Black Panther: The Client

Rating:
Summary: A Different Kind of Super-Hero Book
Review: Black Panther is probably one of the least respected characters ever to emerge from the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby era of comics. He's been around forever, has a great pedigree, and has had some top-notch talents take a crack at him, yet he's never really been embraced by the readers. Looks like his time has finally come....

Writer Christopher Priest (Quantum & Woody) has done the seemingly impossible, and made The Panther interesting! Rather than just concentrating on his crime-fighting, Priest focuses on The Panthers role as King of the African nation of Wakanda, a phenomenally wealthy Country caught up in a brutal civil war. When The Panther leaves his troubled Nation to avenge a child's murder in Brooklyn, he finds himself caught up in a web of political intrigue and Supernatural terror.....(Although, come to think of it, The Panther isn't really TOO terrified; He's a pretty cool customer.)

As Priest explains in his introduction, his goal in reviving The Black Panther was to make The Panther a distant, mysterious character; He succeeds admirably on that front. By keeping the reader from being privy to the inner workings of King T'Challa's mind, he becomes an almost mythic figure of menace and mystery. His final showdown with Mephisto is unforgettable. The art (By Mark Texiera & Vince Evans) is great, and fits the mood perfectly. The only problem with the book is one that seems all too common for Marvel trade paperbacks: A double-page spread is misprinted; Instead of being printed on facing pages, you have to turn the page to see the second half. Doesn't anyone proof these things? Other than that, Black Panther: The Client is a phenomenal read; I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre Fantastical Political Thriller
Review: Here's a confession: I always thought that The Black Panther is the second best solo superhero in the Marvel Universe, that is, after Spider-Man, of course. Given the right ingredients of darkness and grim & gritty tone, he would've soared through the comic market hall of fame to the likes of Batman or Daredevil.

Yet, here again, that cool-costumed vigilante (lose the stupid cape please) fell short of his true potential to weave an interesting domain of urban ghetto universe. Had they brought him to a more down to earth, yet serious conflicts, his coolness and danger would've shown through. If Marvel read this, just give me the Black Panther and I'll revamp the character through and through so he will be a badass king of dark, urban costumed crimefighters.

Rating:
Summary: One of Marvel's few Modern Day Classics
Review: I know what you're thinking...Black Panther, big friggin deal.. and yes, you're right, he was never much of a character as used in the FF and Avengers comics of the 60s and 70s. He had no real powers and no real personality. He seemed to be there for the sake of political correctness, nothing more. But things have taken a 180 degree change, believe me. Priest has put the character into a world that plays like a major motion picture with believable situations based T'challa's status as a major world leader. The characterizations and dialogue are all equally convincing. The best part is how the supporting characters and the villians fill in the void of the mysterious, aloof T'Challa, with their own interpretations, leaving you, the reader, to make up your own mind about just who or what T'Challa/Panther is. This ranks with anything Alan Moore or Chris Claremont ever did, trust me.

Rating:
Summary: One of Marvel's few Modern Day Classics
Review: I know what you're thinking...Black Panther, big friggin deal.. and yes, you're right, he was never much of a character as used in the FF and Avengers comics of the 60s and 70s. He had no real powers and no real personality. He seemed to be there for the sake of political correctness, nothing more. But things have taken a 180 degree change, believe me. Priest has put the character into a world that plays like a major motion picture with believable situations based T'challa's status as a major world leader. The characterizations and dialogue are all equally convincing. The best part is how the supporting characters and the villians fill in the void of the mysterious, aloof T'Challa, with their own interpretations, leaving you, the reader, to make up your own mind about just who or what T'Challa/Panther is. This ranks with anything Alan Moore or Chris Claremont ever did, trust me.

Rating:
Summary: This is comics at their best...
Review: Priest's reinvention of Black Panther is the finest comic book currently being published anywhere, and the five issues contained in this trade-paperback make up the best story of the series.
Whether you read comics or not, Black Panther: The Client is an absolute must read. This is comics at their best. If you are not reading this comic, or if you are not reading comics, I dare you to buy this book. You will not regret it.

