The movie Black Panther gave rise to one of Marvel’s greatest superheroes. One that has been undeniably sidelined in mass media until last year. His first appearance in the Avengers movie more than made its mark on fans. It gave them hope for seeing a different type of superhero. Me personally, I thought his appearance in the movie was as abbreviated as when we saw Jubilee in X-Men: Days Of Future Past. I was glad to know that Marvel Studios saw the error that Fox made and lay a more expansive story.

The movie contained mostly Black characters with an even deeper plot than most Marvel movies to that point. This is in great part to Ryan Coogler’s vision. It was one that would not be limited by what others had done but what could be possible.As vast and complicated the story was, it portrayed POC characters in a different light than most were used to seeing. That included its villain Erik Killmonger who was deeply layered and nuanced.

In his first new solo story in comics, we find Erik before he became Killmonger in a finely tailored tale about his origins in Killmonger: By Any Means.

We meet Erik as he graduates from MIT, as a fast and loose relationship with a teacher becomes an incognito payback at the establishment as his Wakandan roots become apparent at the very moment he graduates. As he attempts to take out Ulysses Klaw, he is made by the Kingpin’s hit squad consisting of King, Knight, and Rook, a trio of superpowered beings who do the Kingpin’s bidding. King, the leader of the group, sees potential in Erik’s abilities. He makes him the fourth member of the crew, teaching him skills that he would employ later in life, especially against T’Challa. From there, it’s a twisting turn of betrayal as we learn more about Killmonger and how he became the character we know.

Overall, the series is an origin story which does what many don’t do. It gets into the psychological makeup of a villain. It portrays all the milestones as to what molded the character we know and hate. This tale possesses echoes of Jason Aaron’s The God Butcher. The story by Bryan Edward Hill is epic, layered and engrossing. The art by Juan E. Ferrreyra serves as more than a compliment to Hill’s story, it is a work of art, as the love he puts in each panel shows his reverence for this universe and these characters.

Altogether, an excellent book that finally gives readers the genesis of one of the Marvel Universe’s most misunderstood and most complicated characters.

Story: Bryan Edward Hill Art: Juan E. Ferreyra
Story: 9.8 Art: 9.8 Overall: 9.9 Recommendation: Buy