Doug: With yesterday's observance of Labor Day here in the States, summer has unofficially come to an end. And as we've done in the past around here, we like to query the reading lists of friends and discuss that of your hosts. I always look forward to these times to get recommendations and really to just get a finger on the pulse of our readers' preferences inside and outside the comics/graphic novel genre.

I was really floored when I set to gathering images for today's post. I knew I'd been somewhat prolific since May -- way more than in the past several summers -- but I had no idea how ravenous an appetite for reading I'd had. So in chronological order (because I'm a history guy, you know...), here are my accomplishments.

In May I actually finished a book I'd started in the fall of 2015. Having lived in the Chicago area for 95% of my life, my wife and I have an interest in Chicago history. So last year, while she read The Devil in the White City, I started Sin in the Second City. You can see from the taglines on the book's cover what it is basically about. It centers on a pair of sisters who arrive in town with the goal of setting up the best brothel in America. The Everleigh (get it?) Club was notorious, and the circumstances around its existence and demise were compelling reading.

I followed that book with a biography of Eliot Ness. I probably haven't seen but one or two episodes of the 1959-63 television show The Untouchables, but I love the 1986 film of the same name that starred Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, and Robert DeNiro. Last year my wife and I toured Union Station, site of the most memorable scene from that film. So I've had this closet interest in Ness, and upon seeing the book for sale at the Chicago History Museum I purchased it. Like all people and events, lives and circumstances tend to be romanticized over time. This would definitely be true of the history of the Untouchables, a story actually promoted by Ness himself. I had not known that after Prohibition ended Ness landed in Cleveland and became that city's Public Safety Director. Ness led an interesting, and conflicted, life to be sure. It was a good read.

When I headed to Washington, DC in mid-July I wanted to read something that could probably be conquered in the four-plus hours (round-trip) of flight time. Having recently downloaded a file of all the Tarzan novels to my Kindle, I chose Jungle Tales of Tarzan. It was my third read of that book, and its format as a collection of short stories was perfect. This also helped to set my mind for seeing the Tarzan film, which I did after my return.


For light reading while in Washington, because being immersed in the Holocaust definitely requires a mental break, I took my copy of the the Black Panther Marvel Masterworks. I've long been reporting that a storyline I'd never read but needed to was "Panther's Rage". I actually read the first three issues (of 13) while away from home, and then finished it upon my return. I have something in the works for later this fall in terms of a review of the story. Footnote: As Marvel is soon releasing a paperback Epic Collection version of the "Panther's Rage" story, and with the Marvel Premiere BP stories also included, I decided to sell my Masterworks and pre-order the softcover as a replacement. My copy sold on eBay last month for $120, so it was a wise decision financially.

While at the Holocaust Museum, a colleague recommended I read My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me. You can see the tagline on the cover. But the kicker is that the author's grandfather was not some obscure Nazi lost to the sands of time. No... Jennifer Teege's grandfather was none other than Amon Goth, commandant of the Plaszow Labor Camp and immortalized in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. Goth and his mistress, shown a couple of times in the film, had a baby girl just months before the War ended and Goth was hanged for his crimes. That baby girl grew up and had a relationship with a man of African descent which bore a daughter, Jennifer. Ms. Teege did not know the full truth about her background until she was an adult and how that new knowledge turned her life upside down is the theme of the book. Fascinating reading.

I felt like I needed something a little lighter to help balance the Teege book. On Amazon's Kindle Store, books that have fallen to the public domain are offered for a free download. While browsing I found the first Lone Ranger book and snatched it up. It was OK -- I found it perhaps more sociologically interesting in terms of the attitudes and stereotypes than I found it to be any sort of high literature. But I'm glad I read it. Funny, because I could "see" Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels in my head the entire time I read it and much of the dialogue seemed like it could have been used later in the television program.

I mentioned to a Twitter friend a few weeks ago, as he was on his way to hear Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) speak that I regretted passing on a rally in DC after the Dallas shootings. Lewis was to be the main speaker at a rally on the Capitol lawn. If you are not aware, John Lewis remains a major figure in the Civil Rights Movement, and is the last living person who spoke at the March on Washington on 28 August 1963 (site of Dr. Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech). Lewis has authored a memoir in the graphic novel format. March has been issued in three volumes. I have read the first two and am awaiting the third installment, which will arrive with the Black Panther book I mentioned above. Highly recommended!


