Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: americops, black panther, black panther and the crew, butch guice, ezra keith, HRL, hydra, luke cage, Marvel Comics, Misty Knight, storm, Ta-Nehisi Coates, yona harvey

Black Panther And The Crew #4 Review: Hydra Are Still The Bad Guys In This One

While investigating the case of Ezra "Peoples" Keith, Misty Knight has run across Luke Cage, whose apartment complex is currently in the process of being blown up by Hydra. Naturally, Luke survives, but he can't catch the Hydra soldiers before they kill themselves.

Luke and Misty then chase up the lead on the person that Hydra was attempting to kill, as well as the company behind the robotic Americops now infesting Harlem.

Interspersed throughout the book, we get to see more of Ezra Keith's 1960s superhero team, their methods of dealing with injustice, as well as some dissent among their ranks.

This is definitely the slowest issue in the short life of Black Panther and the Crew so far. The leads they chase are kind of a given, and it doesn't really reveal anything you didn't know or at least suspect.

The flashbacks to Ezra Keith's team give the most of the new information of the comic. That being said, it would be nice to learn more of his team. Maybe Ta-Nehisi Coates can push through a series about these heroes. I'd definitely be up for buying that book.

That being said, this is made up for by the "hell yeah" moments Luke Cage and Misty Knight get to deliver in the comic. Hydra blowing up Luke's apartment? That's fine; he'll make up for it by jumping straight into the helicopter. Shady business guy being a vague answer-giving douchebag? Misty Knight will give him the good dressing-down that he needs.

I've said before that Marvel's pre-emptive axing of this comic was a terrible decision, and I'll keep repeating it long after the series ends. This is a fantastic comic chock full of great ideas and a great cast. Black Panther, Luke Cage, Misty Knight, and Storm are some of Marvel's greatest characters, hands down. You can put me on the record for saying that.

Black Panther and the Crew, even when it's not giving you much new information like this issue, is still exciting and enthralling. You want to see where it's going with its ideas, and the characters are so very compelling.

Butch Guice is an industry veteran who can bring out some truly great art, and he lives up to his name in this comic. The book is very atmospheric, and there is texture to everything you see. Add to that the aid of Scott Hanna's inking and Dan Brown's incredible color work, and you have yourself an absolutely gorgeous comic book.

Pick up Black Panther and the Crew before it dies. If not, at least buy the trade paperback collection. I have a feeling that in 10 years, this will be considered one of Marvel's unsung gems. It will be something which pairs perfectly alongside writer Ta-Nehisi Coates' Black Panther.

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