An Interesting Examination of Bigotry
T'Challa prepares to put down American Panther and Hate-Monger's hordes.
The Good
Zircher's last two covers didn't do much for me, but I really enjoyed this one.
Starting this issue off with a fight was a great move. Setting that fight up in the dark was an even better move. It was definitely a nice switch from the usual and something I've never seen done by Francavilla.
Sofija is all kinds of awesome! I've totally fallen in love with this character and hope she sticks around in the Marvel U for years to come! Liss has seriously done everything right with this character. Other writers should take not, this is how you properly flesh out a member of your supporting cast and create a proper sidekick. She's no damsel in distress, she can hold her own in a fight and serves as a perfect ally for T'Challa.
Something that had bothered me about American Panther was his ability to fight on equal footing with T'Challa. Turns out that's because T'Challa willed it to be so. The way he educates American Panther on his proper place was highly amusing and Francavilla's pencils and panel layouts were great, especially during their final confrontation.
I'm always a fan of organic humor in a comic, and that's something that Liss has a true knack for. I love the way he inverts many typical genre tropes in this book. Normally heroes skirt around harming mind controlled individuals, especially civilians, but T'Challa has no qualms about it and it makes for a genuinely hilarious moment. Keeping in line with the mind control examination I love that Hate-Monger/American Panther actually get arrested!!! The officer's declaration that he'll let the judge deal with their whack job possession story made my day and it was truly fitting considering the Daredevil run that preceded Liss' current one.
T'Challa's a man of his word and he lives up to his promise to take care of Foggy.
The final fate of Mr. Chambliss was humorous and genuinely heart warming and show's that people can change, even if it's only centimeters. It also gives me another awesome Sofija moment.
The end of this issue really has me excited for future stories. I think we may be seeing a fan favorite from Priest's seminal run returning to the Marvel U!
The Bad
While still great Francavilla's art wasn't as sharp as it usually is.
That line was cool when Rorschach said it and it hasn't been since...
The Verdict
I had a lot of fun reading this arc. This was a story that could've easily made me shake my head and cringe in disgust turned out pretty good. I'm proud of Liss for tackling something as touchy a subject as ethnic relations and examining it with such care and class within the context of a kinetic and entertaining comic. So yeah I'll rule this one a buy.