the cat's meow

Fantastic Four #546
Dwayne McDuffie/Paul Pelletier/Rick Magyar/Scott Hanna
Marvel

hands down ... the Black Panther is the best strategist this side of Batman!

Tony Stark may be the best inventor and futurist, but his ego could be his downfall. Reed Richards may have a better scientific mind than Tony, but he lacks Tony's charm and social skills (plus he's pussywhipped right now - see below). Hank Pym may have the drive and brains to rival those two but his morals are even shakier (showing you the Exhibits could take all day; just one word: Ultron). and these guys just put Captain America on the crosshairs of a sniper.


among the heroes who never bowed down to the Superhero Registration Act, King T'Challa seems best suited to lead the rebels. he has superhero cred, and he has street cred. he's royalty, he's insanely rich, and he's also a genius. he's sneakier than the best chess grandmaster. plus, he's bangin' a weather goddess. never has an African nation been so proud.

here in FF#546, up against Galactus and the Silver Surfer, what can a mere mortal do? why, run away of course. but only to grab a few things, like two brass amphibians that shift time and space. i betcha Stark didn't know he had that!


back in the fight, the Black Panther uses cosmic power-siphoning armor to get the Silver Surfer to his own level. i mean, that's fighting dirty. and T'Challa has no problem with that. i bet just like Batman, he has devices and contingency plans ready to take down every super-powered being in the known universe. or even the DC Universe.


the Black Panther levels out the playing field, and the FF save the day. like they always do. Reed would be proud to have brought the Panther in as a stand-in. outstanding writing from Mr. McDuffie. too bad Gravity didn't want to be the Protector of the Universe. i guess that venerable and powerful entity just couldn't be a kid from Wisconsin.


so for all you life noobs (e.g., fresh graduates) out there, make sure you're adequately armed to go into the battlefield that is the rat race. here are some words of wisdom from the wise king himself:

if that is so, who would be the mother? just asking, your highness.


jokes aside, o wise king - about Darfur ...