Black Panther #7 Review

Thinly Veiled Allegory

Written by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Art by: Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, Laura Martin
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 19th, 2016
Review by: Christian Faulds

*Non-spoilers and score at the bottom*

So the last story arc is over. Thank God because it was contrived as hell. I am really
hoping this arc starts off well because again I really like Black Panther and I want to see
him in a good story. Well let us go in and read this comic.



T’challa is chained up in front of Ezekiel stands, right where the last comic left off.
Ezekiel is monologuing and kicks T’challa after which T’challa tells Ezekiel that he is no
longer useful to him. Ezekiel is confused for a bit by this comment then he see’s the
crew show up. The Crew (Luke Cage, Knight, Ororo, and Eden) come in and start
kicking ass and taking names. As they kick ass and take names Ezekiel’s gang try to
get the upper hand and Ezekiel tries to kill Knight just as T’Challa with both hands tied
behind his back takes down Ezekiel. He does this because T’challa is a badass.

Cut to Changmire’s internal dialogue as he makes his way to his kids, after his plan had
been cut to pieces by T’challa. During his internal dialogue he realizes that the era of
dreamers is over and now is the time of zealots, he realizes this as we see his kids in
the panel. Him and his kids talk of revolution against the tyranny of T’challa. Which
again, what tyranny. T’challa isn’t some random king like in the old days but the man
chosen by the goddess Bast to not only take up the mantle of Black Panther but also to
lead Wakanda. He has a legitimate divine right so I have no idea why they are rebelling.

Cut back to T’challa and Ezekiel fighting Ezekiel goes on about how he is gonna be
king of Wakanda so he can get his hands on all that sweet, sweet vibranium. T’challa
proceeds to kick Ezekiel’s ass some more and then Ezekiel gets taken out of there by
Telford. Eden asks T’challa if he can track Ezekiel and his men but T’challa responds by
telling him no that something or someone is masking their scent. He then checks on
Ororo and thanks everyone for their help.

We then go to Shuri at the Djalia with her mother talking about the history of Wakanda.
Shuri tells her mother that she also have a story to tell. She tells the story of Oronde son
of Yaa, daughter of Akosua, first born of the mighty house of Adofo. Apparently, he
knew something the rest of Wakanda has forgotten. Oronde was the best of the best of
the best sir, of Wakanda. So good was he that a cheetah demanded to race Oronde.
Oronde tried to look sure that he would beat the cheetah but inside he knew he
wouldn’t. Therefore, he lost to the cheetah, and after this loss demanded another race.
They reraced a lot, but every time Oronde lost. Oronde went to see an old shaman who
told Oronde what he already knew. That since Oronde was sure he couldn’t beat the
cheetah he never would. Oronde then steels herself and gets rid of his self doubt and
ask the cheetah for another race this time confidently. He beats the cheetah and was
now known as Oronde who mastered the flame. Shuri is not certain of the meaning of
this story, but her mother reassures her that she is. At which point gets confident and
races off, maybe back to her body?

The revolutionaries discuss the finer points of revolution. As Changamire tries to talk his
kids out of killing more Wakandans. At which point his daughter almost kills him. His son
talks her out of it then tells his dad that he just finally answered his dad’s unanswerable
question. Tetu says in the last panel that “We burn down the house, with the robber
inside.”

Bits and Pieces:

All in all this issue was very uneven. The T’challa part was awesome. The Dajia part
was neat. The whole revolutionary part was weird and like last arc came off preachy.
The weird part is, is I don’t exactly know what he was trying to preach about. It is like
seeing a man on a soapbox on the corner yelling something but he is talking in a
different language, a language I do not understand. As always the art is really good this
issue so hopefully this whole revolution part can get done and over with because it is
terrible.

6.5/10