The Fall Of N'Jadaka!

In Part 5 of "Panther's Rage," the 1973-75 story which saw the Black Panther return to Wakanda only to find an insurrection launched against him by the violent rebel known as Killmonger, the Panther made the startling discovery that confirmed his enemy has been raiding Wakanda's own arms depot for the weapons used to attack and slaughter villagers throughout T'Challa's kingdom. And so, thanks to information gained from Killmonger's captive operative, Venomm, the Panther moves to make a raid of his own--against Killmonger's home village of N'Jadaka, named after Killmonger himself.

Killmonger's presence in this story has been inexplicably absent for three issues, which at the time worked out to an astonishing eight months due to the bi-monthly publication schedule of Jungle Action as well as a paper shortage which delayed Part 4 for an additional two months. And now, ten months and counting, Part 6 will unfortunately be the fourth successive issue which doesn't feature this story's primary antagonist. As a result, "Panther's Rage" likely reached a point where it depended on its regular readership for sales--though some no doubt had moved on, given the gap in installments and considering that not even the story seemed interested in its own adversary.

Regardless, writer Don McGregor continues to move things along reasonably well, all things considered, despite the fact that T'Challa himself hasn't yet taken this bull by the horns and deployed his forces to any great degree in response to the attacks. And if your title character phones it in, it's difficult to work up any sort of interest in the confict that McGregor is painstakingly laying out. So the fact that T'Challa is at long last putting on his ruler hat and meeting this threat aggressively is probably not only welcome news to his inner circle of warriors who have openly doubted his ability to handle this crisis, but also to his dedicated readers who have stuck it out this long but haven't seen much "jungle action" on T'Challa's part in eight months' time (though, to add insult to injury, they have seen the mag's price tag go up).

And while Killmonger is M.I.A. doing who knows what (if he were an actor, he'd probably be off doing guest spots on other shows, for the good of his career), T'Challa and his forces will find they have their hands full with the resistance they encounter on his behalf--including N'Jadaka's apparent commandant, Lord Karnaj, who backs up his bluster with powerful hand weapons that will at the very least blunt the Panther's offensive.

(Lord Karnaj's addition to Killmonger's ranks establishes a trinity of characters named in the fashion of the nobility, joining Baron Macabre and King Cadaver--which is either a remarkable coincidence, or a preference of Killmonger for assigning such titles to select members of his forces, though it's hard to imagine he'd be concerned with such trivial details.)

If we're to believe Karnaj, the Panther's raid has been anticipated, though just how far in advance remains unclear; it's unlikely that Karnaj kept a large contigent of armed men at the ready 24/7, though they could have been stationed in rotating shifts underground to be summoned on Karnaj's signal. Suffice to say that the forces of N'Jadaka are quick to respond to the threat--which includes Baron Macabre, whom the Panther has learned to deal with before his deadly wrist lasers can do more than wound.

It's anyone's guess how W'Kabi remains alive while he's turned his gaze to T'Challa's skirmish with Macabre, considering that Lord Karnaj has him squarely in his sights.  Regardless, the Panther's actions have gone a long way toward healing the rift between himself and W'Kabi, to the point where the latter once more regards his chieftain as he did when T'Challa first assumed the mantle of the Black Panther. It's a nice touch to the scene that McGregor adds through narrative; and with so many wounds being incurred this day, it's satisfying to see that some wounds are being healed, as well.

Not far behind Baron Macabre is the formidable Malice, who enters the fray with a vengeance having barely escaped the Panther during their last encounter. Yet her appearance leads to a development that will have a jarring effect on Taku, T'Challa's communications officer, whose duties often necessitate that he remain apart from the direct engagements of a conflict but who will not escape unscathed this time from the consequences of war.

What happens next shouldn't--wouldn't--occur outside of any fictional venue where an unarmed witness to the death of an innocent engages in retribution against the armed perpetrator. Nevertheless, the drama of the scene suits both the story and Taku, who as a result goes through a jolting change in temperament which doesn't escape the notice of W'Kabi, the warrior who often took exception to his reticence--and calling "foul" on the implausible mechanics of the scene feels almost like sacrilege. And so we go along with it, ignoring both the power of Karnaj's weapon as well as his true aim--while not ignoring the snuffed-out life which sends Taku charging his way.

Whether this operation turns the tide in the Panther's struggle against Killmonger remains to be seen, though hopefully that will become apparent once we discover what the man has been up to all this time. We also have to assume that T'Challa issued orders to make sure Killmonger's lieutenants are rounded up this time, and not allowed to escape as Macabre and Cadaver managed to do previously. If this is shaping up to be a long conflict (that is, even longer than it's already taken), the Panther is going to need the advantage of having Killmonger's powerful subordinates safely under lock and key.

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BONUS!

If W'Kabi and T'Challa are bros again, that must mean that the real murderer of Zatama has been discovered, and that Monica Lynne is off the hook as the prime suspect! Have you guessed the perp's identity? Let's join the Panther as he stalks his own suspect, as only he can.

Moral: Vet your handmaiden applicants thoroughly.

COMING UP:

Sombre... and the Altar of Resurrection!

Jungle Action #11 Script: Don McGregor Pencils: Billy Graham Inks: Klaus Janson Letterer: Artie Simek