Review by Frank Plowright

After years of treating the Black Panther’s home nation as a one-size-fits-all super-scientitic state, since 2010 there has been considerable effort put into creating a diverse supporting cast and to identify separate communities within the nation. Pleasing though this is, it’s taken one hell of a time considering Don McGregor began the process back in the 1970s. Wakanda is an anthology featuring five stories about different people in different places by different creative teams.

Tosin was introduced during John Ridley’s run on Black Panther, and well used there as a conflicted young man who’s a second Wakandan superhero. He features in a couple of stories, his solo outing by Ridley and Julian Shaw, well written in explaining some prejudices still held regarding both science and sorcery, but Shaw’s art is stylised, static and an acquired taste (sample art left). Tosin also features in passing in the focus on Shuri, who’s attempting to synthesise vibranium when the Rhino manages to smuggle himself into Wakanda. Stephanie Phillips delivers an unpredictable plot that’s well drawn by Paco Medina, maximising the possibilities.

Sean Hill’s art on the Killmonger flashback is excellent, offering detail and ambitious layouts that work in making the most of the outdoor scenery (sample art right). For most of the time Ho Che Anderson’s story reads very well as we see Klaw attempting to recruit agents of insurgency, but Anderson blows it all with a later revelation. Are we supposed to assume Klaw is insane? It’s the only way his plan makes any sense.

Credit is due for the wide reach, and for not forgetting Wakanda also has an intergalactic empire, although that unfortunately serves up the weakest story. Co-writers Evan Narcisse and Adam Serwer try to cram too much into too few pages, resulting in multiple small panels from Ibraim Roberson to accommodate too much dialogue, a fair bit of which isn’t needed. It’s a greater pity for being well drawn, having some points to make, and setting up something for the future.

Brandon Thomas ties up a loose thread running through the other stories about attacks on Wakanda, beginning with a tragedy and then flashing back to show how over-exuberance led to it. José Luís draws horrible events extremely attractively, his layouts and figures exemplary.

The volume closes with Narcisse’s annotated history of the Black Panthers, which by extension is the history of Wakanda, explained by Queen Ramonda to a group of children via a sequence of statues. It’s well researched, expansive and beautifully drawn by Natacha Bustos.

Anthologies can so often be hit and miss affairs, but the quality supplied by Wakanda outweighs the disappointments.