{"id":27233,"date":"2022-12-19T11:30:58","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T11:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=27233"},"modified":"2022-12-19T11:30:58","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T11:30:58","slug":"mighty-marvel-masterworks-black-panther-volume-1-the-claws-of-the-panther","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2022\/12\/19\/mighty-marvel-masterworks-black-panther-volume-1-the-claws-of-the-panther\/","title":{"rendered":"Mighty Marvel Masterworks Black Panther volume 1: The Claws of the Panther"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Stan Lee & Jack Kirby<\/strong>, Roy Thomas<\/strong>, John Buscema<\/strong>, Frank Giacoia<\/strong>, Barry Windsor-Smith<\/strong> & various (MARVEL)
\nISBN: 978-1-3029-4709-5 (TPB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Golden Oldies for Kids of All Ages\u2026 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Mighty Marvel Masterworks<\/strong> line was designed with economy in mind. Classic tales of Marvel\u2019s key characters by the founding creators, re-presented in chronological order have been a staple since the 1990s, but always in lavish, expensive collectors editions. These books are far cheaper, but with some deletions like the occasional pin-up. They are printed on lower quality paper and – crucially – are physically smaller, about the dimensions of a paperback book. Your eyesight might be failing and your hands too big and shaky, but they\u2019re perfect for kids and if you opt for the digital editions, that\u2019s no issue at all\u2026<\/p>\n

This tome gathers in whole or in part early Black Panther<\/strong> adventures from Fantastic Four<\/strong> #52-54, 56; Tales of Suspense<\/strong> #97-99; Captain America<\/strong> #100; The<\/strong> Avengers <\/strong>#52, 62, 73-74 and Daredevil <\/strong>#52 spanning July 1966-March 1970: including his debut and career as a peripatetic guest star before finally securing a series of his own\u2026<\/p>\n

Acclaimed as the first black superhero in American comics and one of the first to carry his own series, the Black Panther<\/strong>\u2019s popularity and fortunes have waxed and waned since he first appeared in the summer of 1966.<\/p>\n

As created by Jack Kirby & Stan Lee and inker Joe Sinnott, T\u2019Challa<\/em>, son of T\u2019Chaka<\/em>, is an African monarch whose secretive kingdom is the only source of vibration-absorbing wonder mineral Vibranium<\/em>. The miraculous alien metal – derived from a fallen meteor which struck the continent in lost antiquity – is the basis of Wakanda<\/em>\u2019s immense wealth, making it one of the wealthiest and most secretive nations on Earth. These riches allowed the young king to radically remake his country, creating a technological wonderland even after he left Africa to fight as one of America\u2019s mighty Avengers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For much of its history Wakanda was an isolated, utopian technological wonderland with tribal resources and people safeguarded and led since time immemorial by a human warrior-king deriving cat-like physical advantages from secret ceremonies and a mysterious heart-shaped herb. This has ensured the generational dominance of the nation\u2019s Panther Cult and Royal Family\u2026<\/p>\n

The highly guarded \u201cVibranium mound\u201d had guaranteed the nation\u2019s status as a clandestine superpower for centuries, but modern times increasingly found Wakanda a target for subversion, incursion and even invasion as the world grew ever smaller.<\/p>\n

It all began with Fantastic Four<\/strong> #52-53 (cover-dated July and August 1966) as the innovative and unforgettable character launched in \u2018The Black Panther!\u2019<\/em>: an enigmatic African monarch whose secretive kingdom was the only source of a vibration-absorbing alien metal. These mineral riches had enabled him to turn his country into a futuristic marvel who introduced himself by luring the FF into his savage super-scientific kingdom. Although the team was oblivious to the danger, it was all part of T\u2019Challa\u2019s extended plan to gain vengeance on the murderer of his father.<\/p>\n

After battling the team to a standstill, the King revealed his tragic origin in \u2018The Way it Began..!\u2019<\/em>, revealing how his father was murdered by marauding sonic science researcher Ulysses Klaw<\/em>. However, even as the monarch details how he took vengeance and liberated his people, word comes of incredible solidified-sound monsters attacking the region. Klaw has returned at last\u2026<\/p>\n

The cataclysmic clash that follows set the scene for the African Warrior-Chieftain to guest star with a number of Marvel superstars before breaking out into the wider world, but it would years before he finally won his own solo series\u2026<\/p>\n

In the aftermath, Human Torch<\/strong> Johnny Storm<\/em> and his tag-along college roommate Wyatt Wingfoot<\/em> embark on a quest to rescue the Torch\u2019s Inhuman<\/strong> lover Crystal<\/em> (imprisoned with her people behind an impenetrable energy barrier in the Himalayas). Their journey is greatly assisted by the Panther\u2019s incredible technology but here that means FF<\/strong> #54\u2019s \u2018Whosoever Finds the Evil Eye\u2026!\u2019 <\/em>ends on page 8,<\/em> and you\u2019ll need to find a different collection to finish that tale\u2026<\/p>\n

The monarch and his personal nemesis returned in #56 when \u2018Klaw, the Murderous Master of Sound!\u2019 <\/em>– reborn as a being of sentient sound energy – ambushes the team in their own home. Happily, the Panther is able to assist them in the nick of time\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Marvel\u2019s inexorable rise to dominance in the American comic book industry really took hold in 1968, when a number of their characters finally got their own titles. Prior to that and due to a highly restrictive distribution deal, the company was tied to a limit of 16 publications per month. To circumvent this, Marvel developed titles with two series per publication, such as Tales of Suspense<\/strong> where original star Iron Man<\/strong> shared honours with late addition Captain America<\/strong>. When the division came, Shellhead started afresh with a First Issue, and Cap retained the numbering of the original title; thereby premiering with #100.<\/p>\n

The last few issues of the run – ToS<\/strong> #97-99 and the freshly re-titled Captain America<\/strong> #100 opens with the Sentinel of Liberty having just retired from superhero service and revealed his secret identity to the world, However, he hurtles straight back into the saddle for S.H.I.E.L.D. in \u2018And So It Begins\u2026!\u2019<\/em>: a 4-part saga featuring the Black Panther.<\/p>\n

It tells of the apparent return of long-dead Nazi war criminal and Master of Evil Baron Zemo<\/em> who is attacking the world with an orbital death ray controlled from somewhere in Africa. The epic was scripted by Lee and bombastically plotted and drawn by King Kirby with Sinnott & Syd Shores inking, and sees chaos escalate in \u2018The Claws of the Panther!\u2019<\/em> and \u2018The Man Who Lived Twice!\u2019 <\/em>before climactically closing in explosive action and a very Big Reveal in \u2018This Monster Unmasked!\u2019<\/em>…<\/em><\/p>\n

As a result of his aid in ending the crisis, T\u2019Challa was recommended by Cap and won his first regular slot in super team, beginning with The Avengers<\/strong> #52 (cover-dated May 1968). At that time, the active team had been reduced to Hawkeye<\/strong>, the Wasp<\/strong> and a recently re-powered Goliath<\/strong>. This changed when they belatedly welcomed new recruit Black Panther<\/strong>. That delay was because \u2018Death Calls for the Arch-Heroes!\u2019 w<\/em>as<\/em> a fast-paced murder mystery by Roy Thomas, John Buscema & Vince Colletta which also introduced obsessive super-psycho The Grim Reaper<\/em>, who had seemingly murdered the trio and let bewildered newcomer T\u2019Challa take the rap\u2026<\/p>\n

After clearing his name and resurrecting the teammates, the Panther settled in as a high-profile international superhero but remained very much a mystery until Avengers<\/strong> #62 (March 1969, by Thomas. Buscema & George Klein), where in the aftermath of a mystic crisis in Africa, Hawkeye, The Vision<\/em> and occasional ally Black Knight<\/strong> were invited to visit Wakanda\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2018The Monarch and the Man-Ape!\u2019 <\/em>was a revelatory<\/em> if brief interlude in the hidden nation and a brutal exploration of the African Avenger\u2019s history and rivals which resulted in a deadly coup attempt when a super-strong trusted regent turned usurper, declaring himself leader of a banned cult and living icon M\u2019Baku the Man-Ape<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

Returned to America, the African Avenger stepped in as another acrobatic superhero loner struggled with identity issues.<\/p>\n

Daredevil<\/strong> #52 (May 1969, by Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith & Johnny Craig) saw the Scarlet Swashbuckler at his lowest ebb: battling robotics genius, Mad-Scientist-for-Hire and certified lunatic Starr Saxon<\/em>. The war of wills was wickedly engaging: frantically escalating into a psychedelic thriller wherein Saxon uncovers the hero\u2019s greatest secret after the Man Without Fear succumbs to toxins in his bloodstream and goes berserk.<\/p>\n

That saga climaxes here in stunning style on \u2018The Night of the Panther!\u2019 <\/em>as the African Avenger joins the hunt for the out-of-control Daredevil before subsequently helping thwart, if not defeat, the dastardly Saxon. The radically unsettling ending blew away all conventions of traditional Fights \u2018n\u2019 Tights melodrama and still shocks today\u2026<\/p>\n

These initial forays finish with another 2-part tale, beginning with Avengers<\/strong> #73 and \u2018The Sting of the Serpent\u2019<\/em>. Another Thomas triumph – illustrated by Frank Giacoia & Sam Grainger – it pits the Panther (at the height of the Civil Rights campaign) against his natural prey in the form of seditious racist hate-mongers determined to set New York ablaze, leading to a spectacular and shocking clash between whole team and The Sons of the Serpent<\/em> in \u2018Pursue the Panther!\u2019<\/em> when the sinister supremacists capture the hero and set a doppelganger loose to destroy his reputation\u2026<\/p>\n

With covers by Kirby, Sinnott, Gene Colan, Giacoia, Buscema, Klein, Marie Severin & Palmer, this tidy tome is a wonderful, star-studded precursor to the Black Panther<\/strong>\u2019s solo exploits and a perfect accessory for film-fans looking for more context.
\n\u00a9 2022 MARVEL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Stan Lee & Jack Kirby, Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Frank Giacoia, Barry Windsor-Smith & various (MARVEL) ISBN: 978-1-3029-4709-5 (TPB\/Digital edition) Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Golden Oldies for Kids of All Ages\u2026 9\/10 The Mighty Marvel Masterworks line was designed with economy in mind. Classic tales of Marvel\u2019s key characters by the founding creators, re-presented … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Mighty Marvel Masterworks Black Panther volume 1: The Claws of the Panther”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[165,74,85,54,247,72,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-black-panther","category-captain-america","category-daredevil","category-fantastic-four","category-hawkeye","category-marvel-masters-masterworks","category-marvel-superheroes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-75f","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27233"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27237,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27233\/revisions\/27237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}