Ultimate Black Panther

For the character from the original Ultimate universe, see Black Panther (character) § Ultimate Marvel.

For the animated film with Black Panther and the Ultimates, see Ultimate Avengers § Sequel.

Ultimate Black Panther
Ultimate Black Panther #4, with T'Challa, Shuri and the Dora Milaje
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Superhero
Publication date	February 2024
Creative team
Created by	Black Panther by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee
Written by	Bryan Hill
Artist(s)	Stefano Caselli
Letterer(s)	Vc Joe Sabino
Colorist(s)	Jesus Aburtov
Editor(s)	C. B. Cebulski

Ultimate Black Panther is a 2024 comic book by Bryan Edward Hill and Stefano Caselli. It is set in the Ultimate Universe. It follows T'Challa as he rules over the isolated Wakanda, while garnering allies and preparing for war with Moon Knight, who aims to take control of the rest of Africa in The Maker's absence.

Publication history

Ultimate Black Panther, a reimagination of the Black Panther character, is the second comic of the Ultimate Universe line. It was published a month after the debut of Ultimate Spider-Man and one month before the debut of Ultimate X-Men. Those three series were the first ongoing series of the Ultimate Universe after the miniseries Ultimate Invasion that started it. Of those three, Ultimate Black Panther is the only one that is not a reboot of a previous series from the original Ultimate Marvel imprint.

Hill explained that, although the comic is set in the Ultimate Universe and that would give him great freedom to reinvent the character, it still has to respect the IP. He reasons that an IP has major and minor rules, and that the creative freedom only allows breaking some of the minor ones. He also wanted to explore the concept of a isolationist country such as Wakanda. He explained that in the first issues there would be a war right outside of Wakanda, and the characters would be torn between the options of maintaining the isolationist policy or joining the fight.

Plot

Wakanda is a hidden isolationist nation in Africa, ruled by Black Panther (T'Challa) and Okoye. As The Maker is removed from global politics, his underlings Lord Ra and Lord Khonshu take it as a chance to annex territories from Africa. The Wakandan royalty are divided over helping the nearby countries or just securing their own frontiers. Killmonger and Storm are guerrilla fighters who stand against Moon Knight (a collective name used by Lord Ra and Lord Khonshu), regardless of Wakandan policies. While allying with Killmonger and Storm against Lord Ra and Lord Khonshu after T'Chaka saves him from a suicide bomber, Black Panther learns something new about Vibranium causing him to send Killmonger and Storm to find the Sorcerer Supreme who can help him understand Vibranium.

Reception

The first issue had high sales, so Marvel ordered a second printing, which hit the stands by the time of Ultimate Black Panther #2. It featured a new cover art by R.B. Silva.

Spencer Perry from Comicbook.com considers that the comic book wasted the chance to make a radical reinvention of the comic. Instead of that, it plays it safe, with most characters staying at their usual characterizations. The comic takes a strong influence from the Black Panther film, both in the chosen cast and in the visual appearances. Perry points out that even that had already been done by the mainstream Black Panther comics. He also points that the comic draws influence from the Dune novel, with the political intrigue and rival factions. However, he considers that the comic is still of good quality.

I-j Wheaton from CBR praises the quality of the dialogue, with an adequate vocabulary and pacing. He also praises the arts, in particular the architecture of the city and the clothing of the characters, that provide a sense of Afro-futurism. The art is also strong on the emotions seen at the character's faces, complementing the brief and precise lines of dialogue. The dark and moody colors provide the right atmosphere, but only in the situations that call for it, as it alternates with brighter scenes.

Collected editions

#	Title	Material collected	Format	Pages	Released	ISBN
1	Peace and War	Ultimate Black Panther (2024) #1-6	TPB	152	1 Oct 2024	978-1302957308

External links

• Official site