Rating:
Summary: Amazingly Excellent.....
Review: The Black Panther never got the respect he deserved back in the day. Always a very underrated title, both when under the 'Jungle Adventures' title, and his own title. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby both did an amazing job with the book, but peolpe didn't buy it. Bummer. When I first began collecting comics in 96' - I was always looking for #1's being the young, naive collector I was. When I got my paw's on Panther #1, I knew I had something special. Black Panther died out then, but he came back. The Reanimation (so to speak) of T'Challa is not only better art and story wise than the original series (nothing against the original), but also selling better. Priest and Tex are a perfect team. The art here is simply amazing. Every frame, every splash could be a portrait. Beautiful. Awesome fast pace, kick a** fight scene's are in abudance, featuring the Panther kicking some major city-goon a**. Awesome impact pannels as well, you can almost feel the pain. Tex did a great job. And then the other awesome factor - The far out writing. Christopher Priest is a truley awesome writer, and man he makes the Panther bad (in a good way, not a villanous way.). He makes both fighting and character development/story development interesting. A awesome read, real enjoyable, a fast paced action ride from beggining to end. I have both the graphic novel and all the comics within it, and they are great additions to my 4000+ comic collection. You gotta get this!

Rating:
Summary: excellent collection- writing and art are top-notch
Review: this is the first story arc in what should have been a series that continues this day.. just canceled in 2003..
Mr. Priest's work has a political sophistication that never comes off as too snarky or heavy-handed, especially in an era where most fans want their comics to "only" be escapist fare.. the art by Texiera was a great opener to the series, it's too bad he left after this arc..
If there is ever a movie made about the Panther, this is the tale to base it on..

Rating:
Summary: A Great Collection from the Most Well-Written Comic Around
Review: Until Christopher Priest came along, no one really knew what to do with the Black Panther. Most writers portrayed him as a regular ol' super-athletic superhero who happened to also be an African king. But in The Client, the first story arc from the new Black Panther series, Priest introduced readers to a familiar yet very different T'Challa--a king and a tribal chieftan who is only a "superhero" to Americans who don't know how else to see him. The Client blends great writing, sharp political commentary, fight scenes that rise far above the level of the average comic book slugfest, beautiful art, and a generous amount of laugh-out-loud humor. Don't miss out on this superb read.

Rating:
Summary: Among the best modern comic series
Review: Writer Christopher Priest takes the super hero comic and turns it on its head in his landmark BLACK PANTHER series. This volume collects the first five issues of the current monthly comic.

The Black Panther is the king of the fictional African nation, Wakanda. Wakanda's claim to fame is that it is the world's sole source of vibranium, the most rare and valuable metal on Earth due to its ability to absorb sound. Occupying the space between the proverbial rock and hard place, the Black Panther, a.k.a., T'Challa, is a crafty leader who is always 10 steps ahead of all his would-be detractors, assassins and infiltrators.

"The Client" tells the story of the Panther's arrival in New York City to investigate the murder of a little girl who was the beneficiary of a Wakandan charity. It turns out that the Panther's enemies sought to lure him away from his wealthy nation with this heinous ploy. From there the mystery unravels with the Panther as the protagonist, and the narrator, Everett Ross, a U.S. foreign affairs agent who draws the unlucky task of escorting the Panther during his stay here. Ross is plucky, sarcastic and downright funny. His narration keeps the book light even though the themes are often very dark.

Priest uses out-of-sequence storytelling to simulate Ross' narrative, much in the manner that the film, Pulp Fiction, is told. It makes sense. After all, when we tell stories, it's very rare that we tell them in a linear fashion from start to finish. Ross bounds from one snippet to another. The reader puts the story together in the process.

I highly recommend this story and consider it one of the very best comic stories of the last five years. If you enjoy it, as I think you will, look for the sequel, BLACK PANTHER: ENEMY OF THE STATE, which should be coming out in November 2001.