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Tag Archive for 'Black Panther'Page 2 of 3
It's all about eMusic, TV themes, Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget, Pandora, downloading and streaming, beatcast and maw, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Be Kind Rewind, Son of Rambow, Zombie Strippers, Detroit Metro Airport, Garbage Pail Kids Movie, Black Panther #41, Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #3, and a whole lot more.
[Note: This dream was not actually last night. Blog posts have to be planned a few days in advance. I actually had this dream sometime last week. But let's pretend it happened last night, okay? Oh, and check out this other dream I had recently about working for Image and Marvel.]
It all began as I entered Blockbuster to, I assume, rent a movie. I noticed the wall facing the entrance was covered with collectibles and non-movie products. Justique went to find something for us to watch while I went to peruse this interesting wall of items.
Something caught my eye towards the bottom... action figures! I can't resist new action figures every time I go to Target or Wal-Mart. I never buy them, but I love seeing what's new.
The first set was He-Man related (probably due to all those damn He-Man toy posts I read on Topless Robot). The second row had a boring X-Men collection. But the last line had something unexpected -- Black Panther toys!
At first, I thought I was looking at some sort of DC Universe toyline and I almost walked away. But I did a double take when I saw the Black Panther logo across the top of the packaging. The toys were part of a "Black Panther vs. the DC Universe" line of action figures. Weird!
That's when the store clerk -- none other than P. Diddy himself -- came over to tell me that he personally ordered the Black Panther action figures. Apparently P. Diddy is very proud of his efforts in Blockbuster inventory ordering because he wouldn't shut up about the damn toys.
Finally, the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy shut his damn mouth and I was able to get a look at action figures. Here's what they had:
Black Panther vs. Superman. Superman was on the left as he leaned into T'Challa with all his might. Meanwhile, Black Panther was decked out in a navy blue and gray Superman-style costume on the right, complete with flowing Superman-style hair. All I could think was: "It's weird that T'Challa straightened his hair just to fight Superman..."
Black Panther vs. Batman. Batman was in a leaping pose as if he was flying off a rooftop and into battle with T'Challa. The Black Panther was on the right side bracing for impact in a Dark Knight-style crouched position, decked out in red and orange. He even had a Batman-style cape and cowl. Why was T'Challa fighting these heroes in the first place, and why was he wearing poorly-colored replica costumes?
Black Panther vs. ???. Unfortunately, this is where the dream ended. P. Diddy was annoying me while I was trying to show Justique these awesome action figures. As I reached for the third package, my dream went hazy and I woke up. It would have been awesome to see T'Challa fighting Green Lantern or Hawkman. Honestly, this third toy was probably Aquaman (considering how much I love the Orange Shirted Wonder of the Seven Seas).
And that was that. Totally bizarre and totally excellent. I know there's never going be a Black Panther vs. the DC Universe toyline, but I can always dream, right?
9. Flight. Who doesn't want to be able to fly? It's sweet. But not so sweet that it would top this list. In fact, most superheroes that can fly are given some other sort of ability as well (Superman, Storm, Ms. Marvel, etc). Off the top of my head, the only pure flight hero I can think of is Angel (Warren Worthington III). For a time, he had that "blood can heal you" thing. But I'm sure that's being retconned as we speak.
8. Enhanced Senses. It's a simple notion. Take the sensory perception of a normal human and turn it up to 11 (thank you, Spinal Tap). As with characters like Wolverine, these senses are often linked to an animalistic connection. But that sort of totemistic power is a completely different thing. Daredevil is a great example of plain enhanced senses, but I personally prefer the enhanced awareness and reaction time of Slade Wilson (a.k.a. Deathstroke).
7. Invulnerability. This is another superpower often paired with other abilities, most commonly super strength. Superman is invulnerable, mostly as an afterthought. Luke Cage comes close to being a pure holder of this power, but he gained some super strength with his invulnerability. You need look no further than Avengers: The Initiative #13 and Emery Schaub (a.k.a. Butterball), a teen who had no special abilities whatsoever aside from the fact that he couldn't get hurt.
6. Telepathy. Don't get me wrong -- telekinesis is great and all, but I'd rather have the full range of someone's thoughts and feelings. Telepathy is the ultimate invasion of personal privacy that seems sort of delicious in a twisted kind of way. Professor Xavier is my favorite telepath, mostly because his power is extensive and he has impressive control over his ability to get into the thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) of others.
5. Agility. Maybe not the most impressive power on this list. In fact, this is probably my "pet power" choice, if only because I've always dreamed of rolling out of leaping somersaults like Nightcrawler or daftly dodging blows like Black Panther. Truthfully, I can't think of a hero who has agility as a singular ability. Tigra's close, but too totemistic. I'll go with none other than the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man as the finest example of the ability to perform fantastic gymnastics.
