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The cover of “Ultimate Black Panther” #8 (drawn by Caselli, picture above) depicts Khonsu standing upon a panther statue in the moonlight, looking out at the Wakandan city skyline. It’s very symbolic; he’s standing on a statue representing both the Wakandan Black Panther title and their panther god Bast. All that’s missing is the speech balloon of him declaring “Veni, Vidi, Vici” in Egyptian Arabic.
Wakanda won’t go gentle into the good night. The solicitations for the issue tease the following synopsis:
“BLACK PANTHER AND STORM TAKE THE FIGHT TO MOON KNIGHT! Enough planning — time for a guerrilla counterstrike against Khonshu and Ra! Meanwhile, Killmonger and Okoye seek allies to aid their cause outside of Wakanda … So don’t miss the big gun they call in! Ultimate WHO? You’ll have to read to find out!”
Alas, the preview pages for the issue have no hint of who this new guest star will be. The focus is instead all on the book’s titular hero.
In the first page, one panel shows Moon Knight troops charging, while in the next, T’Challa leads a squad of Dora Milaje. In the background, a village burns and the bottom of the page shows a crying woman cradling her child, illustrating the consequences of war.
The second page echoes the first, showing the fight in four thin vertical plans before returning to the sobbing mother at the end of the page. Both of the first two pages employ narration from the (fictional) Book of Bast, Wakanda’s holy scriptures. “You will guide them to their better natures through the storms of violence and despair” sounds a lot like what T’Challa is doing.
Pages 3-4 zero in on the Black Panther. As the Moon Knight soldiers surround him on page 3, intent on slaying him like their masters command, T’Challa prepares an energy blast from his vibranium-powered suit and, on page 4, unleashes it.
How will this battle fare, and who’s the new character that’ll be joining? Previews for “Ultimate Black Panther” #9 mention “The Ultimate Sorcerer Supreme” while issue #10 solicitations mention a “Strange Doctor.” This could easily be misdirection, though — Stephen Strange is not the only Sorcerer Supreme in Marvel Comics history.
“Ultimate Black Panther” #8 will be available from physical and digital retailers on September 11, 2024.
“}]] T’Challa battles a new spin on a beloved Marvel character in our exclusive preview for Marvel Comics’ Ultimate Black Panther issue #8. Read More