Wakandans are assholes

[skemono]

As requested in my previous post, here's the scene from Hudlin's run on Black Panther where he reveals that Wakanda has the cure for cancer (nevermind how little sense that makes) but refuses to share it.

We start off with a flashback of the previous Black Panther, T'Chaka, attending a Bilderberg Conference.




Ah, yes, those evil Westerners, so obsessed with profit that they would rather keep people sick and buying medicine than cure them. That's why we focused on keeping polio sufferers in iron lungs rather than virtually wiping out the disease via vaccines, amiright?

Also, given that this is the only scene of the conference itself, we have to just take T'Chaka's word for it that "every conversation here is framed in terms of profit and power". And I'm not that inclined to believe him, given how he clearly just arrived, and the man who spoke to him was pleading that he would pay any price, instead of trying to bargain the best deal for himself. Really, T'Chaka's the only one who looks to be concerned with power, considering his blatant invocation of his title to smack down the little person.

Now, here T'Chaka hints that Wakanda has the cure to some diseases, but doesn't specify which. That comes later in the issue, right after T'Challa has taken the title of Black Panther from his uncle and become king. What's the first thing on the mind of the ruler of this nation of such mature, spiritual people?

Vengeance!



Note too the old Wakandan muttering about how the west would somehow turn the cure for cancer into a weapon. This is pretty hilarious considering that the very first thing we learn about Wakanda in this run is that they've constantly been applying their technological advancement to weapons and making sure they have a bigger, better military than anyone else. Seriously, the first six pages of issue one take place in 5th-century Wakanda, showing that they had developed ways to kill people that the "barbarians" in England wouldn't devise for another five centuries.


2 2/3 pages from Black Panther 3.

Comments

[neurotic_kitten]

I know they have to come up with excuses for the trope "Red Richards is useless", but they had to come up with one that makes the supposedly good guys look like complete asshats?

[skemono]

"Make the supposedly good guys look like complete asshats" may have been Hudlin's pitch for the series.

[darkknightjrk]

*shudder* ...Why did I click this? I should know rereading these will only raise my blood pressure...

Seriously, who's bright idea was it to have Hudlin write comics? Possibly the most awful take on Panther I've ever read.

From what I remember, he also somehow found a way to do a story with Panther, Luke Cage, Monica Rambaeu and Blade fighting vampires in New Orleans and make it boring as hell.

I'm pretty sure he was also the guy who wrote an early issue of The Other which involved Peter bringing Aunt May and Mary Jane clad in Iron Man armor to Latvaria to confront Doctor Doom. That was the issue that made me drop Spider-Man completely until Brand New Day, where I promptly dropped it again.

[skemono]

I'm pretty sure he was also the guy who wrote an early issue of The Other which involved Peter bringing Aunt May and Mary Jane clad in Iron Man armor to Latvaria to confront Doctor Doom.

Looks like it. Marvel Knights Spider-Man #20.

[freezer]

I'd heard about this scene, but had never seen it before. That is Doom-level jerk-assery right there.

It's never pretty when someone decides to turn a narrative into their own power-tripping fantasy, is it?

[skemono]

I dunno... Doom is pragmatic and has so many machinations that I can imagine he would at least be willing to give up the cure to cancer in return for something. A world-wide holiday, "Doom is Smarter than Richards Day"?

[silverhammerman]

I've wanted to get a look at these pages for a long time, fabled so they are, and I am not disappointed. Hudlin's run really was awful.
T'Chaka comes off as a total dick here, which is weird given that I would have expected him to be portrayed as a bastion of morality cast against a bunch of cartoonishly evil politicians, instead he's just an asshat who refuses to engage with the outside world and seems to have mostly shown up some that he could condescend to everyone there, and while "stick it to the white man" could be an utterly amazing motivation if played for laughs, here it just makes T'Chaka seem petty.
An urgh. The whole cancer thing? Just as awful as ever.
The only good thing I can say about these pages is that I actually like JRjr's art here, whereas usually I dislike it.

