Black Panther: Volume 1

I totally disagree with the reviews that say Kirby put the panther in some bizarro world! Jack Kirby created the Black panther so he knew exactly what world he should be in! I love the story with the panther covering the world looking for a very expensive and historical artifact. I have no problem with Kirby's writing because I love the way Kirby writes, I enjoy his one of a kind dialoge. The actual art in this book is nothing short of breathtaking, as Kirby's art always is! He simply couldn't be touched when it comes to actual comic book art!! Truly the undisputed King and master!!

Kirby's Black Panther gets a bad rap--I agree with those who value it as pulpy fun. I could read 100 issues of comics like these. Haughty gorgeous villainess, dubious cunning allies, crazy sci-fi/fantasy concepts...all wrapped up in a treasure hunting story. If you need the Black Panther to be in super-serious, high minded stories, this ain't for you; but if you have an appetite for breakneck "Indiana Jones meets Doc Savage" adventures, this is a good buy.

This full color Marvel Comics Trade Paperback, BLACK PANTHER VOL. 1 by Jack Kirby, collects issues 1 through 7 of his run, from 1977 and 1978 (wow, 30 years ago, already). Most of this book involves the Black Panther grudgingly working for some world class "Collectors" of powerful items of mythology, and battling the fantastic guardians of these ancient artifacts. Towards the end of this trade paperback, they introduce a subplot of someone trying to overtake the kingdom of the Black Panther, while he is away, which will be dealt with in the Volume 2 trade paperback. Black Panther By Jack Kirby Volume 2 TPB (Black Panther) I was surprised that each issue is only 17 pages long, instead of the more standard 22 pages that I expected. But the art is real Jack Kirby. Some readers feel that this Black Panther series written by Jack Kirby is not very good. I can agree that the story has little long term developments, but the plot developments are acceptable, and Jack's enthusiasm for storytelling shows in every panel. Jack Kirby writes and pencils everything in this collection. The back of the book has a bonus first draft of the Black Panther, when Stan and Jack were thinking about naming him the Coal Tiger. There are also a few pages of b/w pencil art showing what Kirby's penciling looked like. It is more defined and shaded than the hard and strong inky blacks that characterize his comics works of the past, and, indeed, something that his style is very famous and known for. I might be getting too detailed in my observation, but I noticed that Jack's pencils look more detailed and nuanced than the very bold inking that his comics usually look like. Jack seems to have turned in pencils that are more finished than most pencilers today might do. Today, if a penciler draws an area of the picture meant for solid black sections, they just write a few Xs in the section and today's inkers will know to fill it all in as solid black. But here you can compare Jack's pencil to the finished, colored art. There are sections that Jack shaded, but the inker would then plop solid black into the section, losing the shading. In fact, Jack Kirby's best work is notorious for having very strong, bold, solid sections of blacks. The Jack Kirby series that I would really like to see in a color trade paperback is his 2001 A Space Odyssey series! I recall that series as being nutty philosophies about life and existence, which was really very trippy and entertaining. Until 2001 A Space Odyssey comes out in trade paperback, the Black Panther books will have to do, for now.

Jack Kirby had made his return to mighty Marvel in the 1970's where he took over Captain America, created Devil Dinosaur and Machine Man. And with all this he took on the Black Panther. But what to do with a character that only had one short run on his own before. Kirby could have used it as a soap box for various issues of the time but instead he decided to run with it and have all out fun, whether it was fighting a group of treasure seekers or fighting aliens this is Jack at his best. I even liked it better than this run on Captain America of the time (which I liked a lot) but this was better. Out of touch with the rest of the Marvel Universe the Panther could run loose and wild. Fantastic stuff. The reprints are from Black Panther #1 to 7, so this leaves room for a volume two which see some of his relatives get into the Black Panther act (almost a Black Panther Corps. going on). My only wonder is if they will continue onto the last issue or so of the series that did not have Kirby art, but rest assured this volume is the Jack Kirby show.