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Written by: Bryan Hill
Art by: Stefano Caselli
Colors by: David Curiel
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Stefano Caselli, David Curiel
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: October 2, 2024
Ultimate Black Panther #9, by Marvel Comics on 10/2/24, sends T’Challa undercover to learn how far Moon Knight’s influence extends. Meanwhile, Killmonger and Storm find the Ultimate Sorcerer Supreme… maybe.
Is Ultimate Black Panther #9 Good?
Did somebody hand Bryan Hill a memo that told him to take the longest and slowest amount of page space possible to move the plot forward two inches? This entire issue could be summarized in two scenes – T’Challa accepts what he already knows, and Killmonger and Storm find a person. I think it’s time to drop this time-waster of a title.
When last we left T’Challa in Ultimate Black Panther #8, the armed forces of Wakanda continued fighting small skirmishes against Moon Knight’s army of zealots. During one battle, T’Challa is stabbed through the leg with a long knife that sends him into a hallucinatory state. When T’Challa recovered, he somehow concluded that Vibranium was more powerful than anyone suspected. Meanwhile, Storm and Killmonger beat up an old man for information.
In Ultimate Black Panther #9, Killmonger and Storm infiltrate a stronghold located somewhere in Eastern Europe, presumably via the information they obtained by beating up an old man in the last issue. They believe the stronghold is some kind of safehouse or prison containing the rumored Sorcerer Supreme. But before they can kick in the front door, an assortment of guards and torture doctors come flying out of the building. The Sorcerer Supreme has freed herself, and it’s nobody you will recognize.
What should be a big deal for the Ultimate universe, the Ultimate Sorcerer Supreme, turns out to be a setup that falls flat. Why? You get a look at the character, but it’s clearly not Doctor Strange or at least the Doctor Strange we know, and the lower half of the character’s face is covered by a muzzle. In effect, the “this is going to be big” hype turned into another half-delivered promise. Writer Bryan Hill is starting to fumble Ultimate Black Panther as badly as his recent Blade run.
Elsewhere, Moon Knight (Khonshu) gives a rousing speech to African villagers, telling them about the wondrous power Wakanda is withholding from their fellow Africans. Among the crowd, T’Challa listens to the speech while disguised in robes and a face covering. Later, T’Challa feels the need to confront Moon Knight in front of everyone to put the blossoming jihad down, but Shuri talks him out of it for now.
And that’s it.
What’s great about Ultimate Black Panther #9? Well, we get a “peek” at the Ultimate Sorcerer Supreme, so that’s something.
What’s not great about Ultimate Black Panther #9? To this point, Hill has stretched two issues worth of story over nine issues, and the waste of time and money verges on insulting to the reading audience. Looking across all the Ultimate titles, you get the impression either Jonathan Hickman or Marvel editorial told every creator to hold in place until the Maker’s return, which isn’t happening for another year.
This amount of water treading is inexcusable.
How’s the Art? Frankly, Stefano Caselli’s art is great, which is a darn shame because it’s wasted on a title that’s going nowhere.
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 #9 gives readers a quick peek at the Ultimate Sorcerer Supreme and does nothing else. Bryan Hill hasn’t moved the plot in any meaningful direction in months, so this title has truly become a waste of time and money. Well, the art is pretty great, so that’s something.
5/10
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