Black Panther 13 variant cover by Carlos Pacheco

I was not planning to post this piece this week but it certainly feels appropriate considering the sad passing of the Black Panther movie lead actor, Chadwick Boseman at the early age of 43, which incidentally is also mine.

Like many, the child in me was excited when BP was announced as a movie (as BP remains one of my favorite super heroes when done right, like any other) despite the fact that I’m certainly not the biggest fan of the super heroes movie trend as I find the end results very often lack the depth and sophistication of the heroes and stories we love on paper.

But I still watched BP. It was ok as far as blockbusters go I guess. Not good, not bad. I felt it should have been more (on that note I was surprised to read Priest’s dithyrambic review of the movie) but you certainly can’t fault Mr Boseman’s performance. While again I could have done with a more imposing, sure of himself portrayal of T’Challa in the movie (a la Priest’s run), it probably would not have made him agreeable to a discovering mass audience and the movie was geared towards him getting into his role a king if memory serves.

Despite all the flaws I found, I really felt that he truly embodied what T’Challa could be on screen for one and that is the greatest compliment any demanding geek can give any actor.

So I will thank you Mr Boseman for bringing a credible BP on screen and offer my deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans.

Now about this great cover by the ever-great Carlos Pacheco, I confess I hesitated to buy it because of the tiny BP himself.

But I did because I felt the regal pose and surrounding really embodied what BP and Wakanda are about. A strong king representing a strong African nation defined by the Panther god tradition. On that aspect, the shield and spear are a nice ethnic touch.

For me the cover says, if you come to Wakanda with belligerent intent, you will be met with the proudest and most powerful resistance you have ever experienced ^^

Sadly the scan is a bit light but you can compare it with the published version below.