While reading March I was also reading Robert E. Howard's only full-length Conan novel, Conan the Conqueror. I read it from a Kindle file of Howard's complete Conan stories. It was a solid read, and a nice balance to the themes of Lewis's memoir. I'll recommend any Howard Conan, and follow it up with a tip of the hat to the way Marvel (notably Roy Thomas) handled the character in the Bronze Age.

So summer's over and I've begun reading Viktor Frankl's Holocaust memoir Man's Search for Meaning. But you know I'll have to have a mental diversion from those difficult events and themes, so from the Kindle I will also soon begin Johnston McCulley's The Mark of Zorro. That, and all the comics I read so that I can bring the reviews your way for consideration are on the horizon.

Now, how about you?

Jungle Action #22 (July 1976)
"Death Riders on the Horizon!"
Don McGregor-Rich Buckler/Billy Graham/Bob McLeod/Jim Mooney

Doug: Uh oh. The teaser at the end of Jungle Action #21 said T'Challa was going back to 1876 to fight the Klan. In the midst of a story about social justice, can that be good? And what's more, when I look at the credits, I see that Billy Graham is not alone on the art chores -- witness Rich Buckler and Jim Mooney creeping into our cast of creators. Something is amiss here in part four of our look at the mid-'70's Black Panther series.

Karen: The switch from the Graham-McLeod art to the Buckler-Mooney art is jarring. I have to say most of my problem is with Mooney's inks. After McLeod's tight, detailed inking, Mooney's thick brush-strokes look odd.

Doug: And, right from the splash page I'm a little disarmed. We see T'Challa leaping onto the Lynne's front porch, from a Wakandan cruiser. And piloting the cruiser? Monica Lynne, along with intrepid reporter Kevin Trublood. OK, this isn't cool. We've come through three issues of somewhat-urban action with T'Challa -- no tech, no overt superhero powers. Just a guy wanting to set things right against the evil of the Ku Klux Klan. That seemed to be the way to go in telling that story. But now? Easy boy... OK, I'll try to be civil as we go through this.

Karen: It was kind of an odd choice, but then again, we've also discussed how it seems strange to have the Panther in his costume all the time.

Doug: As we turn the page, there's just some simple banter among the Lynnes (including Monica, now landed), Trublood, and T'Challa. It's actually sort of fun, the slice-of-life aspect of it. Monica and her mother remark how they used to get together as a family all the time, to roast marshmallows and tell stories of the past. Monica thinks back to a story about a Cousin Caleb, and his fate after the Civil War. Momma looks pensive as Monica urges her to tell it now.

Doug: McGregor now weaves a strange tale, each part told on two pages: on the left, history as Mrs. Lynne remembered it. But on the right side of the magazine, we see Monica begin to daydream, and fantasize, about the same story. And here is where Buckler and Mooney come in (the eyes are where you find Jim Mooney's inks -- unmistakable!): they illustrate Monica's version of the story, which includes T'Challa in the Old South, to save the day.

Karen: Hey, wouldn't it have been cool if they'd had Graham and McLeod illustrate the 'real' story while Buckler and Mooney did the 'imaginary' one?

Doug: OK, just to give our readers a look inside the BAB editorial offices: if you'll notice above, I said that Buckler and Mooney illustrated Monica's version of the story. Karen duly noted that they actually illustrate both halves of the 19th century story! Man, I so had Graham/McLeod on the left-hand pages and Buckler/Mooney doing the right-hand pages. But nope -- a "look again", as well as confirmation of my fading skills of artist deduction from the Grand Comics Database proves my eagle-eyed partner correct! Back to the synopsis --


Doug: Caleb was now a freedman in 1867, yet without education or much to show in his name. One day a band of hooded men rode near his home, a beaten down old shack. Monica saw a nice homestead, complete iwth windows and a cellar. And as the Klan arrived, the Black Panther was waiting to greet them.

Karen: Monica's idea of Caleb's 'shack' looks very much like her own home.

Doug: Caleb was afraid of these riders. And they yelled at him and warned him not to go to the Freedman's Bureau or the Loyal League. If he did, he'd know the wrath of the Soul Strangler. Monica saw Caleb stand up to the Klan, and as they rose to strike him down, a black bolt descended like a missile from the trees.


Karen: Monica's Caleb is also tall and muscular, much like her super-hero boyfriend.

