Chris Cooper reviews the first issue of Black Dynamite, from IDW….
“The baddest kung-fu cat to ever appear on screen is coming to comics so you suckers better duck! Former CIA agent, international ladies man, and sworn ass-kicking enemy of The Man? he’s Black Dynamite-and he’s about to walk into the most dangerous journey of his life!”
Supposedly he’s a powder keg of black fury that’s about to explode!
Judging by the awesome cover (and it’s variants), there’s a good chance he will!
I’ve not seen the original film which this series appears to follow on from, starring Michael Jai White (Gambol in The Dark Knight), so a quick wiki was in order to get me up to speed before diving into this spoof of Blaxploitation.
Not really knowing what to expect from the genre led to a few surprises in the language and general attitude of the characters, but unless you are a complete prude it would be hard to be insulted instead of entertained.
The overall style and presentation screams 70’s movies and matches the story perfectly. Kudos to Wimberley, Buscema and Ringuet for their work. The over saturated palette compliments the sharp lines and exaggerated features well.
As a lover of Nolan’s Batman trilogy and the themes of escalation within them, where Batman’s very presence appears to inspire a higher level of criminal; I was very intrigued to read this same idea being levied at Black Dynamite. He appears to have a rather different reaction to Bruce Wayne though.
Otherwise the plot is paper thin so #1 relies on the characters interactions to pull us through. The confidence/arrogance that Black Dynamite shows around women is hilarious in context. Why would he do the chasing when the girls come to him? When his situation changes women make it easy for him, reminding him that they don’t mind if he needs to find himself some other company if it helps.
The issue ends with things getting very interesting for Black Dynamite. This may not be the most in-depth or intellectual of stories, but there is potential for a fun ride.
Also, there are nunchucks. That is NEVER a bad thing.
Chris Cooper
Originally published January 15, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
