By d. emerson eddy — Much of North America, much of the world, is a frayed nerve right now. People were already dealing with the existential threat of a pandemic and a lockdown during the further eruption of police brutality and injustice throughout our countries. Particularly as it comes to the murders of multiple black people across America this past week, sparking rightful protests of systemic oppression. It's not my place to give answers here or wax philosophical on it. Even if it was, I have no answers. Instead, if you're white, I suggest listening to the black people around you. Amplify their voices. Really hear what they have to say and help them affect change without co-opting their message. Because if you start to listen, and take what they have to say to heart, then we can truly affect change.

It's a luxury and a sign of my privilege that I can talk about an entertainment medium at the moment. That I can at least take a moment of time to step back and reflect, something that many are unable to do at the moment, so I wanted to spotlight something that helped bring about change to the medium. That Black, Latino, and White voices — both American and British — could come together to revitalize a publisher. I'm talking about Black Panther #1, one of the foundational books of the Marvel Knights imprint, from Christopher Priest, Mark Texeira, Joe Quesada, Alitha Martinez, Brian Haberlin, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Siobhan Hanna.

The late '90s were a bit of a dark time for Marvel. The speculator bubble had burst, some poor money management had gone on in regards to trading cards, and the company had declared bankruptcy. At that time, Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti were approached to see what their Event Comics could do to help rebound (similar to how a number of Image founders had been approached for Heroes Reborn just a few years earlier), and it resulted in the Marvel Knights imprint. They took some of the lower tier properties of Daredevil, The Punisher (yeah, the first salvo of angel Punisher didn't work out so well, but the second attempt from Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon is a masterpiece), The Inhumans, and Black Panther.

Priest, Texeira, Quesada, Martinez, Haberlin, Starkings, and Hanna brought a maturity to Black Panther #1 that would help set the tone not just for what would become the next 20 years of Marvel comics publishing, but also serve as part of the backbone for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Priest applied a similar storytelling technique that he had used in Quantum & Woody, one that would become part of his unmistakable idiosyncratic style going forward, that incorporated title cards, narration, quick vignettes, social issues, mystery, and humor that, despite dealing with some heavy topics like a murdered child, kept readers enraptured and the story moving at a brisk pace. Also while starting to lay the groundwork for what would come of Wakanda's political system and T'Challa's closest allies and confidantes.

It's impressive to see how the narration intertwines with the dialogue and the pacing of the visuals, creating a synthesis that feels quite unlike many other comics. Through Quesada's layouts, that structured pacing comes through allowing for Texeira, Martinez, and Haberlin to deliver a lushness in the characters and backgrounds. It's a beautiful looking book that seems to be devoting every ounce of its energy to progressing the story and it is truly wonderful. Likewise the lettering from Starkings and Hanna, providing further structure in service of story.

Black Panther #1 was a great start from Priest, Texeira, Quesada, Martinez, Haberlin, Starkings, and Hanna. This third volume of the series has remained one of my favorites over the past two decades and it shows just some of the heights that comics can achieve through collaboration, forming a cornerstone for Marvel coming out of bankruptcy, and leaving a legacy for Black Panther that would be picked up by other luminaries like Reginald Hudlin and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Black Panther #1
Writer: Christopher Priest 
Artists: Mark Texeira, Joe Quesada (storytelling), Alitha Martinez (background assists)
Colorist: Brian Haberlin
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Siobhan Hanna
Publisher: Marvel Comics / Marvel Knights
Release Date: September 16, 1998
Price: $1.99 on Comixology | Also available in the collections: Marvel Knights Black Panther: The Client ($8.99) & Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection Volume 1 ($29.99)

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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.