Doug: Caleb made his way to the Freedman's Bureau anyway. Surely someone would help him. But what he found were two white men who only wanted his vote. Now able to cast a ballot, the black vote became worth something to white politicians seeking to better only themselves. Monica saw Caleb being taken advantage of, but a hero burst into the room and put the white men in their place -- depositing them on coat hooks to dangle there while Caleb and the Panther had a laugh -- and exited declaring that they'd confront the Klan as individuals.

Doug: Caleb and his wife and their kids hurried back to their home, trying to make it before darkness fell. The sound of horses overtook them before they even got close. Monica closes her eyes -- if T'Challa had been there, the Klan would never have had a chance.

Doug: A man in a red robe and hood rode up to Caleb, and extended a skeletal hand. Caleb took his hand. The man informed him that he had died at Shiloh, and that he and the rest of his men were spirits. Caleb was then to turn around and meet his executors. Monica knew the Panther wouldn't back down from this Soul Strangler, and he didn't.

Karen: I thought it was a nice touch that in Monica's fantasy, the Soul Strangler's horse was red and aflame.

Doug: Caleb was shot in the shoulder, and as he fell as rope was tied about his neck. The Soul Strangler took the end of the rope, righted Caleb, and began to ride. Caleb's wife stepped forward and was beaten. The Panther had none of that, and as a noose was slipped around his neck...

Doug: The Soul Strangler dragged Caleb over to a tree, where the rope was thrown over a strong branch. Caleb's body was pulled higher and higher, and tied off. It was there that he died. Monica knew the Panther would work against the noose, and find a way to defeat the Soul Strangler and his henchmen. T'Challa beat the men into submission.


Karen: Monica gives her version a nice happy ending, something that unfortunately never happened for Caleb and many like him.

Doug: Before we wrap this one, I have to ask -- what did you think of this dichotomous story? To be frank, I found it offensive. I think I know what McGregor was going for, but it comes off as a real slap in the face to a people who were powerless to change the course of their history. Monica attests that she was indeed having a fantasy, but it's still a bit distasteful to me.

Karen: Hmm, I didn't actually have a problem with it. I took it on face value -Monica simply couldn't handle this terribly sad story, so in her mind, she re-wrote it, making her ancestors triumph in the end. It's simplistic but I think it's not unrealistic -haven't we all rewritten some episode from the past in our minds, as a daydream, trying to turn failure into success, or sorrow into joy? I don't feel any sense of disgust or contempt for Caleb -we all know that in the real world, these things happened and their was nothing one man could really do. I'm actually more concerned that this issue does nothing to move the Klan storyline ahead. That would have been fine, if we were going to get back to the story in the next issue. But that didn't happen.
Doug: I don't know that I have any contempt for Caleb -- he played the hand he was dealt. I guess I'd like to know if Don McGregor was making any criticism of his own, through Monica. It just struck a chord with me, I guess.

Doug: Well, as some of our commenters have mentioned previously, this one didn't get finished before Jungle Action was cancelled. Although Jungle Action lasted two more issues, #23 was a reprint of Daredevil #68 and #24 began a new tale -- yet written by McGregor! And what's even more puzzling is the fact that the ending didn't appear for another 3 1/2 years! And, when wrapped up, it was written by Ed Hannigan and drawn by Jerry Bingham -- I'm talking about Marvel Premiere #'s 51-53. Weird... I don't have any of those (although at one time I did have #51 -- I recall that it was actually the conclusion of JA #24 with a dude named Wind Eagle), so any of you who do and want to give us a quick synopsis, feel free! It would be welcome!

Karen: The Wind Eagle story does include the Dragon Circle, and gives some more insight into Angela's death, but that's it. Now I feel like I need to find those Marvel Premieres. I also feel that perhaps we need to review some of the Panther's Rage issues, seeing as how that storyline is so highly regarded.

Jungle Action #21 (May 1976)
"A Cross Burning Darkly, Blackening the Night!"
Don McGregor-Billy Graham/Bob McLeod

Doug: What about the cover of this comic? Attributed to Jazzy Johnny Romita, it's quite powerful. Billy Graham's splash page echoes the scene, which seems to take place mere seconds after the conclusion of our last issue. So what say we dive headlong into part three of our look at T'Challa versus the Klan!

