Saturday, April 9, 2011

Black Panther: Man Without Fear #516



It's weird seeing Spider-Man being the guy advocating teamwork. Usually Spidey is on the receiving end of those cnoversations. Once again, David Liss is doing great things with BP. The opening showdown with Vlad the Impaler is awesome. This rivalry just started, but clearly these guys hate each other already. They're both obsessed with each other now, so having Spidey pop in and bring the fight to a close was amusing; it actually insulted them both.

Liss really has set up the whole serial killer idea for a few issues now, but it still felt like a bit of a shock to see the plot thread pick up here. I am excited to see BP's new supporting cast become so important so quickly.

Jefte Palo's BP is a bit more animalistic than Francesco Francavilla's. BP spends the issue hunching towards everyone he interacts with.

This issue isn't as sublime as the last few, just because it is impossible for anyone to match what Liss and Francavilla are doing. As I say every month, check this book out.

Good

2 comments:

J Chambliss said...

I have really enjoyed this run. The twist and turns in the story work at multiple levels and I think Vlad has really emerged as villain that can drive the story. At some level, this run has reminded me of a 70s crime drama. Still, I wonder how much longer the Black Panther can stay in this situation before ceases to make sense. He is character with ties to the highest (and most powerful) people in the Marvel Universe. Liss has done a masterful job of making him a more accessible character, but the character's history and standing loom large for future developments. Having seen the teaser imagine for American Panther, I'm curious how this story will end.

Timbotron said...

I agree 100%. How many times can BP have his home-made equipment not hold up before he figures he needs to use some of his high tech toys?

It really does work though, BP seems to be struggling back from a breakdown, which is about as Daredevil-y as you can get!