[skemono]

I would have expected him to be portrayed as a bastion of morality cast against a bunch of cartoonishly evil politician

That seems to be what Hudlin was going for, but... he just failed at it so badly.

The only good thing I can say about these pages is that I actually like JRjr's art here, whereas usually I dislike it.

Yeah, I think the emotive faces are pretty good.

[cyberghostface]

Not to mention Norman Osborn found the cure for cancer and used it for his own ends while withholding it and that was seen as a villainous act and yet here? It's seen as what? Anything less than morally reprehensible?

[skemono]

Wait, Osborn did what now?

[nyadnar17]

Such utter garbage. And to have this trash follow Priest's epic run is just so disappointing. I...I have no words

[espanolbot]

Don't forget BP's reaction to landing in Latveria for the first time, and this is before Hudlin!Doombot start laying on the racism,


Start a diplomatic mission off by flat out insulting the locals, good move.

[md84]

I had the bad luck of having Hudlin's run be the first time I ever read Black Panther comics. Not really a great first impression.

When reading this, I think of the Sonic comics

[silverzeo]

Yeah, I went there....

You know what Sally thought about royalty and titles when Robotnik took over? They mean diddly-squat. She focused more on stopping Robotnik, restoring the planet, and then maybe restore her family's monarchy... but T'Chaka there gets insulted when a US politician calls him by his first name on UN natural ground after he say "no" to share the secret of the cure for cancer.... doesn't occur to him he could just give the cure for free and bankrupt that monopoly he was talking about... and just walks out...

And in the comics; the Echidnas were actually developing faster than the other species on Mobius (when everyone was in cave-man stage, they were already playing with Genesis games). But they went into seclusion because the whole complexity of their lives: Like how one their top scientist turned into a god-like entity after absorbing a Chaos Emerald which lead to a civil war on the limitations of technology, a nuclear fall out which lead the city on the island to be sent to another plane of existance, and a bucnh of other stuff I can't recall... but you know what they didn't do... look down their nose to everyone else... except for Dingoes... and maybe the Overlanders, they were like the "evils of man" characters in the franchise.... but the thing is: the Echindas were the ones who kept Sally's mother and older brother alive because they had a secret alliance with Sally's father, and they only didn't tell anyone because Robotnik was still in power and they thought the rest of the Royals were dead.

What I am trying to say is that: I know the American government is not perfect, and they have done horrible things willing because of race... but here: Wakanda is being snobbish... pretty not looking to help people who are suffering because they can't see past the "big bad government". Are you telling me this nation acts like the "Holier than thou" to everyone else in the Marvel Universe... because they are? The polar opposite of Latveria? The only country without any sin? No civil wars, no corrupt kings of the past?

Re: When reading this, I think of the Sonic comics

[skemono]

a US politician calls him by his first name on UN natural ground

Actually, we don't know exactly who that guy is--he could be a politician--but they're not at the UN, and this isn't a political meeting. It's a Bilderberg meeting.

[auggie18]

Um, why did he bother showing up to that meeting if he was only going to immediately shoot them down? I mean, if they were shown trying low-ball him first, I'd get it, but instead we get:


Middle-Aged White Guy: Please, we'll pay anything for some of your medical miracles/magic super-metal! Name your price!

T'Chaka: God, that is so greedy and irresponsible of you. Until you get more responsible and start caring for others, you'll just have to keep dying from cancer and all the other diseases we have cures for.

MAWG: But...but...

T'Chaka: BUT NOTHING! I'm leaving to go back to my paradise country so I can ignore the suffering of neighboring nations from my high horse. Later, douchebags!


Why are we supposed to be on this dude's side?

[skemono]

Um, why did he bother showing up to that meeting if he was only going to immediately shoot them down?

I don't know. Presumably just so the assassin who's narrating the scene could kill him there.

[thosefew]

Don't forget the Hudlin run was also made into an animated miniseries.

[skemono]

Yeah; this story arc, specifically. So we can have Wakandans refuse to cure cancer on TV, too!

[theflames]

HAHAHAHAH.

I am SO, surprised to see what I see everyday on tumblr, being used in a comic?