Doug: Scribe Don McGregor makes no bones about the flames licking at the Panther as being very real and very painful. No, his suit won't save him, no mystical herbs from his homeland will save him -- this is the Panther bound, and ablaze! McGregor and Graham again juxtapose a conversation between Kevin Trublood and Monica Lynne with T'Challa's struggles against his white-hooded adversaries. This time Trublood and Monica worry about the Panther, as they know that he'd gone to engage the Klan. Monica also wonders aloud about the continuing role of the seemingly-splinter group, the purple-robed Dragon Circle Soldiers. Finally they decide it might be prudent to journey out to the Devouring Swamp, where the alleged Klan meeting was to have taken place.

Karen: This opening sequence is nicely done. I like the way Graham has drawn a huge pale moon behind the Panther as he burns on the cross -it's very dramatic. One thing I have noticed after reading some of these stories is how McGregor connects T'Challa to the night, just as a cat is often thought of as a creature of the night. He talks here of the cat's instinctive fear of fire and it comes across right. The back and forth between T'Challa and his friends is handled well.


Doug: At the swamp, T'Challa struggles against the ropes that bind him. The fire has grown so hot and has been burning so long, that he is able to rip his legs free. He swings them up, gathering enough momentum that he is able to break the top of the cross on which he hangs. Swinging back down and forward hard, the Panther snaps the cross right below his waist! Now I don't know about you, but while the visuals are striking, I don't know about all of this in light of the injuries T'Challa has surely suffered! McGregor tells of of the burns, and as I said -- we're led to believe that there's been very little to no insulation from boots, gloves, or the costume in general. So I'm puzzled here...

Karen: I know, burns are pretty seriously debilitating and it's hard to imagine that anyone in such pain could do anything other than scream. But the Panther is our hero, right? Overcoming adversity is what heroes do. I guess we just have to accept that. Although later on we do get the explanation that his recovery is sped up due to his panther rituals.

Doug: T'Challa spooks the Klan members, who now fear him as supernatural. After they scatter, the Panther is able to stagger, albeit quickly, into the swamp, where he slumps and extinguishes the flames. We are told that his injuries are numerous and serious. Trublood and Monica have embarked on the search mission, but are unable to locate T'Challa. Rather, long before the era of cell phones, Monica pulls over to use a pay phone to call her mother for an update. She's informed that T'Challa has been found, and is in the hospital. Heading there, the entire cast of this adventure meets up. As the days go by, and T'Challa is up for a large crowd of visitors, Mr. Lynne admonishes him for making life dangerous for Monica. He remarks that as it's not clear yet whether his other daughter was murdered or committed suicide, he'd like to keep Monica around. T'Challa assures him that while he sympathizes with the loss, he will not run from the trouble.

Karen: T'Challa gets a little wordy here and like Mr. Lynne, I felt it was a bit much. And what about Mrs. Lynne? She's pretty much a non-factor in the story.

Doug: Trublood and T'Challa plan to show up at a Klan rally -- one that is being held by the books, permit and all. Sheriff Tate cautions them against causing trouble, as that would force his hand to actually protect the Klan. Tate then reveals information from the investigation into the death of Angela Lynne. In a nicely-rendered two-page spread, we see the details of the last several minutes of Angela's life. A suitor is involved, although never placed at her death scene. A single gunshot wound to the head, in her office at 2:06 am. According to the sheriff, his office was alerted by a "mysterious call" at 3:15 am. But that's where the story ends.

Karen: I'm really curious now what the heck this land scheme is -it sure must be some valuable land!

Doug: Our next scene is at the KKK rally, and Trublood and T'Challa hold to their word to break it up. As one of the Klan leaders rails on with his white supremacist megalomania, our heroes approach and attempt to drown him out. Trublood rebukes the Klan's comments, and tells them to let people make up their own minds. He asks the Klan if the assembled crowd might like to see T'Challa's burned flesh, as a testimonial to what the KKK is all about. When a gun is pulled, the Panther swings into action. After a brief brouhaha, which is surprisingly broken up by Mr. Lynne shooting his playing cards at an assailant who had the drop on T'Challa, the Klan members are arrested. The story ends with Mr. Lynne -- who to this point has been reluctant to get too involved -- patting himself on the back and stating that he's been inspired by the actions of Terublood and the Black Panther.

Karen: Were they arrested? It seemed like they were just standing around in the last panel.

Doug: Hmmm... Well, I guess my interpretation was that they were arrested. The one guy displayed a gun and was shooting it. I suppose even if it was argued that Trublood and T'Challa "started it", there was still the gunplay. But I guess I don't know for certain. Having already read the next issue, I can report that it's not dealt with further.

