Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda #2

By Jim Zub, Lan Medina, Craig Yeung, Marcio Menyz, and VC’s Joe Sabino

Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda #2 continues and finishes off the story starting with the Sentry in the previous issue. Was it abrupt? Yes, but the concerns of characters not getting enough screen time are assuaged. This series is still on shaky ground but is starting to show its potential in certain places. If this series could build on the strengths being shown off, this could become a team book worth looking forward to each month.

Jim Zub continues his run on a Black Panther led team of mostly B and C list characters with moderate success. A concern with the first issue was that these relatively unknown characters would not get enough time to shine for readers to really learn about their characters. This issue gave some of these characters an opportunity to show the reader some of their most insecure thoughts made real through the power of the void. More importantly, each of these insecure moments gave a reason to care or sympathize with each of these characters. Fat Cobra especially stands out in this issue and may turn out to be a fan favorite in the cast. Fat Cobra has a healthy balance of having a sense of humor while being a powerhouse for the team. Okoye also has a great moment to show off her cold efficiency in a brutal and satisfying way, which in of itself is a source of her own insecurities. 

Aside from some great character moments, the weakest part of the issue comes with the story. There was some hype around the return of the Sentry and the Void at the end of the previous issue but the story stops a lot faster than what some readers may have been expecting. The Sentry will certainly show up again in future issues, but this initial conflict seemed resolved quickly only to set up the next threat to follow in the next issue. Along with a new threat, we will be focusing on a new set of agents that we have only had a short introduction to. 

As for the art, Lan Medina, Craig Yeung, and Marcio Menyz gives us some great action shots spaced throughout the issue to keep it interesting. As stated earlier, Okoye has a brutal and efficient way to destroy her enemy brought about by the Void and is depicted in a silhouette that is very cool to see. Medina also takes full advantage of using the Void and various energy effects to create well framed scenes. The color pallette is consistent with the previous issues and has a lot of reds and purples to fit in with fighting the void. This consistency had a noticeable and effective break in two instances. The first being when the Wasp was beginning her vision brought on by the void of her being a tranquil and relaxing sunny day on top of one of Tony Stark’s towers. The other being from the energy effect of a surprise guest to help fight the void. Both of these instances used colors so different from the rest of the issue and really stood out.

Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda is a series that is just getting started and is trying to find its footing. It certainly has its strengths but may be lacking in its focus. If this series focuses on some of the characters that are starting to shine and have a solid story, then it could become a really good book. The problem may come in the next issue where we will focus on new characters and a new story. Jumping around to different characters every other issue may prove to be this book’s downfall.