Ultimate Black Panther #3 Review

Written by: Bryan Hill
Art by: Stefano Caselli
Colors by: David Curiel
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Stefano Caselli, David Curiel
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: April 17, 2024

Ultimate Black Panther #3 finds T’Challa’s eyes opened to a secret power shown to him by Killmonger and Storm. Meanwhile, Shuri and Okoye come to blows.

Is Ultimate Black Panther #3 Good?

Bryan Hill’s Ultimate take on the King of Wakanda veers into unexpected territory when T’Challa learns there’s a power in Africa that may be even greater than Vibranium. Readers hoping that Hill’s take on Black Panther would be a little less similar than the Earth-616 version may be getting their wish.

When last we left Ultimate Black Panther, T’Challa affirmed he couldn’t successfully stop Ra and Khonshu, the Maker’s Council members collectively known as Moon Knight (Yes, it’s needlessly confusing. Just go with it.), from invading by hiding behind a throne. Black Panther went out to meet the invaders head-on, but when he was overwhelmed by soldiers, Killmonger and Storm arrived to lend a saving hand.

Now, Okoye becomes frustrated with Shuri’s lack of transparency about T’Challa’s whereabouts, leading to a fight to help settle their differences. Elsewhere, Killmonger explains to T’Challa why he’s a former servant of Wakanda, and he shows T’Challa what he believes is the real reason for Moon Knight’s incursion, an ancient and powerful sphere of power hidden away by a long-forgotten people.

What’s great about Ultimate Black Panther #3? This is the deviation we’ve been waiting for. The promise of the premise for this version of the Ultimate comics is a new universe created by the Maker where the rise of heroes was prevented in favor of the Maker’s unchallenged utopia. Black Panther and his allies are effectively all the same, but the discovery of a new and more powerful object, an object that overshadows Vibranium in its value, could lead to interesting developments. In other words, Hill has finally gotten around to doing something different, which is the whole point.

Ultimate Black Panther #3 Video Review

What’s not so great about Ultimate Black Panther #3? This issue effectively boils down to two scenes – the conflict between Okoye and Shuri, and T’Challa’s revelation about the ancient power. In short, the pieces different from 616 Black Panther aren’t THAT different, and the pace has slowed to a leisurely stroll. If this title ultimately (heh) culminates with the other titles in a massive conflict against the Maker when he returns, it feels like Hill is treading water while waiting for some unseen development to happen first.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Ultimate Black Panther #3 finally begins to deliver on the promise of the premise by showing readers a unique development near Wakanda that could make Vibranium look like kid stuff. On technical execution, the script is rock solid, but the pacing and lack of wow factor result in a tepid comic with potential.