T'Challa Faces Another Fan-Favorite Marvel Hero In Ultimate Black Panther #8 [Exclusive Comic Preview]

Marvel Comics' new "Ultimate" universe (labeled as Earth-6160 for you canon nerds) has already seen some radical character reinventions. Reed Richards became not Mister Fantastic, but a benevolent (if mentally scarred) Doctor Doom. Peter Parker receives his spider-powers not as a wallflower teenager, but as a middle-aged family man. The fresh start is what makes "Ultimate Marvel" some of the most accessible and exciting comics the company is publishing right now.

"Ultimate Black Panther" by Bryan Edward Hill and Stefano Caselli features some of the least changed characters and some of the most so. Like in the classic Marvel Comics, Wakanda is an isolationist African country with advanced technology thanks to its reserves of super-metal vibranium. When King T'Chaka falls, his son T'Challa steps up to lead Wakanda as the Black Panther.

His opponents, though, are a new spin on Marvel hero Moon Knight. Instead of a lone, Batman-esque vigilante, "Moon Knight" is the name of an army led by warlords Ra (named for the Egyptian god of the sun) and Khonsu (after the god of the moon). The Moon Knight intends to conquer more of Africa, including Wakanda, forcing the nation to step up. Some of T'Challa's new allies include a pair of vigilantes who Marvel true believers will recognize as Killmonger and Storm. (Charles Xavier's X-Men don't exist in this "Ultimate" universe, so Ororo's a solo agent.)

"Ultimate Black Panther" #7 concluded with T'Challa rescuing some of Moon Knight's captives, asking them to chant his name "loud enough for all of Africa [to hear]" and daring Ra & Khonsu to fight him.

The first four pages of "Ultimate Black Panther" #8 (exclusively shared with /Film by Marvel) throw the readers into the now-hot war.

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The cover of "Ultimate Black Panther" #8 (drawn by Caselli, picture above) depicts Khonsu standing upon a panther statue in the moonlight, looking out at the Wakandan city skyline. It's very symbolic; he's standing on a statue representing both the Wakandan Black Panther title and their panther god Bast. All that's missing is the speech balloon of him declaring "Veni, Vidi, Vici" in Egyptian Arabic.

Wakanda won't go gentle into the good night. The solicitations for the issue tease the following synopsis:

"BLACK PANTHER AND STORM TAKE THE FIGHT TO MOON KNIGHT! Enough planning — time for a guerrilla counterstrike against Khonshu and Ra! Meanwhile, Killmonger and Okoye seek allies to aid their cause outside of Wakanda ... So don't miss the big gun they call in! Ultimate WHO? You'll have to read to find out!"

Alas, the preview pages for the issue have no hint of who this new guest star will be. The focus is instead all on the book's titular hero.

In the first page, one panel shows Moon Knight troops charging, while in the next, T'Challa leads a squad of Dora Milaje. In the background, a village burns and the bottom of the page shows a crying woman cradling her child, illustrating the consequences of war.

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The second page echoes the first, showing the fight in four thin vertical plans before returning to the sobbing mother at the end of the page. Both of the first two pages employ narration from the (fictional) Book of Bast, Wakanda's holy scriptures. "You will guide them to their better natures through the storms of violence and despair" sounds a lot like what T'Challa is doing.

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Pages 3-4 zero in on the Black Panther. As the Moon Knight soldiers surround him on page 3, intent on slaying him like their masters command, T'Challa prepares an energy blast from his vibranium-powered suit and, on page 4, unleashes it.

Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

How will this battle fare, and who's the new character that'll be joining? Previews for "Ultimate Black Panther" #9 mention "The Ultimate Sorcerer Supreme" while issue #10 solicitations mention a "Strange Doctor." This could easily be misdirection, though — Stephen Strange is not the only Sorcerer Supreme in Marvel Comics history.

"Ultimate Black Panther" #8 will be available from physical and digital retailers on September 11, 2024.