Black Panther - Panther’s Rage by Sheree Renee Thomas
I would like to thank Sarah from Titan for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher - Titan
Published - 8/9
Price - £17.99 hardback £9.49 Kindle eBook
Follow Wakanda’s high-tech king across the savannah, into the deepest jungles, and up snow-capped mountains in this prose adaptation of the landmark comics series by Don McGregor, Rich Buckler, and Billy Graham. This arc expands on the life and culture of the Wakandans, also introducing us to Panther’s historic enemies. See T’Challa channel the strength of his ancient bloodline to take out foes, including the breakout character Killmonger!
I suspect you like so many of us where wowed by the movie Black Panther a stunning movie giving us a much needed new take on superhero films and introducing us to the gorgeous and fascinating land of Wakanda. Next month we will see the sequel but we are all sadly aware that the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman forces a change of direction and focus away from T’Challa. Therefore I was delighted to get to read Black Panther - Panther’s Rage by Sheree Renee Thomas that gives us a new adventure explaining a bit more of what who the man behind the mask is and exploring a lot more of the people of Wakanda too.
T’Challa is the absent King of Wakanda living in New York after finally avenging his father’s death. He has got used to working with the Avengers and Fantastic Four and also found love with the singer Monica Lynne and developed a friendship with the mercurial Wakandan exile N’Jadaka. A sense of peace has finally settles on our hero’s shoulders and is removed when he receives the news that the royal regent has unexpectedly passed away and he is urgently required back home to rule. T’Challa asks both his lover and new friend to accompany him back home and find out what is going on; plus he is keen to announce that Monica is going to be his Queen, and yet upon returning the King is disturbed to find Wakanda is under threat of violent civil war with many doubting if the King is still suitable for them and instead a new leader is required…one they call Killmonger.
I really enjoyed this almost alternative history of T’Challa returning to his home as while there are some plotlines we may recall from the movie being used we get a fast packed adventure that also really lets us inside T’Challa’s head and make us appreciate the man who finds himself being called King. Thomas explores how all his life he has been burdened by knowing this is his future and yet after his father’s untimely death being avenged still found himself going down a road requiring violence with a need to punish that was overwhelming him; his trip to the US was a chance to heal but also made him ignore all the many urgent messages from home. Here T’Challa feels more human and unexpectedly slightly flawed avoiding a responsibility that as we find has allowed his enemies to take advantage of Wakandans who are now feeling abandoned and favouring a new and different kind of leadership in the form of Killmonger. We have a King who himself realised he may not be deserving of the throne and must now work hard to both save his people and also persuade them of his own worthiness to lead. At the same time T’Challa is working through his feelings for Monica; his disquieting thirst for violence and doubts about his own leadership skills. Thomas really made me in this story consider what may be going on behind the invisible mask he shows in public as well as the one he actually wears one for adventure.
Adventure is a great way to explain this story. The Killmonger reveal is here delivered quite early in the story but what is added on top is a host of new to me enemies for the Black Panther to battle. Leopards with Vibranium teeth; an army of the undead led by Baron Macabre; skilled assassin Malice and giant snakes controlled by the brash Venomm (yes he knows there is another one hence the additional m). What I liked about this galaxy of supervillains is that each forces our Panther to address part of his own troubled psyche and redeem himself. The subverted nature of Wakandan creatures; the various deaths he holds himself responsible for and their constant attempts to divide him from his people meant each encounter feels epic with high stakes rather than a boring and characterless next level boss to encounter. There are echoes of the movie especially regards Killmonger but his identity here has a more intimate sense of betrayal and makes their battle feel even more personal. A key battle for T’Challa is not letting rage at all this take over and Thomas makes you feel that struggle quite deeply.
Finally it’s worth noting how Thomas broadens how I’ve seen Wakanda. In the movie it often focused on the royal family; their court and associated nobles but here Thomas makes us see life for all the people. The young soldiers; the farmers and even the lower reaches of the royal household. An interesting angle explored how it’s not unusual to question if T’Challa is fit to lead anymore; the isolationist instincts many have are now brought to the surface in the reaction go Monica who is not just someone who allows T’Challa to be happy but soneone who herself m explores what it may be to be part of the leaders of the land and finds herself despised and even framed just because she is an outsider. I gained a sense of Wakanda being a society of different groups and behaviours and not simply their King’s ever loyal foot soldiers - this adds to why it’s so important T’Challa proves he’s now ready for the throne.
Black Panther - Panther’s Rage is a fine adventure in itself but one that for me helped broaden my knowledge of who T’Challa is and what Wakanda is like outside the palaces. It’s both a series of challenges and a quest to prove worthiness with a touch of redemption thrown in too. Highly enjoyable and fans of this character should definitely pick this up!