4. Energy Manipulation. This one's a doozy. I mean, there are so many ways to bend energy, absorb it, and rechannel it out. Endless iterations pop up in comic books because you can draw it however you want, splash it with bright colors, and it looks sweet. My two favorite examples of energy manipulation come in the form of Havok's concentric blasts and Bishop's ability to spray you back with whatever energy you shoot at him. (And of course, the Silver Surfer's Power Cosmic too).
3. Water Manipulation. This one that's a bit obscure and sure to have its detractors. Still, I think the ability to manipulate water is probably one of the most impressive superpowers. Straying from comics, we've seen fantastic examples of water manipulation by Katara in Avatar: The Last Airbender. But in comics, the best example I can think of is Hydro-Man. Yeah, the character is a moron but his powers are absolutely incredible.
2. Density Control. Okay, this one is also a bit obscure. I mean, I actually had to sit down and reason out what density control entails just to write this list. This ability is not to be confused with the mass control of Harry Leland. Instead, I'm talking about Vision's power to fluctuate between intangible and diamond-hard. Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde represent the opposite sides of this power spectrum, while Vision has the ability to make himself both ethereal and super solid with a mere thought.
1. Invisibility. Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, is probably the best pure example of this ability. She also has a host of other awesome tricks she can do that are only tangentially related to hiding herself and other objects from view. And that energy manipulation is extremely awesome. But at the end of the day, she would still have my favorite power of any superhero out there if she just had the ability to hide herself in plain sight.
Next: The Top 9 UK Oddities! [instead of The Top 9 Obscure Movie Soundtracks]
Why the Top 9? Because 10 is too many and 9 is better. 3 X 3 = Awesome. Now that’s what I call math.
We stick it to Pigtail Girl, Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #1, Avengers: The Initiative #15, Uncanny X-Men #500, Black Panther #38, X-Men Legacy #214, superhero codenames, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, Chromeo, 2D fighting games vs. 3D fighting games, Street Fighter, Winged Migration, voting, celebrity pairings (Rob Schneider and Tom Lennon, Jeremy Piven and Joe Rogan, Tom Arnold and Jim Belushi), Mad Men, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and so much more that we can't even remember.
So I went to Wizard World Philadelphia today. It was my second convention experience in my 21 plus years of being a fanatic comic book fan. It was my first time going to a comic book convention panel, and I chose Cup O Joe to pop my panel cherry.
It was a glorified press conference with fans instead of press outlets asking the questions. Of course, I took notes on the best news tidbits just for you:
- Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker will be the creative team behind Marvel Zombies 3, debuting in September. This mini series will see the Marvel Zombies cross into Marvel 616 continuity proper (though 616 Black Panther, with the new Fantastic Four in tow, already crossed over with the Galactus infused zombies last year). This mini series will see the reveal of Florida's Initiative team.
- Ed Brubaker is gearing up to introduce Lady Bullseye in the Daredevil series. The preview slide that Marvel showed looked like a cross between Bullseye, Elektra, and Typhoid Mary.
- An adept fan asked what was coming up for Black Panther (a favorite of this blogger). Joe Quesada explained that T'Challa is under the guide of editor Axel Alonso and fans can be sure that the character will be involved in every crossover / Marvel line event possible. Joe then went on to refer to Alonso as a "whore" before he mentioned that BET's Black Panther animated series will feature a great deal of content from Reginald Hudlin's first story arc of Black Panther.
- Musing on One More Day, Joe explained that something happened on the Wedding Day of Peter and Mary Jane that caused the current Mephisto influenced reality where Spider-Man currently exists. The "how" will all be revealed over the course of Brand New Day. And yes, Peter and Aunt May still lived in Avengers Tower. Mary Jane, however, may have not been there with them (the answer was vague).
- Hulk (the Jeph Loeb relaunch series) will have an incredible pair of artists doing a tag-team job after the first story arc. Hulk #7-9 will be drawn by Art Adams and Frank Cho working together on alternating scenes. That is just wonderful, according to me. I would have bought this week's King Size Hulk if only it wasn't stuffed with reprints and marked up to $4.99. Hopefully the Adams and Cho issues will only run $2.99.
- Another adept fan asked about the Crew. Tom Brevoort said there are no plans for the Crew to return as a unit, though Rhodey is in Avengers: The Initiative and Junta is in Last Defenders.
- The panel took a turn towards the nasty when a fan asked if Aunt May still hooked up with Jarvis, a character recently revealed to be a Skrull in Secret Invasion. This led to Tom Brevoort cracking jokes about Aunt May missing her period. Joe Q got in on the fun when he said, "Skrull or no Skrull, Aunt May has her needs." That's a classic quote right there.
