Coates could be the most socially relevant and timely comic book writing recruit ever, and he brings a great deal to this tale of the African monarch-superhero's return to his tumultuous country to face intrigue, civil unrest, insurrection, and the heavy burden of the crown. Coates has created a seething sense of the fictional Wakanda's sociopolitics, traditions, and history and offers a cast of dignified, complex African characters, including Black Panther's sagacious stepmother and a pair of renegade female supersoldiers (who also happen to be lovers). Stelfreeze's sleek, expressive lines and Laura Martin's superb palette grandly portray the intensity of emotions and create a believable world off Marvel's beaten path. What's missing, unfortunately, is the dynamism so intrinsic to superheroes, lost in favor of dense dialogue and political philosophy. The Panther himself is somewhat obscured by this wordy backdrop, and Marvel did the complicated tale no favors by collecting only four issues here, leaving readers with what amounts to a prologue. Still, interest in this well-publicized series should be high.