Doug: This installment seemed to have a bit more meat to it. Whereas I thought there was a little meandering in the first two chapter, this issue seemed to move forward all the time. It was good to finally get something concrete on the death of Angela Lynne, but I'm still uncertain of where this is going. Not seeing the Dragon Circle Soldiers was confusing as well -- it makes me wonder if they've been dropped as a plot vehicle (although as we said above, they were mentioned). So, knowing there is only one more issue in this series, I'll be very interested to see how McGregor ties this up.

Karen: There feels like there's a lot of promise to the story, but at this stage I'm uncertain if it will be fulfilled. Again, I can't help but think that maybe McGregor had too many elements to balance, and that the Dragon Circle is going to fall through the cracks. But I will say that I'm impressed by how openly the creators approached the whole subject of the Klan and their vicious racism. There aren't any punches pulled here.

Jungle Action #20 (March 1976)
"They Told Me a Myth I Wanted to Believe"
Don McGregor-Billy Graham/Bob McLeod

Doug: Welcome back to part two of our four-part review of the Klan story that ended the Black Panther's run in Jungle Action. As you'll recall from last Monday's review, we loved Billy Graham's (and Bob McLeod's) art, but were a little dismayed by the amount of words used by scribe Don McGregor! Yeah, the dude can tell as story... but it's like War and Peace! This one's no exception to that, so let's dig right in and see what this installment has in store.

Doug: First off, I do want to take issue with the cover, which has absolutely nothing to do with the interior story. Our setting is not a city, but a small town in Georgia. Secondly, there are two big fights in this issue, neither of which classifies as a "Slaughter in the Streets!" Perhaps this was a stock image; Rich Buckler did a ton of covers for Marvel in the mid-'70's, so it's possible. Anyway, maybe I'm just griping too much -- lord knows covers nowadays have nothing to do with the inside. I'd also say, on the positive side, that the art is again very good and McGregor's script -- while much longer than I am used to -- is really very good. He seems to accomplish politically what Denny O'Neil struggled with in our series of Green Lantern/Green Arrow stories. McGregor's soapboxing just seems more cogent.

Karen: Yeah, I flipped back to the cover after I started reading the story, just to be sure I had really seen it. It has nothing to do with the story. One could easily assume Marvel wanted to avoid Klan imagery, except they had no problem with it on the cover of the previous issue. Maybe there was a time crunch and they had to use a stock cover?

Doug: It does make one wonder... So Monica Lynne and T'Challa are at the supermarket, and the Panther's in his fightin' togs. I'm sorry... as we both said last issue, we get the idea that they are not super-heroes all of the time. I can handle seeing the Wakandan in some jeans and a t-shirt once in a while. But his garb seems to be the impetus for what comes next, which is a free-for-all. As a bunch of catfood cans begin to topple on an old lady, T'Challa springs to her aid; at the same time, two thugs approach Monica and put a knife to her throat. T'Challa, in my mind, takes a huge risk and attacks one of the accomplices. Now, I'm no SWAT-team strategist, but I'm thinking in a hostage situation that involves a serrated knife, cool and calm might be the orders of the day.

Karen: Yes, wearing his costume here makes no sense. It feels contrived. Also, as I mentioned previously, while I think the art is beautiful and very detailed, I think the story-telling aspect is somewhat lacking. We never see exactly what happened with the old lady and the cat food falling on her. I flipped back a page to see if I'd skipped one, but no. Also, it strikes me as unbelievable that the men attacking Monica would have so much time -they spout off a litany of threats -while the Panther is saving the ungrateful old cat-lady.

Doug: I have felt that some of the scenes play out "long". In a way, it's like the art is decompressed. But boy, there sure are words! McGregor continues to spin this web of intrigue. As the assailants grab Monica, they discuss that "the reverend" has spoken -- that our baddies will grab Monica Lynne and speak a warning to her. What's weird, however, is that they tell her the Klan is a danger to her... but they also remark on the events that took place in the cemetery that involved our purple-hooded thugs (the Dragon Circle Soldiers). As they say, the plot thickens.

Doug: Back to the fight, T'Challa is ripped across the forehead by the old lady he'd just helped. As he staggers, some among the other customers pile on. Then the small town's finest arrive, and they are just typical comic book cops -- these fellows could have been formerly employed in a Spidey mag. They pistol-whip the Panther, and it's really not looking good before the sheriff of last issue arrives. He gets everyone calmed down, and then cracks some bad jokes. It's all a bit bizarre. As Monica assists T'Challa out of the store (they do finish their shopping, by the way), T'Challa and the sheriff both note that the goons who attacked earlier are most likely not affiliated with the Klan -- yet in the midst of everything, they revealed where a Klan meeting is to be held!

