Black Panther (vol. 2) #1

Feb 7

Feb 7 Black Panther (vol. 2) #1

Cry, the Accursed City!

In Wakanda, the Black Panther is using his power to restrain a black rhinoceros in order to have the aggressive beast relocated to a nearby animal sanctuary.

At the same time, in neighboring Azania, the apartheid government has arrested one of the local black villagers and are subjecting him to torture in order to learn who many anti-government terrorists they are hiding in their village. Savagely beaten, the man calls out to the panther god to deliver him from his tormentors.

Simultaneously, the Black Panther takes down the rhino only to be attacked by two panthers that have been watching him from the jungle. Suddenly, the man in the Azanian jail undergoes a transformation into a monstrous humanoid panther and attacks his captors, slaughtering them all except one who calls in the attack.

Meanwhile, the Black Panther defeats the two big cats that have attacked him. However, word quickly spreads among the people of Wakanda and they have begun wonder if T’Challa has been forsaken by the gods and if he is still fit to lead them. T’Challa ignores these doubts but is worried that his powers might be failing him. He soon gets down to affairs of the state although his close friend Moise Bomvana notices that his king looks exhausted.

While having a state dinner with representatives from Japan and Somalia, T’Challa’s meeting is interrupted by reports of a news story concerning him is on the American news. Pulling up the transmission, T’Challa learns about the murder of prison guards in Azania, which the local officials are blaming on the Black Panther due to Wakanda’s opposition to their apartheid government. T’Challa assures those gathered at the table that he is not responsible for such an attack, preferring to use diplomatic channels and sanctions against Azania. However, this incident fuels more doubt in the king’s heart and he begins to wonder if the gods have abandoned him after all.

Days later, two other members of the Azanian ruling class are slaughtered in their homes by the Panther creature that has appeared in the region. The government, then send in the military to try and smoke out the insurgents operating in the country. Although the local black population is beginning to form a resistance to their white oppressors, they are outmatched by the country’s military might and men, women, and children find themselves indiscriminately slaughtered in the process.

Meanwhile, concerns about T’Challa’s leadership continue to grow as some people in Wakandan society want their leader to do more about the situation in Azania. With more sightings of the Panther creature, the tribal council is also starting to question if their king still has the right to carry the mantle of the Black Panther. This prompts T’Challa to call a meeting in front of the Panther Idol. There he denounces the violence that is happening in Azania and encourages the people to protest through peaceful means, saying that a rebellion would only cost more lives. This leads to dissention among the Wakandan government, particularly a tribal council member named Ndebele who insists that T’Challa do more. This also convinces the tribal council that their leader needs to undergo the Ordeal of the White Ape in order to prove he is still capable of leading them. This deeply concerns Moise, who points out that T’Challa is still recovering from the wounds he sustained in the panther attack, but T’Challa agrees to undergo this trail none the less.

While in a whites only neighborhood in Azania, a civil servant named Ralph Van Slambrouck returns home after organizing the bulldozing of a black shanty town. He doesn’t feel good about it but his wife reminds him that his job would be on the line if he refused to do so. That’s when their daughter hears something scratching at the front door and thinks it is her pet cat, Tabby. When she rushes to let the cat in, the Panther creature comes bursting through the door and attacks the family.

Back in Wakanda, the Black Panther is sent up the mountains to collect a leaf from one of the trees that grow in the region. However, this region is defended by the savage white apes and one of their number tries to prevent T’Challa from accomplishing his goal. Even though his powers are failing him, T’Challa manages to collect the leaf and escape down the mountain without being captured by the primates. Although T’Challa succeeded in his task, Ndebele reveals that T’Challa had some unforeseen assistance after catching Moise with a device that could remotely sap the strength of the white apes. As a result, the tribal council orders T’Challa to stand down as leader of Wakanda while they decide his ultimate fate.

At that same moment, a representative of the Azanian government has called together the Supremacists, the local team of superheroes, to deal with the Black Panther. The group accepts the mission, looking forward to getting revenge.