Playing off on white guilt and thinking it's correct because they're white? I dare say this is kind of racist.

But the writer, like myself, is black, so this can't be true. Ignoring the fact that Wakanda refuses to help any of Africa, probably for the same reason it won't help the rest of the world, it just goes to show how wrong they are.

They are people, who've probably never suffered directly at the hands of the white man, and only using what they see and hear, not what they experience, condemn them as evil, without trying to help?!

They're an super-intelligent North Korea. Meh.

This is the writer that also did the Storm marries Black Panther thing right...? Cause they were both black right...?

[skemono]

They are people, who've probably never suffered directly at the hands of the white man

Yeah, the comic explicitly states--multiple times--that Wakanda has never been conquered or colonized, ever.

[mrstatham]

Is it just me or is there a really severe lack of logic behind stating that the white-led countries at that Bilderberg country want a crack at Wakanda's resources and goods - specifying Vibranium, petroleum, and so on, and then going on to say that the West's technological advancement needs to let their spiritual advancement catch up, and THEN going on to say that the West need to make these breakthroughs THEMSELVES? That feels like three different points entirely masquerading as one.

And how irresponsible does T'Chaka come across in coming in to lecture them about their immaturity when basically that's his only point in being there? Or holding back his resources? Maybe Alexander Fleming should've refused to allow Penicillin to become the resource that it is? Or antibiotics? What a selfish fuck. And that has nothing to do with T'Chaka's race. He's just a selfish bastard.

[espanolbot]

As people have said, when the likes of Dr Doom look comparitively better than your hero, meaning you have to rewrite said villain to be both a massive sexist and racist to balance it out, then you kind of doing something wrong.

[red_menace]

Give Hudlin some credit, folks. It takes real talent to fail this hard.

[icon_uk]

Oooh, Hexadecimal icon, always nice to see some ReBoot love! :)

Huh, I'm two minds about this

[jazzypom]

On one hand, Wakanda has seen the excesses of how Europe raped and decimated the majority of the continent in the 19th century. In most of the narratives about Wakanda, it only survived (and thrived) by keeping the Westerners from its borders with a very long arm, which allowed a culture to develop that was distinctly and wholly theirs.

In addition, if you realise that the background of their neighbours (I must admit, in my mind's eye, the country seems like a fictional Lesotho - a small country within a larger one, within a continent. Just more developed. Read: South Africa) they would have had colonisation, apartheid and various other social misfortunes on its doorstep. They wouldn't be as well off if they opened their borders.

On the other hand, if Wakanda already made squigglions from its minerals (it trades vibrarium with the West, right), I don't see why it couldn't do so with its cancer technology as well. They could spin it with the narrative of how their country is little but punches above its weight. However with it being a small, introspective country, I can see why they'd keep it under their hats.

I do think Hudlin is a terrible writer, and T'Challa can be a bit of a dick here, but I'm sympathetic towards the narrative that's the backdrop of Wakanda being Wakanda.

[yvonmukluk]

Wait, T'Challa had the cure for cancer, but when the original Captain Marvel, a hero and fellow Avenger, was DYING OF CANCER, he didn't mention it all.

Congratulations Hudlin, you've made Black Panther into someone who lets a friend of his die because he's white-and he wasn't even from Earth, so its not like his forefathers were oppressing T'Challa's-oh wait, neither were anyone else's.

[icon_uk]

Not really, T;Challa has the same out on that one as every other Marvel hero who tried to cure Mar-vell.

Mar-Vell's cancer proved impossible to treat by ANY Earth means because he was Kree, rather than human, and because the nega-bands he wore resisted any attempt at treating it.

[terrykun]

This is so painful that I almost expect to find a comment that Wakandans also never miss a shot from the 3-point line. Because they are SUPER AFRICANS! Who have never been enslaved! Have we mentioned today how they have NEVER BEEN CONQUERED BY THE WHITE MAN?

I think the only intentionally negative thing that has ever been allowed to be portrayed about them, totally separate from just the bad writing here, is how they treat Nezhno ( and presumably anyone else of mixed background) like complete dirt. (His father is Russian.)

