The six episodes that span this storyline starts with Prince T'Challa (Djimon Hounsou) taking the role of Wakanda's king and protector from his uncle, who in tern became the kingdom's ruler after T'Challa's father's death some 10 years prior.
Let me back up some for those reading who aren't steeped in fairly obscured Marvel characters. Wakanda is an African nation that has not only kept itself completely neutral in world politics, but has the technology and warrior mentality to stay that way. You see, Wakanda has two things that makes it unique, a rare mineral called Vibranium and a warrior king that is like its people's god - that would be Black Panther. The Black Panther doesn't really have any super powers aside from great fighting skills. What is interesting about the character is that whoever wears the crown of Wakanda is also the Black Panther and, as a result, the mantle is passed down through generations. As a result, Wakanda has never been invaded and only shows its teeth whenever someone wrongs them.
Well, this particular Black Panther story is not only T'Challa's taking up of the black suit, but also an invasion that threatens his country and the possibility of vengeance over his father's death. The plot againt Wakanda is an interesting one. Not only does an outside force hire T'Challa's father's killer, an assassin named Klaw (Stephen Stanton), to assemble a team to take down the country, but the U.S. Government decides to try and "help" Wakanda in an impending border skirmish so that the warrior nation will owe the country a favor and help bring Wakanda onto its side.
Black Panther doesn't offer a whole lot outside of the six half-hour episodes. The special features include a promotional music video that was released before the first episode's airing, a trailer for the series and an interview with Reginald Hudlin, writer of the "Who is the Black Panther?" storyline. Hudlin was also heavily involved in the creation of this animated series. In this interview, Hudlin talks about everything from signing up with Marvel, to working on the Black Panther comic, to the creation of the TV series.
The overall story is a fun experience and it seems the studio and BET chose the right license and story arc to animate. Not only does the comic/cartoon's unique visual style really stand out, but it does a pretty good job of not only handling the dreaded origin story (something that many shows and movies seem to falter on), but it leaves open the possibility of more Black Panther motion comics.
