcover by Panini Comics, it contains 616 color pages of size 17 x 26 cm. and the American edition of Black Panther’s second volume, the first four issues, issues #13 to #37 and #148 of Marvel Comics Presents, the four issues of Black Panther: The Panther’s Prey, issue #19 of Solo Avengers, Marvel Super-Heroes #1, Marvel Fanfare issue #60 and #1 of Fantastic Four Unlimited, as well as an extensive supplemental section and miscellaneous articles. It has a recommended retail price of €49.95 and goes on sale in October 2022.
Brilliant gold. Black Panther 2 – Panther Hunter
ISBN: 9788411016483
Black Panther Road in the eighties and early nineties, second and last by Omnigold. In the miniseries of Peter B. Gillis and Denys Cowan, T’Challa fights apartheid, and welcomes the return of Don McGregor, who still narrates the second and third chapters in the Wakanda trilogy.
In “The Search for the Panther,” T-Challa searches for his mother in a brutal comedy by Gene Colan. Finally, in “Panther’s Prey,” the action returns to Wakanda, with Dwayne Turner’s graphic art. It also includes other Black Panther adventures that took place during this historical period.
Authors: Don McGregor, Peter B. Gillis, Sandy Plunkett, Roy Thomas, Ron Lim, Walter Simonson, Dwayne Turner, Dennis Cowan and Gene Colan