Reconsidering the Superhero

For this week, I read Black Panther.  I know earlier this year the movie released, which I didn't see, but I knew about Black Panther from my teenage years, but never paid it any mind because it didn't seem like a Superhero or world I wanted to be apart of.  I now see what the hype is all about.

First thing that grabbed my attention was the story. Black Panther is the king of his people and has to deal with villains.  The thing for me that separates Black Panther from other super heroes is the fact that Black Panther is a king, which means it adds to the story about having to rule as a king and fight evil, whereas most super hero comics are about the heroes fighting the villains and nothing more.  It adds a complex level of struggle as the hero to fight and rule.

Art direction is the next subject.  The only thing that really confuses me about Black Panther (and maybe it was explained in earlier issues), is that they dress and fight like a tribe, but they have advanced technology to use. A lot of the panels are in large scale whereas most comics use smaller panels on each page.  More other than not, I found myself zooming out to look at a bigger panel, which is a good thing in my opinion because a single large panels can give emphasis on a subject matter or even tell more of a story than more smaller panels.  Another thing I noticed is the constant use of emotion in the characters faces, which helps drive the story being told. 

I can't say Black Panther is my new favorite comic book hero, but it has peeked my interest in learning more about it.  The movie also got decent reviews and I've heard it's good, so maybe I'll check it out sometime.