Written by: Bryan Hill
Art by: Carlos Nieto
Colors by: David Curiel
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Stefano Caselli, David Curiel
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: July 24, 2024
Ultimate Black Panther #6, by Marvel Comics on 7/24/24, brings Black Panther face-to-face with Khonshu when the latter begins recruiting African citizens to be a part of his army of zealots.
Is Ultimate Black Panther #6 Good?
Oof! Whatever plans Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hill had for Ultimate Black Panther, I don’t believe they expected the series to start falling apart this much, this soon. Bryan Hill is doing his best to build a grand conflict between warring entities but ignores the fundamental elements of stakes and motivation. The net result is an issue with things happening without purpose, direction, or urgency.
When last we left the King of Wakanda in Ultimate Black Panther #5, T’Challa and his now-smaller circle of trust learned that the mysterious green orb discovered by Killmonger and Storm can accelerate the growth of life… somehow. When T’Challa sought the advice of Wakanda’s oracle, he learned the ore arrived as a meteor at the same time as Vibranium and the two elements are counterparts to each other. Now, Moon Knight’s attacks on Wakanda have been revealed to be a power play to obtain the green material for themselves.
In Ultimate Black Panther #6, Moon Knight (The team of Khonshu and Ra. Yes, it’s needlessly complicated naming. Stop pestering me about that.) steps up their attacks on Wakanda with a new approach. Khonshu appears in his full regalia to heal people and perform “miracles” to convert ordinary African citizens into zealous acolytes. What’s the plan? To build a devoted army to invade Wakanda with overwhelming numbers of African-styled jihadists.
This is all well and good, but the major piece of this story that’s missing is motivation. Why does Moon Knight want the green orb? Everything about the conflict in this story hinges on understanding that basic question because the answer establishes the stakes and urgency. If Bryan Hill was simply setting up a “Wakanda defending against invaders” story, this would be a very different series. As it stands, we still don’t know what Moon Knight intends to do with the green orb, so this issue is best described as “things happening because characters want them to happen.”
Khonshu’s plan to recruit zealots who believe he’s a god begins to bear fruit. A small team of suicide bombers attacks a mineral refinery in West Africa… for no obvious reason. T’Challa arrives with shielding tech to stop the bombings from killing innocent workers. As the armed guards and jihadis fight, Black Panther confronts Khonshu. They briefly tussle, then taunt each other before simply parting with the understanding that war has begun.
Overall, Carlos Nieto’s art looks great, and things happening that are interesting at that moment, but the plot is quickly devolving into a mess. Either, Hill is trying to force a series that’s treading water into a form that makes it look like it’s not treading water, or Hill has lost the plot entirely. Either way, the value of this series is quickly dwindling.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Final Thoughts
Ultimate Black Panther #6 is easily the worst issue in the series. Moon Knight’s designs on Wakanda are escalating with extreme measures, but the story lacks basic motivations for the characters or urgency. People are doing things without direction and purpose, so all you have is a great-looking comic with stuff happening. Without the basics, all of it is meaningless.
5.5/10
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
Connect With Us Here: Weird Science DC Comics / Weird Science Marvel Comics
If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com
As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.
