Review: Black Panther Vol. 3- A Nation Under Our Feet Book Three
Quick Summary
Pros: The politics in this book continue to be interesting. The book’s climax is handled perfectly and provides a great resolution for the arc.
Cons: Differences in the book’s artwork are noticeable.
Overall: The final volume of the “A Nation Under Our Feet” series proves to be the best of the entire run. All the setup and tension that had been done in the previous volumes comes to fruition here and does so marvelously. Readers will leave this book more excited for the future of Wakanda than ever before and will be more than ready to keep reading this fantastic series.
Collection Notes
In addition to the Black Panther series, this collection also includes stories from New Avengers #18, #21 and #24. However, since these supplementary materials are completely separate from the rest of the story, we will not be discussing them in this review.
Story
Black Panther Vol. 3- A Nation Under Our Feet Book Three concludes the current storyline with a healthy dose of Wakandan politics and emotional enlightenment. While this may sound heavy, it proves to be a tremendous read that ends up being the best of this current series. Everything Ta-Nehisi Coats has been building thus far comes to a head here in a way that makes sense with the narrative that has be constructed. Fans of this run are certain to appreciate everything in this volume.
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I went into this collection with a good deal of doubts. The previous volume had set Black Panther up as the story arc’s hero and yet made a number of logical and sound arguments for the opposition. The King of Wakanda is, after all, a dictator and so the cry “no one man” resonates easily. Compound this with the atrocities that were allowed to happen to the women in this story and it becomes hard to side with the monarchy. Taking all this into account and knowing the typical nature of superhero comics, I was worried that the story would simply have Black Panther crush the rebels and return to his throne without a second thought given to their message.
Defying expectations, however, seems to be where Coates excels. He manages to provide an ending that acknowledges and sympathizes with every argument while still allowing T’Challa to have a heroic victory. By doing this he allows the story to deliver a political message while also allowing the protagonist to have a heroic victory. It is well planned and executed all around and makes the entire arc more enjoyable.
The politics of this book go beyond a simple setting for this drama though, they also provide a fantastic commentary on the ethics of revolution and understanding. The citizens, and eventually the rulers, of Wakanda recognize that the government must change but everyone has a different solution. Together though they realize that the best course of action is one where they work together and listen to everyone’s problems. Alongside all of this also exists a stark admonishment of violence as a means to an end, as the way to the solution “cannot be written in blood and fire.” All of this together leads to a compromise that would be wonderful to see in the real world and a great message to end the story with.
(spoilers end here)
Art
In our reviews of Book One and Book Two we applauded the artwork of both Brian Stelfreeze and Chris Sprouse, who return to provide the art in this volume as well. Just like before, both artists do a great job in bringing the world of Black Panther to life. Their characterizations and done well and they paint a beautiful picture of the nation of Wakanda.
The only problem is that, when placed back to back, the differences in their artwork become more apparent. Going from one artist, to the other, then back to the first artist is annoying especially when the two draw character’s faces rather differently. It is a small but unfortunate problem that plagues an otherwise great looking book.
Continuity
Black Panther Vol. 3: A Nation Under Our Feet Book Three is the third volume of this Black Panther comic series. It flows directly out of the events of Black Panther Vol. 2: A Nation Under Our Feet Book Two and will continue in Black Panther Vol. 4: Avengers of the New World Book One.
This volume also references stories from other comic books, all of which are detailed below:
- Namor, Doom, and the Black Order’s attacks on Wakanda are mentioned. These things happen in Avengers vs. X-Men, Doomwar, and Avengers: Time Runs Out Vol. 1, respectively.
- Morlun’s attack on Wakanda is mentioned. This happens in Black Panther by Reginald Hudlin: The Complete Collection Vol. 3.
- Shuri’s apparent death is brought up a few times. This even happens in Time Runs Out Vol. 1.
- T’Challa mentions that he owes Eden. This is a reference to Eden’s sacrifice in Secret Wars.
Collection Notes
Every issue in found in this collection can also be found in: