Civil War Comic Review – “Black Panther #18”

Another stand-alone tie-in issue has shipped. How is it?

General Information

Title: Black Panther #18

Author: Reginald Hudlin

Illustrator(s): Scot Eaton, Klaus Janson, Dean White and Kaare Andrews

Original Publication Date: July 26, 2005

Cover Price: $3.99 US, $5.75 Can

Past comic reviews can be found here.

Premise

Storm and T’Challa marry, though many of their guests aren’t currently getting along.

High Point

Spider-Man meets the Man-Ape.

Low Point

Some Civil War tie-in. There are a few brief conversations about it, including one good scene with Captain America and Iron Man, but this is primarily about the wedding, and will be unlikely to have any effect on the Civil War itself.

The Scores

How original is this issue? We’ve seen the superhero weddings before, but I can’t think of many that didn’t end up getting attacked right before or after. (Given the general hatred of costumes right now, I would expect such a mass gathering to be a prime target.) It’s nice to see the greatest interest point actually come after the wedding, when the presents are being opened. I give it 4 out of 6.

The artwork had two distinct teams. The bulk was done by the Eaton, Janson and White team, who depict the mass gathering with loads of guest stars quite effectively. (My only complaint was getting the colouring wrong on the Man-Ape, particularly since the dialogue talks specifically about the colour he should be.) Four pages of a form of subjective reality were done by Kaare Andrews

, and it serves its purpose well. I give it 5 out of 6.

The story is quite minimal. There’s a wedding, lots of people show up, and most everyone agrees this important. I give it 3 out of 6.

The characterization of T’Challa and Storm is nice. Very few others appear long enough to really give a strong impression of how their inner thoughts and feelings are running. I give it 4 out of 6.

The emotional response is pretty weak. This is yet another wedding, shortly after the Jessica Jones/Luke Cage wedding. There’s some interesting set-up, but not much happens in this issue, particularly in terms of the Civil War event branded across the cover. I give it 3 out of 6.

The flow is very smooth, due in large part to the fact that there is only one significant time lapse, and that just skips from part of the reception to part of the wedding night. I give it 6 out of 6.

Overall, it’s one to read if you’re a fan of weddings, Storm, or Black Panther, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re just looking for Civil War material. I give it 4 out of 6.

In total, Black Panther #18 receives 29 out of 42.

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2 replies on “Civil War Comic Review – “Black Panther #18””

  1. Ceasefire during Civil War
    Black Panther is for anyone who likes action mixed with humour. Want some light relief from the battleground that is Civil War then look no further than the wedding of Storm and Panther in Black Panther #18. An enjoyable story with a stellar cast of Marvel heroes. Cap, Iron Man, Spidey, Luke Cage, and the X-Men are just some of the illustrious wedding guests. Well worth a look if you are eagerly collecting Civil War spin-offs, or even if you just want to check out a little Marvel history in the making. I enjoyed the story from start to finish, the key word being ‘fun’.

    • Re: Ceasefire during Civil War

      Black Panther is for anyone who likes action mixed with humour. Want some light relief from the battleground that is Civil War then look no further than the wedding of Storm and Panther in Black Panther #18. An enjoyable story with a stellar cast of Marvel heroes. Cap, Iron Man, Spidey, Luke Cage, and the X-Men are just some of the illustrious wedding guests. Well worth a look if you are eagerly collecting Civil War spin-offs, or even if you just want to check out a little Marvel history in the making. I enjoyed the story from start to finish, the key word being ‘fun’.

      Perhaps I’d have seen it more along these lines if Cable/Deadpool #30 hadn’t been a whole heck of a lot more fun.

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