Karen: I have to say, the whole thing has me confused. Again, I'm hoping the eventual resolution will explain it all.

Doug: Later in the evening, T'Challa and Monica stroll by a plantation that Monica once had fantasies of owning. We learn that Monica's sister had allegedly committed suicide; previously we'd been led to believe it was a murder. Yet more details emerge, as we learn that she died at her office, at 2:00 in the morning. Most passing strange. We also learn that Monica's sister wrote in 1968 that while at college she had friends involved in campus protests, and that she hated guns. Monica then asks T'Challa to hold her.

Karen: At least he lifts his mask to kiss her. I suppose the mystery of the land deal will also be revealed soon.

Doug: The remainder of the book is an outstanding juxtaposition of soliloquy from our reporter friend, Kevin Trublood, and the infiltration of the Klan meeting by the Panther. Trublood is at the Lynne household and begins to rant about his morals, and how he still believes in American values. He discusses how he's dreamed of writing an expose' on the Klan, and how it probably won't make much difference. He's dreamed of the Pulitzer Prize yet understands the risks involved. And even though people think he's a fool, he remains fearful for his family but steadfast in his beliefs that the United States is a great country. While this goes on, T'Challa moves through the trees as Tarzan would, then drops smack in the middle of a heavily-armed band of Klansmen at a cross-burning! He fights bravely, but succumbs to the overwhelming numbers. I have to say, he takes a severe beating in the process. As he falls, we see his body lifted and tied to a cross... a cross which is then righted, and set ablaze!


Karen: Trublood's monolog reminded me very much of the things going on with Captain America in his title during the Steve Englehart years, which were published a few years prior to this. Of course America was still suffering from the fallout of Watergate and Viet Nam, and confidence in the nation was shattered. But the idea that the ideals of America still had value was something people could hold on to, and fight for.

Doug: This is a different Black Panther than I'm used to. I've not read the "Panther's Rage" storyline yet; when I had Panther solo books as a kid, it was this very four-issue arc that we're reviewing. So the way Steve Englehart and Jim Shooter (heck, even Stan Lee) had written T'Challa was markedly different from the personality grafted to him by McGregor. I'd say that this is a guy who takes chances, somewhat rashly. He's not the calm, polished monarch as he was so often portrayed in the pages of the Avengers. But I'm really liking this take on him. And I'll say, too, that as we've commented on the sheer magnitude of the words used by Don McGregor, this mystery is really a slow reveal that I'm gripped by. I am enjoying this series, as I really don't recall too much of this from my first read 35 years ago.

Jungle Action #19 (January 1976)
"Blood and Sacrifices!"
Don McGregor-Billy Graham/Bob McLeod

Doug: Your favorite Bronze Age commentators, volunteers as we are, are from time-to-time willing to lay out some hard-earned cash just to keep you, our loyal readers, fully apprised of all things beautiful from the 1970's. Today's, and for the next three weeks, fare is one such example of this -- and here's a recommendation for all of you: If you don't own the original comics already, then go find yourself a decently-priced copy of Marvel Masterworks #141. Said volume reprints the entire Black Panther run from Jungle Action #'s 6-24 (excluding #23, which was a reprint of Daredevil #69). In that volume you'll find Don McGregor's magnum opus, "Panther's Rage", and also his excellent four-parter featuring the Ku Klux Klan. It's the latter story we embark on now.

Doug: We pick this one up in a somber setting: T'Challa's girlfriend, Monica Lynne, has come home to the American South to mourn her recently-deceased sister. It's at her gravesite that we join the story. But as Monica is silent in from of the monument, she is approached by a silent mob -- a mob wearing purple cloaks and pointed hoods over their heads. The Klan has come! In the trees, however, watches the Black Panther and he doesn't like what he's seeing. T'Challa springs from the tree the moment he sees a knife's blade glint in the light. Monica, no slouch herself, reacts with equal force. The wild card in the fracas is an arriving vehicle; T'Challa puts one of the goons right through its windshield. What seems at first to be an accomplice or getaway car turns out to be an ally -- a reporter from the local paper. As the dust settles, Monica checks on the reporter, Kevin Trublood, who has broken his hand assisting against the Klan. As they talk, T'Challa leaps to a tree where he'd deposited one of the thugs. Despite this talk of the Klan, and Trublood told Monica that the Klan may have had a hand in her sister's death, T'Challa tells that there is more to the story -- one of their would-be hooded assailants... is black!

