findleydunn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
craigmaxwell's review against another edition
3.0
An introduction to The World of Wakanda with a powerful, independent native African cast of women. Starting off rushed and sporadic, gets really good and then introduces two completely new storylines...
With the new Black Panther movie looming I thought I’d give this comic a go, as I’ve never really delved into the world of wakanda or black panther.
The story begins with training a select group of women to become the next protectors of wakanda and the royal family, which leads to an underlying romance and conflict of power.
I’ve heard great things about Roxanne Gay so I was excited to read something by her.
Regarding the storyline itself, for me the scenes change too often, from page to page we are introduced to a new time, place and it’s feels like the writer was given a bullet point list of topics to cover and she has indeed covered them, but in a rushed, forced fashion resulting in it feeling extremely contrived.
The series also touches on struggles many women face on a daily basis, sexual advances, rape. With the outcomes of the situations being female empowerment which I loved reading.
My favourite scene - a show of powerful female empowerment by putting two sleezy guys in their place, Aneko and Ayo are a complete badass power couple!
Overall I was let down by the sporadic nature at the beginning with too much trying to be introduced, to then really liking the storyline, as soon as I liked it two brand new storylines were introduced with a loose relevance - I wanted more from Aneka and Ayo but was let down by the final two irrelevant issues. I hope there is more to come.
With the new Black Panther movie looming I thought I’d give this comic a go, as I’ve never really delved into the world of wakanda or black panther.
The story begins with training a select group of women to become the next protectors of wakanda and the royal family, which leads to an underlying romance and conflict of power.
I’ve heard great things about Roxanne Gay so I was excited to read something by her.
Regarding the storyline itself, for me the scenes change too often, from page to page we are introduced to a new time, place and it’s feels like the writer was given a bullet point list of topics to cover and she has indeed covered them, but in a rushed, forced fashion resulting in it feeling extremely contrived.
The series also touches on struggles many women face on a daily basis, sexual advances, rape. With the outcomes of the situations being female empowerment which I loved reading.
My favourite scene - a show of powerful female empowerment by putting two sleezy guys in their place, Aneko and Ayo are a complete badass power couple!
Overall I was let down by the sporadic nature at the beginning with too much trying to be introduced, to then really liking the storyline, as soon as I liked it two brand new storylines were introduced with a loose relevance - I wanted more from Aneka and Ayo but was let down by the final two irrelevant issues. I hope there is more to come.
joshgauthier's review against another edition
4.0
Big picture, this volume continues so many of the things that are great about the current run of Black Panther. This brings together the influences of two very respectable writers - Gay adding her voice to the vision of Wakanda Coates has been developing - and the result is a politically and personally charged story with a delightful cast of diverse characters.
Unfortunately, on the smaller scale, the dialogue for much of this volume felt rough to me, detracting somewhat from the reading experience. Additionally, this volume is fairly dependent on knowledge of Coates's Black Panther series, making it feel less like a stand-alone story. However, since I have been reading Black Panther, it was easy enough to follow (despite numerous time jumps) and Gay does add some fascinating extra detail to characters from Black Panther - allowing the women of Wakanda to take the forefront.
So, overall, this wasn't absolutely everything I hoped it would be, but there is so much here that works that it's worth the read. And I hope that stories (comics and otherwise) continue to embrace a range of voices and characters because there are so many wonderful stories to be told.
Unfortunately, on the smaller scale, the dialogue for much of this volume felt rough to me, detracting somewhat from the reading experience. Additionally, this volume is fairly dependent on knowledge of Coates's Black Panther series, making it feel less like a stand-alone story. However, since I have been reading Black Panther, it was easy enough to follow (despite numerous time jumps) and Gay does add some fascinating extra detail to characters from Black Panther - allowing the women of Wakanda to take the forefront.
So, overall, this wasn't absolutely everything I hoped it would be, but there is so much here that works that it's worth the read. And I hope that stories (comics and otherwise) continue to embrace a range of voices and characters because there are so many wonderful stories to be told.
elenavarg's review against another edition
4.0
I love the Dora Milaje to my core. I also love lesbians. So....this one is basically the perfect Marvel comic!!
(The other two stories in this are good as well, but I’m in it for the gays, you guys)
(The other two stories in this are good as well, but I’m in it for the gays, you guys)
ravenclawomanistcyborgwitch's review against another edition
4.0
Awesome comic! I have to read more back and current issues of Black Panther but I really enjoyed this one.
yunnie's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ericarf's review against another edition
4.0
I read two of the other Black Panther comic books by Ta-Nehisi Coates and was lukewarm about them. This, however, was really well-written and kept me engaged! I really enjoyed this love story. I read this book for Book Riot's 2018 Read Harder Challenge for the category "read a one-sitting book." Wakanda Forever!
allieeveryday's review against another edition
3.0
Picked up solely because Roxane Gay's name was on the cover. Superhero comics aren't for me, generally, but this was a well-drawn world fully populated by a diverse group of black people, most of whom are women warriors, and that's cool. The timeline jumps around frequently, making me wonder what else was happening that wasn't included in the story - like the training the Dora Milaje go through! - and the second and third comics are not related to the main story at all. I almost wish they had been, since I know I'm not likely to pick up any more of these. Still, worth a read I think, if you like superhero comics.
marobbins's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely love Roxanne Gay's writing, and this book was no exception. The writers are all so witty and brilliant; the interactions between Ayo and Aneka were so powerful. The art work really took me to the World of Wakanda, and I enjoyed getting the female perspective on Black Panther events. I was sorry to hear that the series got cancelled and am convince that it would have kept going had it been released about now. This book definitely is full of feminist power, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good love story, empowered female protagonists, and futuristic societies.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
A sidewise view of the latest stories of Wakanda. This book follows just two of the characters and doesn't get in to deep to the main storylines that I've already seen. So in one sense it was a repeat, but in another it made somewhat more sense. And I kind of like character studies at least somewhat like this one. It was a bit too wordy even for me. And I'm not sure I buy the characters temporary escape to Central Park. But pretty good.