It's not unusual for me to step outside romance to review mystery or humor, but this was the first time reviewing a comic book story. It's very important to not get stuck in rut, no matter how warm and comfortable.
I am so glad I did! This was such a compelling story. I really feel like I need to go back and read more and then come back and keep reading whatever else comes next. I discovered Black Panther like most of the public (through the movies), so this was a great way to learn more about these characters.

Finding a great story regardless of genre is like finding treasure, so I am glad I gave this a try!

Marvel's Black Panther: Sins of the King
by Ira Madison III (Lead), Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due, Mohale Mashigo, Geoffrey Thorne
T'Challa is haunted by his own mistakes, the consequences of being a super hero. You may have powers you may help people but there is a cost. Sometimes a tragic cost. His fathers return, causes him to fight with his own supporters. But finding the truth of his return may be the darkest secret of his guilt.

Black Panther is a king of a small country called Wakanda. His name is T’Challa. The resources of his country are now available to a neighboring country Rudyarda. However due to the past, there is difficulties that must be resolved. Can that happen? King T’Challa wishes he had help in deciding what to do. His council doesn’t help him. When he goes to try to get in touch with his deceased father through a ritual, his father appears in his physical body. King T’Challa can’t believe it. He is happy yet concerned that this has happened. What does this mean for Wakanda and for himself? Suddenly Rudyarda is attacking Wakanda. Why? Will the two countries resolve their difficulties?

This is a well written story that reflects political problems, personal problems and family. I did originally think this was a graphic novel. It’s not. However it is well written. I found it fascinating how the “Black Panther” dwelt with his personal and political problems. It’s an excellent story to read.

The edition that I’m reviewing includes episodes one through thirteen, covering an entire story arc that revolves around a present-day conflict with its origins in the policies of Wakanda’s previous king, T’Chaka – hence, the subtitle. I mention this because the single “issue” / episode-only books seem to be what are currently posted on Amazon and GoodReads (though the blurbs they display are consistent with the story under review.) While I try to avoid being too spoiler-y, it’s hard to talk about a thirteen-issue collection without spoiling something about the first issue.

The story opens in media res with a fight against Graviton that takes place in Rudyarda, one of Wakanda’s neighboring countries. This battle includes not only Black Panther and other Wakandan warriors, but also a partial Avenger’s roster including Vision, War Machine (Col. Rhodes,) Ant-man, and The Wasp. This Avenger’s team will be “re-assembled” in the climactic battle – against another foe entirely. However, the heart of the story revolves around T’Challa / Black Panther (and also Shuri and Okoye (of the Dora Milaje)) operating more or less independently. The Graviton opening is mostly about getting off to an exciting start, but the most compelling parts of the story occur later when the characters are more isolated and vulnerable.

After the Graviton battle, there’s a bit of intrigue in New York that lets the reader know there’s more going on than meets the eye. However, the big shocker of the book comes upon T’Challa’s return to Wakanda when he finds his deceased father (T’Chaka) is inexplicably back from the grave. The strength of this story comes in the middle issues (Ep. 6 – 9) when the Black Panther is isolated from his resources and must rely on his mind and his capacity to endure adversity. While the Black Panther is away from Wakanda, the nation comes under a kind of Trojan horse attack, requiring others to hold the fort while T’Challa extracts himself and brings reinforcements.

There is a false climax in Ep. 11, in which it seems that the forces of good have won – only for the battle to be taken to an unexpected domain. I would say the conclusion of the Ep. 11 battle was the least satisfying part of the story; the pacing and explanation gave it a deus ex machina feel. However, the fact that the ultimate battle was more satisfactorily concluded made the Ep. 11 victory less problematic.

I found this story to be compelling and cleverly plotted. It keeps the reader engaged and – for the most part – satisfied. If you get a chance to read it, I’d highly recommend it.

I quite enjoyed this read. Like the other Serial Box titles it’s thin on style and heavy on finding ways to stretch the story. But all that works. It’s a rapidly moving tale that pulls heavily from all corners of Marvel.

This was a really well made Black Panther story. I enjoyed it as someone who is fairly new to the fandom, and I'd imagine others would as well whether they're new fans or old.

I was a bit disappointed by this story. I thought it was going to be a comic book and instead it was just pages upon pages of dialogue. The story was interesting enough, but I was looking forward to an actual comic book so it kind of killed the interest for me.

I feel like a dope for admitting how confusing I find the marketing/formatting of this product. It's an audiobook, but I read it, and you can only get text samples from the website at the time of writing? Oh, wait, depending on what link you use, you can access both the text as well as audio narration by Chidi, I mean, William Jackson Harper (but honestly, I can see Chidi standing at a whiteboard, animatedly reading this out loud to me before offering me Peeps chili, lol.)

Anyway, I read this in its entirety and sampled the first chapter as audio. As far as Marvel novelizations go, it's decent, with the edge probably going to the audiobook version (and I'm generally not good at listening to books, so this is pretty high praise from me.) King T'Challa of Wakanda a.k.a the Black Panther is pensive on the anniversary of his father's death, wondering whether he's doing his best in maintaining T'Chaka's legacy, especially in the face of constant criticism from his still-isolationist council. When the Avengers call, letting him know that the villainous Graviton is heading to the neighboring country of (siiiigh) Rudyarda to steal secret technology, T'Challa leaps at the chance not only to do something heroic but also to prove to his council the worth of improving foreign relations, especially with a neighboring nation they share a contentious relationship with.

Post-apartheid Rudyarda is appropriately thankful for the help, even though casualties are high and destruction of infrastructure even worse. But when T'Challa later attends a benefit to help rebuild the city of (siiiiiigh) Kiplingaard, he's assailed by an assassin whose subsequent death is captured on social media, labeling Black Panther a killer. Heading back to Wakanda under a cloud, he's stunned by the sudden, mystifying appearance of perhaps the last person he'd expected to see: his very own father, whose secrets may go a long way to explaining recent mysterious events.

So the absolute ridiculousness of a Dutch colony naming itself after perhaps the most English colonial writer of all time aside -- especially when the book later goes on to state that the founders were fleeing South Africa, which would definitively make the English their mortal enemies -- this was a pretty good look at African politics, and how countries world-wide distort history in order to make themselves look like the good guys. It brings in a delightful number of supporting characters and villains, and tho I thought the crush T'Challa had on Misty Knight felt a little bit forced, honestly who could resist Misty Knight? I did think it was a little weird that Ant-Man was still Hank Pym, but I haven't read the comics in years so I guess he's back? Or this is just in a random timeline of its own, who knows.

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As a Black Panther story, it's quite entertaining, and the sound effects of the audiobook are pretty great. I couldn't help thinking that this would have been better served as a traditional comic book tho. The action is both predominant and yet not detailed enough: the text felt like it needed more to bring it to life, whether it was the cool effects of the audiobook or gorgeously rendered panel illustrations. Overall, a worthy package that discusses the costs of isolationism -- and a definite must-have for Black Panther fans -- but not essential reading otherwise.

Marvel's Black Panther: Sins Of The King by Ira Madison III, Geoffrey Thorne, Tananarive Due, Mohale Mashigo & Steven Barnes is a Serial Box exclusive and may be purchased <a href="https://www.serialbox.com/serials/black-panther?season=1">here</a> as audiobook with bonus ebook.

I kind of expected a comic book or graphic novel here, but what I received reads like a comic book but without pictures. So, just reading what was in front of me, the story is exciting, and when I read along with daughter #2, who loves comic books and graphic novels, she felt the same way. She knows more about the Black Panther world than I do, but what information I gleaned from watching the movie gave me enough to grasp the story here. I think anyone who likes Black Panther will probably enjoy this book. As I said, the story is exciting and full of action. It's creative and intriguing, and fans of the genre should be all over this one.

This is a awesome book on the Black Panther and Wakanda and how T'Challa has moved his area forward and can now help those around him protect their land and people. But when T'Challa decides to help a neighboring area that is moving away from oppressing their people many don't understand and that is when the trouble starts.

This is a wonderful book and also includes some the Avengers in the action. But the mystery will really hold you and not let you go until you finish the book and figure out everything behind what is going on. The part I am not going to ruin for you. Have fun and enjoy the book.

This review will appear on my blog on Jan 28th.

An excellent medium for this story of the Black Panther. The story is intelligent and well thought out to fit the manga style. The target group loved this volume and asked for more. I read it myself then had a group of 13-16 yr olds read it. All gave 5 stars to the story and the illustrations.

T’Challa strives to be a good and worthy King of Wakanda, as well as a global citizen, Avenger, and brother. He does his best to do this in spite of traditionalists pushing back at home, and his instincts are put to the test when the undead rise and overtake Wakanda. He then relies on his late father for help in restoring the country.

If you thought this was a comic book, nope. This is a full-fledged novel, and it’s a fascinating look inside T’Challa’s head. He struggles so hard to be a good man, a good king, and do the right thing by the neighboring country his father had shunned a generation ago. But his father is now back from the dead, Misty Knight is present as an investigator, and someone seems dead set on destroying the budding alliance between Wakanda and Rudyarda. When this is revealed, I was at once surprised and not surprised. This Big Bad pops up a lot in the Marvel Universe and often works toward global domination, which Wakanda is standing in the way of.

T'Challa relies on his family and friends and understanding others' motivations and the history behind it is critical for his successes. Even in the midst of apparent defeat, when it seems like he's at the lowest he could possibly be, he thinks critically and continues to take a proactive approach. Despairing moments make him think, and that's truly his superpower, not the benefits of the heart-shaped herb that confers the powers of the Black Panther. I really like that about him, as well as the conflicted drive to do right by everyone. It's a difficult path to walk, but he makes it work, and this is such a good message for everyone at this time.

Any fan of the Marvel universe will absolutely love this book! The story takes you back to Wakonda and T'Challa. It was hard for me at first to separate the format of the book, such as the use of different authors for different chapters, from what I was familiar with through the movies. I didn't so much like the total focus on T'Challa's POV, as I would have liked to just read the story and draw my own conclusions. But all in all it was a fun read, and for those who love the Black Panther character it' my opinion they will not be disappointed.

Marvel's Black Panther: Sins of the King is a Serial Box series I've been counting down the days for. No, seriously. I'm not exaggerating there. I've absolutely loved what Serial Box has done with the other Marvel series (Thor, Jessica Jones, and Black Widow), and thus really couldn't wait to see their take on Black Panther.

In true Serial Box fashion, Black Panther: Sins of the King has a full complement of authors working together. Season one was written by Ira Madison III, Geoffrey Thorne, Tananarive Due, Mohale Mashigo, and Steven Barnes. The version found on Serial Box will also be narrated by William Jackson Harper (I loved his character on the Good Place!).

You know how the legend goes. Wakanda is a wonderful kingdom, full of technology and culture. Yet for most of its history, it has been closed off to the rest of the world. That is, until T'Challa stepped up to the throne, and the title of Black Panther.

He may have started outreach programs for those that need it, yet it will not immediately erase all the pain caused by Wakanda's isolationist history. Still, with the help of Avengers and allies such as War Machine and Misty Knight, T'Challa's odds of surviving what is to come must surely be higher than normal.

“T'Challa considered how to respond. It was no coincidence the dream-memory came to him on the anniversary of his father's death.”

As I said above, I've been so anxious to get my hands on this series. So when I saw Marvel's Black Panther: Sins of the King available on NetGalley, you better believe I jumped on that request button!

It's something that I have no regrets about doing. Just like how I don't regret reading the entire season all in one sitting. I know full well that I'm also going to listen to each episode as they become available on Serial Box, and I am still highly looking forward to that.

What I'm trying to say is this: Black Panther: Sins of the King is worth the wait. It's also worthy of a binge-fest, and is going to have some serious re-read/listen to value. And I'm not just saying that because I'm excited to hear William Jackson Harper's narration.

If you're a fan of Black Panther, I honestly believe you'll enjoy what was done with this series. It did an excellent job of holding onto the roots of his character, and his people. All while also taking the time to explore other elements of the story and world.

The inclusion of other Marvel characters helped to ground the series in a world full of Avengers. While the inclusion of lore and ancestors provided a full look at the history of Wakanda and Black Panthers – one that will be appreciated by fans old and new.

I was surprised (yet pleased) by the antagonists chosen for this story. I think it allowed for a cohesive and interesting story, and honestly I really hope that we'll be seeing more than one season of Black Panther. Fingers crossed!

I received an ARC copt of #MarvelsBlackPantherSinsoftheKing from #NetGalley.

Black Panter: Sins of the King follows T'Challa as he attempts to navigate both political and personal issues. His father, the previous king, has returned from the dead under mysterious circumstances. Meanwhile, Wakanda is being blamed for an incident in a neighboring nation. Are the two connected?

It wasn't a bad story, though it was a little slow to get started. Each chapter was written by different authors, giving them a more of a tv show/comic book feel. The majority of the story was told from T'Challa's POV, which I felt hurt the narrative some. Have some additional POVs mixed in throughout would have added much more depth to the story. Overall , it was a quick and enjoyable read.

For me the story tried to hard to tell the story from T’Challa’s perspective and got over bogged down in the details of everything instead of staying out of the way and just telling a fun story.

"Duty. Knowledge. Honor. Loyalty. Justice"..."These are the claws of the Panther Clan" Loved this quote. Black Panther is back! I honestly thought this was a comic when I requested it but it's a novel and I couldn't wait to get some free time & dig in. It's a fun read - T'Chaka makes an appearance & I was intrigued to see how his relationship with Shuri turned out (I'm mostly a marvel movie fan). Overall I enjoyed the story.

Really unusual to be reading comic characters as a novel -- some fun cameos, cool bits of action and great character development!

Being a huge Marvel fan, and an equally huge Black Panther fan, I requested this one to see what's happening in T'Challa's world.

This being my first Serial Box book the format surprised me but I loved seeing the other authors take as the story progressed. The writing didn't feel choppy as they sometimes do with books that alternate writers, it flowed well from one to the next. The only thing that really bothered me was when the one author would talk about Vision, he would call it "the Vision". Its just Vision!

It took me a minute to separate the comic T'Challa from the movie T'Challa but it was just what I needed to go back to Wakanda. The story was pretty interesting about how T'Chaka was brought back from the Dead via an ancient scroll and magic and I really liked how Hydra was talked about again. Shuri, being the badass that she is, was front and center so that was awesome.

Overall, it was just a quick enjoyable read! Definitely would recommend this to my Marvel friends.

In 'Sins of the King', T'Challa, the Black Panther, is dealing with some unprecedented political and personal issues while trying to repair Wakanda's relationship with Rudyarda - a bordering country with a history of apartheid that Wakanda has had a fraught relationship with in the past.

On the one hand, T'Challa has apparently killed an American who attacked a diplomatic event he was at, and media everywhere is painting him as a murderer. On the other T'Chaka, his beloved father, seems to have come back from the dead, and nobody - not even T'Chaka himself, can figure out why.

I mostly enjoyed this book. The storyline was fast-paced and simple, and it was really wonderful to get to hang out with the female characters I loved so much from the movie - Shuri and Okoye. Plus, bonus appearances from Misty Knight and Team Avengers were all fun too.

But... I wouldn't say I loved it. For a start, I couldn't get a sense of what kind of age group this was aimed at. The simplistic language and tendency to tell-don't-show kept making me think it was written for middle graders or young YA... but then something would happen or one of the characters would make a comment and it would feel more like it was aimed at adults. (Although to be fair, I've read comics that have that same sense to them too.)

I think the best way I could describe it was as though someone had verbally storyboarded a comic, and then decided to publish the description of the storyboard, rather than the comic it was meant to end up as.

Unfortunately, the formatting didn't help my reading experience either. I don't know whether it's an issue with NetGalley's Shelf app, or just an issue with the formatting of this book - but having pages and lines breaking in weird places, not to mention page numbers turning up in the middle of sentences, got really distracting. That said, I'm conscious that this was just an ARC (and thank you, NetGalley, for providing it to me free!), so I suspect that if the issue is in the book itself, it'll be fixed before publication.

All in all, this was a quick, enjoyable read - something fans of the movie or comics might well have fun with - but not one I'd rave about the way I have with, say the Alias or Ms Marvel graphic novels.