AudioShocker

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.