The Coming Storm
September 7, 2006 by The Fortress Keeper
Blinded by a few good one-liners and the spectacle of a happily married couple in the Marvel Universe, a few days back the Keeper named Black Panther #19 the Fortress’ comic of the week.
We even bestowed our brand new, nifty and keen-o seal of approval upon the book.
Then we read the issue again and noticed these panels …
Why oh why, in the name of the Goddess, did we write that both T’Challa and Storm are portrayed as strong, intelligent individuals?
Storm - a heroine intelligent enough to lead the X-Men - quietly steps aside so her less-powerful husband can punch out the most dangerous man in the Marvel universe.
Storm - who stood against such all-powerful enemies as The Brood and Dark Phoenix while Black Panther matched wits with the Man-Ape - gets reamed for daring to giver her husband aid against Doctor Doom, a guy who regularly fights the Fantastic Four to a stand-still.
Storm - one of the few individuals ballsy enough to command Wolver-friggin-ine’s respect - kisses her sexist pig of a husband as an “apology,” when she should have thrown a lightning bolt up his stuck-up @$$!
Come on, Hudlin. This is Ororo Munroe, arguably Marvel’s premiere super-heroine, we’re talking about. It’s like taking Wonder Woman and making her the new Robin.
(Although, to be honest, Batman gives Tim Drake a lot more respect these days than T’Challa demonstrates to his wife and presumed co-ruler.)
It’s clear Storm is in this book for two reasons: to boost sales by bringing cheap publicity and (perhaps) a few X-zombies; and job to the Panther so the title character will look better in comparison.
Perhaps our meds misfired last week, but now it’s clear the Keeper must strip Black Panther # 19 of its title and all attendant privileges.
Even as we write these words, the book is being transported to the dread Cut-Out Zone - an endless Limbo where such notorious comics as Brigade and Trials of Shazam forever reside.
As for your humbled Keeper, we’ll just retire to the Fortress’ reading room and look over old Black Panther comics by Jack Kirby and Christopher Priest.
Those were better days …
Ah, Black Panther #19. I just shook my head at the point where Doom cracks on T’Challa’s armor by saying he built something like that when he was 15, then T’Challa counters by saying he built this when he was 12.
I’m thinking “Really? You’re going to fight Dr. Doom with something you built before puberty kicked in? Don’t you think it might be wise to go with an updated version, or at least let the lady tossing tornados around over there step in and help?”
And I kind of got the impression Doom was portrayed as racist in that issue, which was weird because I always figured Doom discriminated on the basis that everyone is dumber than him.
I was OK with the armor bit, but my initial review at least had enough sense to reach a similar conclusion regarding Doom’s racism.
He’s an equal-opportunity hater. He’s not the Red Skull.
How funny…great minds must think alike. I just wrote an entry about this tonight, too! You and I have the same opinions about how Storm was treated in that issue. It’s ugh…let’s forget about Storm’s leadership and make her a sidekick!
[...] UPDATE: To read more about this, I encourage you to read The Keeper’s The Coming Storm at Fortress of Fortitude. Plus, he’s got pretty pictures to accompany his blog entry. [...]
Bleh. I’ve given up on Hudlin’s Black Panther. As far as I’m concerned, it isn’t even the Black Panther, but some kind of psycho-clone from a parallel reality like the evil(?) Tony Stark in Marvel Team-Up.
And thankfully, neither of these is Spider-Man. So I expect the divorce as soon as the fatman retires from his post as EIC.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Sounds like Ragnell was right about female character demotion.
I didn’t pick Black Panther back up when it restarted, and everything everyone’s said has made me not regret that. Still, did anyone follow up on Storm kind-of sort-of almost-thinking about dating both Wolverine and Nightcrawler? It’s yet another Claremont dropped plot, but Storm seemed just terrible in Nightcrawler’s book.
Also, Keep: are the comments really small for anyone else?
Chuck -
The comments are really small on Internet Explorer, but I believe are a bit more readable in Firefox.
Since I’m HTML illiterate, I have to rely on the kindness of templates and its tough to find one that’s perfect in every way …
[...] The Coming Storm - The Keeper at Fortress of Fortitude gives us more on the Black Panther/Storm BS (from Fortress of Fortitude) [...]
[...] The Keeper of the Fortress of Fortitude has found his mind changed regarding Black Panther #19. Loren Javier adds his two sense. D. Edward Sauve hated it. [...]
I remember reading an issue of Iron Fist, waaaayyyy back in the ’70s, where he fought the new X-Men. IF was giving them a good battle (that was before Wolverine became Superman) and some kind of bowl of salad got dumped accidently on Storm’s head. Everybody (even Wolverine) fled in panic from her tantrum. Oh yeah, you’ve come a long way, baby!
[...] Smarter people have written better about Black Panther #19 and for that, I thank them. I read New Avengers every month, I really don’t think I could take another mercy title. [...]