[blunderbuss]

I know this is comic books and all but considering I have a close family member with cancer this makes WANT TO STAB ALL THE THINGS.

REALLY, dude? REALLY? You're talking down to a group of leaders by calling them a bunch of teenagers, whilst you're jerking their chain just so you can rub in their faces that YOUR peen is bigger than theirs. Except said chain is THE CURE FOR CANCER. And they're the immature ones?

[jlbarnett]

this run also really seemed to screw up with Vibranium. It's one thing to be rare on Earth, but the Skrull had no real counter to it either.

I think Vibranium isn't even a real thing in the MU. When the Eternals were leaving Earth some one with matter transmuting ability was playing around and that's where Vibranium came from.

[blackruzsa]

Holy crap, I see everything wrong here.
Racism! Reverse racism! Insulting the UN! Making no one likable! "Third world countries aren't usually invited to the real meetings like this!" Dudes, may I remind you that AMERICA IS A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY.

Who wrote this? I'm not asking for his name, I'm asking what kind of person would write this, or what writing it is he was going for that made all this sound so.... wrong? And if he's still actually still writing comics, and if he's ever written anything good (because I'm scrolling down on the comments and seeing that, well, there are a lot of complaints.

[salinea]

Dudes, may I remind you that AMERICA IS A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY.
what?

Do you mean like, the US is a third world country if you judge by stuff like infant mortality rate or something?

[benuben]

I just love the old guy :

"How could you even consider giving a scrap from our table to these barbarians, even for something as important as revenge?"

It's like Hudlin is making fun of this himself.

[mrstatham]

CIGARETTES BAD!! STUPID WESTERNERS WITH THEIR RIDICULOUS VICES!! WAKANDA IS PERFECT AND BLAND IN EVERY WAY!!

Yeah, never mind the fact that Egypt and large portions of South Africa USE FUCKING HOOKAH/SHISHA PIPES. Which have largely the same health effects from continued use as, our survey says? FUCKING CIGARETTES.

[skemono]

Not to mention that vibranium itself apparently is a powerful mutagen (according to the wikis I've looked at), and yet they have no qualms with exploiting the heck out of it.

[fungo_squiggly]

Now someone has to post the scene where the X-men were contemplating what an enormous asshole Dr. Doom was for not sharing his technology for healing people's burns with the world.

I remember that Doop (before he was banned, obviously) posted it with the title, "Dr. Doom is almost as evil as Wakanda!"

[skemono]

Ah, yes. Fantastic Four vs. X-Men, yes?

[mortimerwclankitybritches]

I remember reading this crap a few years back, and I cannot believe marvel ever let this clown work for them. Its bad enough having a self righteous racist write what is little more than a wank/power fantasy, but the fact that Hudlin's writing is so painfully crap makes it all the more failsome.

What I do find amusing however is just how fecking unsubtle and blatant Hudlin's screaming his rather inane brand of bigotry through the characters mouths was in his run. I just hope marvel has the good sense to continue burying everything about this chapter of BP's history

[espanolbot]

I've just confirmed that a storyline that Hudlin wrote, called 'Black to the Future' of all things, where Wakanda in the future kicks America's ass to the point where they have to elect Luke Cage president in order to placate Black Panther (who then arranges for Luke's daughter to marry his son, thus uniting their "two kingdoms" and putting BP in charge of the US as well) actually exists.

I'm now feeling kind of delirious.

[an_idol_mind]

I'm kind of afraid to ask, but is all of Hudlin's stuff this staggeringly racist?

[espanolbot]

Oh yes. To the point where he rewrote a meeting between his Black Panther's dad and Captain America, where originally Cap ended up in Wakanda while pursuing a Nazi (who was interested in the vibranium or something) who was then jumped by Black Panther senior who saw Steve as a foreign invader.

They wrestled for a bit, before it ended with a stalemate, a mutual respect between the two and they team up to fight the bad guy.

Hudlin rewrote it to Cap being condescending (and implictly racist) towards BP Snr., who then flat out beat the crap out of him to show he was superior, and to teach Steve a lesson of who was the head of state around here.