The AudioShocker got to act as newsmaker when we finally asked about Senator Kooning, the only regularly appearing black character in Iron Man that just happens to have a last name that's one letter off (and sounds exactly like) a racial slur. Joe Q looked like a dear in the headlights and Tom Brevoort did his best impression of a Bush White House spokesperson, saying that Jack Kooning was named after a historical figure. That must be one of the most obscure historical figures around because I've never seen a single word about this "historical" figure. Suffice to say, I'm unconvinced but I appreciated the candid response.
All in all, the panel was fun. I stayed around afterwards to thank Tom B for answering my question even though it was a tough one. I also asked one more final query about the fate of the Falcon, who has been rumored (in the most vague sense) to kick the bucket in the near future. According to Tom Brevoort, don't expect the Falcon to go anywhere anytime soon. Thanks, Tom. Now I can rest easy.
Neal takes the week off as we talk about The Simpsons season 12, Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon, firing squads, ramen, canasta, Leona Lewis, Last Defenders #2, Thunderbolts #120, Secret Invasion Fantastic Four #1, Guardians of the Galaxy #1, X-Men Legacy #211, T'Challa, Black Panther movie, Avatar, and some more stuff.
We chitchat about the Unlicensed Attorneys at Law, UnlicensedAttorneys.com, Sweeney Todd, Tim Burton, 3:10 to Yuma, 27 Dresses, Katherine Heigl's boobs, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Jason Segel's penis, Mila Kunis, Meet the Spartans, Irina Palm, Mariah Carey, E=MC2, Jermaine Dupri, New Jack Swing, Teddy Riley, Midas Touch, 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, ghostwriters, Akon's fabricated past, Fugees, Pras, Mya, Ghetto Supastar, ODB, Prince, Amelia Earhart, Truffle Shuffle, Avatar, Airbender, Black Panther, BET, Reginald Hudlin, Denys Cowan, Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury, Iron Man in The Incredible Hulk movie, Marvel Studios, Civil War #1, Mighty Avengers #12, and more.
Back in style as we talk about eggs, grammar, Kevin Smith movies, Estelle, American Boy, Day 26, Danity Kane, Bad Boy Records, songs about strippers, Teddy Pain, vocoders, Irina Palm, The Mist, Wedding Daze, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Jason Biggs, Planet Terror, Death Proof, Grindhouse, Joox, Black Fist, Jordin Sparks, Chris Brown, Lil Mama, The Wire, Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, Daniel Clowes, Mighty Avengers #12, Black Panther #39, Ms Marvel #25, X-Men Legacy #209, New Avengers #39, Skrulls, Secret Invasion, supervillain psychology, Galactus, Batman, Identity Crisis, Green Arrow, and way too much more.
Marvel Adventures Avengers. One of my favorite comics coming out monthly right now. This month in Marvel Adventures Avengers #22, the creators decided to tackle the concept of the Black Panther. Being the T’Challa aficionado that I am, I’m going to be hard to please. The bad news is that the Black Panther was portrayed out of step with his usual character in this issue by ignoring key traits all while depicting his piece of Africa as an antiquated and backwards nation.
First of all, we never see a glimpse of Wakanda’s technological ability. The entire core concept behind the existence of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s Wakanda was that the nation was a secret hotbed of technological advancement buried deep in within the heart of Africa. This was supposed to create a contrast between the notion of technological superiority and rural African location – essentially, the concept of Wakanda took a backwards 1960s stereotype and flipped it on its head.
But here in Sumerak’s Wakanda, we really only witness the backwards stereotype. There’s not a hint of T’Challa’s scientific or technological prowess. And, in my opinion, to deprive the character of this aspect of his being is to take the science and technology out of Iron Man or Hank Pym (the latter, coincidentally, was another character recently tackled by Sumerak in this series… yet he appeared with his technological cunning intact).
Enough ranting. I could go on and on. It’s this simple: Mark Sumerak dropped the ball on T’Challa’s characterization and his depiction of Wakanda. He wrote the Wakandan military force as shirtless men just barely wearing enough to cover their crotches. He made them jump around with spears. He failed to incorporate the main element of Wakandan culture that makes it most interesting and exceptional. Instead, he focused on the notion of Wakanda's isolationist politics. The final product is a story set in a stereotyped and antiquated version of Africa not at all in step with the modern world.
To add insult to injury, did the editor proof the colors here? Everyone has blue eyes. That includes the Black Panther. I’m no comic book historian, but this could very much be a first for the King of Wakanda. Ulises Arreola, colorist on this book, needs to do a bit of homework next time. Even Wolverine, a character fairly well known among comicdom to have brown eyes, gets the blues too.
I could continue to pick this apart. Suffice to say that the Black Panther did not get the royal treatment in Marvel Adventures Avengers this month. I’m not going to stop picking the book up just because of this. The stories – on the whole – have been solid. I’m just very let down by a series I typically expect to give my hopes a good lift.
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