[...] Out of the mouth of Erik “I think women’s issues with comics are all about the boobies” Larsen, we actually get some surprising insight on the difficulty of finding the right comic book for someone who doesn’t read comics. Sure, true to form, I found the tone of the article to be at times condescending to women and I rolled my eyes at his little quip about not wanting another “lecture” on why certain books will likely turn female readers off, which, of course, he oversimplifies the reason as being that the book is “loaded with sex and violence.” Yes, Mr. Larsen, it’s the “sex and violence” not, you know, the way that powerful women are often second fiddle to the men in their lives, or inappropriately sexualized and then killed off and forgotten when convenient, or anything like that. [...]
I can’t believe this couple! I can’t believe anyone would believe Storm would be submissive to an arrogant a$$hole! Gosh, I’m so glad I didn’t start this series. It seemed rushed and terribly written. I just don’t think they are compatable. She’s too independent, and he wants a submissive wife?! Not going to happen buddy! *goes of to cry* Horrible pairing. And no, it’s not because they’re both black. I don’t care about their skin color! I mean. NIGHTCRAWLER’S BLUE!!! Skin shouldn’t matter. I’m more for the Storm/ Logan or Storm/ Forge
Storm - one of the few individuals ballsy enough to command Wolver-friggin-ine’s respect - kisses her sexist pig of a husband as an “apology,”
No…actually, she’s kissing him to tell him to lighten the hell up, and that his “little boy lost his bike” silent treatment is ridiculous. But it’s hardly an apology. When Storm is sorry, she says “I’m sorry”.I’m happy that Hudlin’s writing a relationship that’s much more real than anything I’ve seen in Marvel in a long time. Storm and BP bicker, and they don’t always see eye-to-eye. Behind closed doors, they’re going to have it out, but with other people around, they present a united front.
Look at BP entering the Civil War. You think he would’ve bothered if Storm was not his wife? No, because he has nothing to gain from entering the fray, and everything to lose. But he knows that he’d never be able to look Storm in the eye again if he turned his back. So now one of the leaders of the resistance movement just so happens to be Storm’s husband. That’s hardly a demotion in character.
Ah, this caught my eye.
Then we read the issue again and noticed these panels …
No, that’s not what happened. What happened is that you got slammed for making a not-so-popular opinion and now you’re back tracking. How else can you explain away missing the entire last page? Tsk.
No, I didn’t really get slammed by anyone. It’s not as if I suddenly received a flood of phone calls or e-mails from people outraged by my initial review - or any comments at all for that matter.
What happened is exactly what I said happened. I read the issue again because of a few niggling issues (Doom’s sudden racism and, yes, Storm’s seeming deference to the Panther). After going over the book two or three more times, I changed my mind and thought I should own up to it.
I didn’t read the other negative reviews of the issue until after I wrote this post. In fact, the only review I saw prior to reading this issue was a glowing one from The Buy Pile column.
As far as the last page goes, I’ll stand by my original interpretation.
If you like Hudlin’s Panther, fine. I have nothing against the guy.
Please allow me my opinion without questioning my honesty.
Nuff said.
[...] One could never have thought she could have been so prophetic for, in the very next issue following the Wedding, Storm seemed uncharacteristically pushed to the sidelines. The Keeper at Fortress of Fortitude wrote, “Come on, Hudlin. This is Ororo Munroe, arguably Marvel’s premiere super-heroine, we’re talking about. It’s like taking Wonder Woman and making her the new Robin.” D. Edward Suave from Governed by the Prophet King cried, “WHY wourld a strong, noble, SMART man like T’Challa mistake that Milksop for his beloved goddess Storm? This woman is supposed to be a QUEEN? He’s not smart enough to listen to his wife, who’s AN EXPERIENCED WARRIOR IN HER OWN RIGHT?” [...]
“So now one of the leaders of the resistance movement just so happens to be Storm’s husband. That’s hardly a demotion in character.”
So Storm goes from leading a team of super powered individuals to dating the dude that leads the team of super powered individuals. Golly gee, she sure hit the jack pot in this game of Mystery Date, didn’t she?
Actually, she married the dude. Get it right.
Storm is powerful. she’ll take black panther any day.
I just wonder why this couple?…. I have a real bad feeling about them together.. it is just as if as storm is black, she’ll go with the black one Oo ( I’m black don’t take it for somthing like discrimination or else please…
I really wanted her with wolverine beacuse I really think they suit each other \O/ they’re too complementary, bnoth independants, both one with mother nature, with some differences of course… even if Logan seems ro be ruled by his instincts (he is really intellgient, and thinks a lot…in few words ’cause I haven’t have much time) and even if Ororo seems to be toooooo serious and maybe a cold one… it isn’t the case and whatever they’re made to be together I want this pairing oO