Review of Black Panther By Marvel Animation
-== What is it? ==-
Black Panther is a animated series from Marvel Animation in partnership with BET. The series retells a story originally presented in the graphic novel Who Is The Black Panther but adds in the presence of Ororo Monroe (aka Storm) as a love interest. This graphic novel was penned by Reginald Hudlin and drawn by John Romita Jr. The animated series was released in DVD format in October 2011. Black Panther initially aired in Australia in January 2010. It was directed by Mark Brooks. Reginald Hudlin was a producer at BET and oversaw the entire production of the series.
There is no nudity in the Black Panther series but there is some violence. Bloodshed is well controlled and for the most part takes place off camera. The series is not rated but if I were to add a rating myself it would be “PG-13”.
I purchased the standard edition version of the DVD. There are a total of 6 episodes that are each 22 minutes long.
-== What I Like ==-
The story in the Black Panther series is not that thrilling but it moves at a good pace and each episode has a nice cliffhanger ending. It starts with T’Challa (the current day Panther) taking over for the previous ruler during a rite of combat. During this period side characters are introduced. The story continues to detail an attack by a rival nation that is being subtly backed by the fearful Americans. There are some good moments like a flashback where Captain America meets an earlier incarnation of the Panther but overall the story arc is just not that engaging. Also there are times in the Black Panther series where the story feels “preachy”. Another drawback is that the series only ran for 6 episodes. Don’t expect a lot of story depth in a run that small.
By far the best thing about the Black Panther series is the voice acting. I need to rattle off some of the cast so you realize how jam packed this thing is with talent. Djimon Hounsou plays T’Challa, Kerry Washington plays Princess Shuri, Alfre Woodard plays Dondi Reese and the Queen Mother, and Jill Scott plays Storm. This strong cast puts on a stellar performance. Their talent really makes it worth watching. (As a side note, if you have not seen Jill Scott in The First Ladies Detective Agency go out and find a copy so you can check it out. It is a touching and thoughtful mystery series.)
Normally the music in an animated series does not get my attention but in Black Panther it is very nicely done. It was composed by Stephen James Taylor. The opening song is catchy and exciting. During the series the music is really used to good effect. In the extras there is also an extended music video that is very cool. (One interesting side note is that Taylor made up his own language for Wakandan that he used in the music. The language was based on a modern day Bantu dialect with alterations by Taylor.)
-== What I Don’t Like ==-
The artwork of the animated series really tries to mimic that of John Romita Jr’s printed panels. If you are like me your first reaction is likely to be, “John Romita Jr ROCKS! That is awesome news!” The problem is that in trying to replicate the John Romita Jr style the animators went with a rigid animation approach. It almost reminded of the REALLY old Marvel series where the characters didn’t really animate but were instead comprised of static cells that floated across the screen. (The current term for products like this is “motion comic”.) The result is that the characters in the Black Panther series move in a stiff fashion that was distracting for me. Some of the scenes looked fine but many of the scene showing the Panther move across the scene looked clumsy. The Panther is cat grace at its best…not rigid and clumsy.
Besides the music video mentioned earlier the extras include a trailer and a short look at the Black Panther series by Reginald Hudlin. The short video is light and fun but overall the extras are limited.
-== Summary ==-
Most people who know me know that I am a HUGE Black Panther fan. I even got a wrist watch made with Black Panther on the face! 😀 As you can imagine I had a lot of expectations for this series. Unfortunately many of my high expectations were not met. The story is fine, the voice talent is exceptional, and the music is great but it does not make up for the animation style. Another saving grace that I have not yet mentioned is the price. You can get copies on Amazon for a paltry $8.49. If you are into superheroes or the Black Panther specifically and you can accept that this is more of a motion comic and less of animated series I recommend it.
You can get a copy of the Black Panther from Amazon at this
I give it 7 out of 10 paws.
