Blamed for the assassinations that have started an all-out galactic war, T’Challa will first need to survive a brutal assault from the World-Breaker Hulk and Amadeus Cho before he can even think about hunting down the true culprit! And all while his spacecraft spirals towards certain doom! Sounds like another day at the office for the Black Panther! Imperial War: Black Panther #1 puts the spotlight on T’Challa as he’s under attack from the Hulk.

Imperial has been an impressive event so far. It has shaken up the cosmic section of the Marvel Universe and gives an epic story to so many characters that have been quiet on the side. While I’m not the biggest fan of the whole Intergalactic idea of Wakanda, they’re a key part of the event as they’re the ones blamed for multiple assassinations and it is their world that initially came under attack. Imperial War: Black Panther #1 drops readers into the action as T’Challa is being pursued by the Hulk and attempts to figure out what’s going on.

Written by Victor LaValle and Jonathan Hickman, Imperial War: Black Panther #1 feels a bit like a half issue and feels key in the overall story. It shows T’Challa figuring out something is amiss and attempting to ratchet down the fighting so everyone can figure out what’s going on and who’s to really blame.

LaValle and Hickman do a solid job of creating a rather hectic setting as T’Challa scrambles to not only survive but also get to a point where he can figure out what’s going on. The duo do a solid job in the story of making it feel like that moment just after a strike where those attacked are still attempting to figure out what just happened. It also does a solid job of showing T’Challa as the diplomat he can be.

There’s also a mystery teased here with a father and son that should be interesting to see where it goes.

The art by Cafu is good. With color by David Curiel and lettering by Ariana Maher, the comic looks good and fits into the look of the main series. It captures that chaos of what’s going on but it doesn’t quite nail that epic feel of the main series. But, it still looks solid and captures all of the moments well. The only negative it has so much to cover, it doesn’t feel like it doesn’t do justice to a few of them.

Who knows what will be shown in the main series, which makes this feel like a “half” issue, in that readers of the main series will want to pick it up to figure out what’s going on. Imperial War: Black Panther #1 isn’t one that anyone not invested in Imperial will care about. But, for those already reading that, this is a nice addition to the main series.

Story: Victor LaValle, Jonathan Hickman Art: Cafu
Color: David Curiel Letterer: Ariana Maher
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle