Reviews

Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, Book 2 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

the_bitextual's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny fast-paced

4.0

I'm gettin into it! The writing is picking up where it was already good, and the action is solid and fun. I like where this is going. 

glecharles's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Coates' pacing is better in these four issues, and he clearly had fun with The Crew's appearance, but underlying connections to past events mutes the overall impact a bit if you're not up to speed. Still, a fun read so far, but I would not buy these trades again.

scam_likely's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

unladylike's review

3.0

Similarly to the first volume of this story arc with the same name, this book is rather scattered all over the place. I want to trust Coates's long-game plan and setting up more nuanced elements, but I can just barely give this particular trade 3 stars. There are some great scenes and bits of character development though, and I'm here for it going forward.

captwinghead's review

3.0

In some ways, I think the large quantity of text increased in this volume. My issue with the first volume was that, while I loved some of the concepts, the huge chunks of text made it a bit of a slog to get through. That issue persisted in this volume. There's so much exposition and lengthy discussion of strategy that could've been condensed some, in my opinion. Again, it made it a bit of a chore to get through.

I really liked the cameos in this volume. It was bittersweet reading this knowing Marvel cancelled the two series that tied into this book: World of Wakanda and Black Panther and the Crew. Seeing T'Challa team up with Storm, Misty, Luke Cage and Manifold was really cool to see! The way T'Challa spoke about Sam made me wish we got a chance to see what Coates would do with Sam Wilson's character. I think it could've been an interesting exploration of how T'Challa and Sam's legacies/morality differed based on their origins. Something more in depth than the way Onyebuchi touched on it briefly in the 2022 Cap book.

My favorite part of this book was Shuri's conversation with her mother in the astral plane. I thought it was really touching that her mother wanted to build up Shuri's strength

Spoiler

before she returned. I also thought it was nice that they never had doubts that T'Challa would find a way to bring her back

. Although, I must say the writing for Shuri in this book made her feel like a more mature character than the Shuri solo book I read.

So, while I think this could've used some condensing, I still enjoyed this book, especially the stories about Wakandan legends.

thethirdcrouch's review

4.0

I'm thinking if I'd give this a 4 or a 3 then I remember the impressively written monologues. The inner conflict of T'Challa is fascinating and quite intelligent for me to understand, as some of his decisions that proved to me how incapable and disarrayed a king he is. I haven't read the issues prior to Ta-Nehisi's and that might explain why he is this way. If he'll be allowed to write further about Wakanda, this Black Panther series might as well be thought in history social science classes!

foofers1622's review

4.0

We get more background info in this one. Plus a visit from other super heroes including my favorite Ororo, better known as Storm from the X-Men.

alexandreads's review

adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

achilleanshelves's review

4.0

This seems to be such a great run, wow, this story is so strong and so entertaining. I love the cross-over characters and the exploration of Wakanda, everything about this is just so fun, interesting and dynamic! I can't wait to keep reading; this is one of my favourite series I'm reading!

spinstah's review against another edition

3.0

This is one of those reads that I feel guilty for not liking more. The pacing is slow. Partway through this volume I started to wonder if part of the problem for me is that I came into it expecting the fast pace of a superhero comic, but the writing and story are better suited for a novel.