It feels unfair to rate use my rating here as a way to rate the series so far. But there's no "general review" option, only issue to issue. This is a dull series. What an awful ending for the first year. I want to preface that I am a fan of the Ultimate Universe series I've read: The Ultimates, Ultimate Wolverine, and especially Ultimate X-Men. This series is really failing to do anything as well as those other series do. This is allegedly trying to be a politically interesting and deeply introspective slow-burn series about T'Challa's actions as king and how he will move the future of Wakanda while dealing with Ra and mostly Konshu with their Moon Knights, all the while it turns out the vibranium is alive and there is a new element abound that is a counter to the famous metal.

Slow-burn is right, though it is so slow that I'm convinced the oven is off and there has been no heat. This series moves at real time, and yet it rarely feels like the tales being told from issue to issue is worthwhile for a read. The characters are bland, the story is really just a wannabe version of the 2018 BP film, and the overall tale feels like it's meant to be told as happening quicker than it is rather than many months. The political aspects of this book do not feel all that well thought up, just stuff already said with barely any real arguing or engagement factor in them like a Shakespeare play or the many political shows and movies out there that have political intrigue as the backdrop where people are fighting for power, setting up betrayals, we look into the minds of the people who choose to be in such positions and how they get there. And it's barely political in the "using the setting as a means to comment on our own world". In fact, I find it a little insulting politically.

Some set-up. Konshu is travelling across Africa and using his powers to heal the weak and tricking them he is a God, thus making these people become his holy warriors as a way for him to conquer Wakanda. This is a world where super powered people existing is a norm, this isn't some secret element. So somehow these people are just so willing to believe they came across a God? The comic is telling me the world of Africa has many easily tricked people and no one has a TV. I say that, because She-Hulk in The Ultimates points out how her people know of world events because they have a TV. This isn't some sort of "Oooh, get owned I know the continuity", it's that in the real world even impoverished people have ways to be aware of the outside world. Another thing is how I swear every time we see a location in Africa that isn't Wakanda, it feels like an inauthentic depiction of their settlements. Maybe there's purposeful commentary there, how Konshu is only targeting the truly impoverished, but this isn't really talked about. It's just treated like he's getting ALL of Africa behind him to take out Wakanda. Speaking of, we really don't see what Ra and Konshu really do as the secret rulers of Africa? Just a lot of elements here feel unfulfilled because of the weak execution.

This is supposed to be an alternate Black Panther due to taking place in a new world. Replace some characters, and I feel like this could easily slot itself into the 616 Universe fine. And instead of being Ultimate Black Panther, it'll just be an easily forgotten ongoing.

Also the art is fine enough. Technically well made, but unengaging from panel to panel and page to page. It's not helping the pace of the comics either. This is a mistake of a series. Redo it all. more

I could write this review in reference to everything in this series I've read up until now, but I'll just keep the focus within the first 6 issues here. This is a nothing book. Nothing in this comic is interesting or worthwhile or even entertaining. The easy stuff to praise is the art, and I admit that Stefano Caselli is a pretty great artist on a technical level, and the colors by David Curiel really help give live to these pages and help the mood. Carlos Nieto is also good as a fill-in artist, with a less realistic style but still serviceable at the very least and if anything his work comes off more dynamic and expressive. However both are not giving me memorable looking scenes, proving unengaging panel to panel & page to page reading, and Caselli's action moments feel relatively stiff and sometimes he provides faces I can only describe as "too expressive" due to the realistic style is going for.

But the real killer for this comic as a whole, lies at the feet of Bryan Hill's writing. I've not read anything before from him, so I came in with fresh eyes Somehow this doesn't feel like it's being written for the trade, it feels like it's being written for the omnibus. This series seems to be moving in real time, like The Ultimates or Savage Dragon. There are elements between issues we are not witnessing and I must assume that's where are the character building and interesting character dynamics are happening. This is a book that's just trying to redo the general premise of Black Panther 2018 but with some switched up elements to try and make it feel fresh but instead it just feels like a weird drag. This book feels like it's trying to be Game of Thrones (or Dune as that's a cited reference iirc) but the actual political aspect of this book feels so nothing. Not in how it's talking about the world's own politics and we as the reader relaying it to real life politics, or classic political tension/drama where people are vying for power and manipulating one another for control. There is alleged tension between
the cast of protagonists, but I do not see it. There are alleged personalities and characteristics among the cast, but it is barely there. I don't want to talk too much beyond this issue in terms of critiques, but I will say it does not really get better. In fact, there seems to be elements that were there early on that has not come back or if they have then I guess they were given more weight than intended or just had weak payoff.

People don't talk human. This book wants to talk like it's a Nolan Batman film or the Netflix Daredevil series, but without the actual quality or other aspects that help prop that film/series up to keep the interest that a comic just cannot sensibly do. This is a boring book that I am only continuing out of obligation. At least the art is pretty. more