Karen: I have to say, this opening sequence was pretty confusing. Obviously these weren't your typical Klan members -but who were they? Still, the graveyard sequence was effectively moody. The insight into Monica's childhood via her memory of fighting with her sister, was well done. The Panther's athleticism is also nicely on display here.

Doug: I was stunned that one of the "Klansmen" was an African-American. Even when I was a kid -- and I'm sure I was pretty ignorant of the Klan for the most part -- this didn't make sense to me.

Doug: After gathering up the mess, Trublood provides his car as transport to take the bad guys down to the local precinct. Along the way, scribe Don McGregor provides the reader with a quick synopsis of what the Klan was all about. I also learned something -- tell me if you knew this: the T in T'Challa is silent. I always pronounced it as Trublood is admonished for pronouncing it -- Ta-Challa. Nope. Once at the station, the sheriff tells our heroes that the four attackers are locals and not Klan members. And in spite of that fact, they'll get no special treatment. They are given the chance to tell their story, but all decline. We are told that they gather strength from their numbers, and from the indoctrination they've received.

Karen: Yes, the plot thickens as we see more of this cult. I have to say, I was expecting the sheriff to be a stereotypical prejudiced redneck but McGregor surprises by having him be a decent man. And no, I didn't know the T was silent!

Doug: Years later, when "In the Heat of the Night" was on television, I could have seen this sheriff as akin to Carroll O'Connor's character. Although the tv version was softened quite a bit compared to the original character in the film of the same name.

Doug: We then head to the countryside, to the family home of Monica. We meet her parents and the Panther attempts to learn a bit more about her sister. But Mr. and Mrs. Lynne aren't really willing to discuss it. T'Challa goes over the previous attack, and the mystery surrounding the men with Klan symbols and even a Klan newspaper -- but certainly due to their racial integration, they aren't Klan! While the family talks, we see now white-robed men approach, with guns drawn. One of them lights a Molotov cocktail and hurls it toward the home. T'Challa catches the light and leaps through the picture window. In a single motion he grabs it and hurls it back from whenst it came. Exploding at the feet of two men on horseback and another on a motorcycle, the Panther engages! Then it gets a bit weird -- help me out here: there are suddenly two of our purple-cloaked guys looking at the white-robed "real" Klan. Then we're back to T'Challa kicking butts but taking prisoners. He manages to round up two white-hoods while a much larger number flee into the night. As the Panther drags them back to the house, Mr. Lynne informs him that he's not one to shy away from trouble... and that's good, because the Panther's brought down a whole heap of trouble!

Karen: I have to admit that while exciting, I felt this whole attack on the Lynne household was very confusing. Besides the two groups, I also felt that the art didn't do a good enough job of explaining what was going on. Don't get me wrong, the art itself is gorgeous, but this sequence just didn't quite work for me. However, once we learn more about what's going on, that may be less of an issue. One last thing: didn't it seem odd how T'Challa is lounging around the place in his costume? He's unmasked as he eats dinner but then puts his mask back on as he hangs out with his girlfriend and her parents!


Doug: It did seem somewhat out-of-the-blue, but I suppose these guys have it in not only for Monica's sister, but by extension Monica herself. And yes, T'Challa in full costume was a bit odd. Sometimes I think that's really overkill on the part of the creators -- even as a kid, I could grasp that these men and women were not always superheroes.

Doug: When you break the story down to the three synopsizing paragraphs above, it seems like not much happened in this issue. However, McGregor's script is so wordy that it took me longer than my standard 20 minutes to read! There is just detail and character development on every page, and he's woven this mystery of Monica's sister's death throughout every page. I don't know about you, but I'm hooked for the second part. And hey -- how about a tip-of-the-hat for Billy Graham and Bob McLeod? What a nice-looking book. I remember reading this arc off the spinner racks when I was 9; my current re-read holds up just fine!

Karen: Seeing as how every page is smothered in words, I actually timed myself on this to see how long it took me to read it: 25 minutes! At times it seems a bit much, but I enjoy how McGregor is building the story, and the tension. The art is really exceptional; I particularly like the faces -very distinctive, individual -no cookie cutter features. I'm looking forward to part two.