Shuri, everyone’s favorite technogenius from Wakanda, lets her brother T’Challa know exactly what she thinks of his new plans in Marvel’s upcoming release of Black Panther #19 by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ryan Bodenheim. Black Panther #19 starts the final arc in Coates’ Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda storyline, entitled “Wakanda Unbound.” The new issue reveals T’Challa ready to take the fight to his enemies while his sister is more ready to remind him of his place.
The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda story arc has followed the twists and turns of the clash between Earth-616's Wakanda, and its counterpart in a Wakandan empire developed amongst the stars. Coates has crafted a space odyssey of Afro-futurism that borders on the operatic. The run has captivated readers with the interplay of the intergalactic empire’s isolationist foil to the slowly opening borders of the Wakanda readers know. Black Panther #19 begins in the wake of a brutal attack by the intergalactic empire with T’Challa gathering his allies to strike back and end the hostilities once and for all. But in the midst of T’Challa’s call the arms, Shuri hits her brother with some cold, hard realities.
Marvel's official preview pages show Shuri dressing down her brother for, in her opinion, effectively abandoning his kingdom to chase down N’Jakada, the emperor of the intergalactic empire. If that name sounds familiar, it should, as the emperor’s identity ties in with one of Black Panther’s most terrifying enemies. When T'Challa asks Shuri to mind the throne in his absence, he clearly expects his sister to take the reins without hesitation. But to his shock, Shuri grinds the proceedings to a halt and attempts to ground T’Challa’s aspiration for the stars.
Perhaps T’Challa should listen to the advice of someone many consider smarter than even Tony Stark. Shuri is no stranger to the burdens of being a monarch, having taken over for her brother before, and is perhaps the best person qualified to call T’Challa out on his responsibilities as king. Additionally, over the years, Shuri’s character has blended a combination of spiritual and technological prowess making her a formidable presence. At one point, she even gained the title of Black Panther herself. Off the comics pages and on the big screen, the character also often threatened to steal the show from the titular character in the MCU’s Black Panther with her wit and technological smarts. Shuri's character in this issue falls in line with her history as she fearlessly confronts her older brother.
Bodenheim delivers a Shuri that is as regal as her heritage and so powerful on the page that she breaks out of the panel at one point. The art makes it even easier to see Shuri's point as she states her case with strong logic. This is not the first time Shuri has clashed with her brother, and this argument could well sow the seeds for future strain between Wakanda’s most powerful siblings if T'Challa chooses to ignore his sister.
That being said, who doesn't want to see T'Challa take the fight to space and confront his enemies in what promises to be a epic showdown? Whatever T’Challa decides in the face of his sister’s dissent, as the beginning of the end for a truly thrilling story arc, this issue is certainly not one to miss.
- BLACK PANTHER #19
- Writer: Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Artist: Ryan Bodenheim
- Cover Artist: Meghan Hetrick
- THE FINAL ARC OF THE “INTERGALACTIC EMPIRE” BEGINS HERE!
- The groundbreaking story of a king who became a slave – a slave who became a legend – reaches a tipping point as N’Jadaka’s invasion of Earth continues! Wakanda goes to war against its own future…and its only hope lies in the king who brought them to this point.
Black Panther #19 is available December 18th, 2019 at your local comic shop, or direct from Marvel Comics.