Bast & The Orisha Gate Unveiled – Black Panther #6 Review

Writer: Ta-Nahisi Coates // Artist: Jen Bartel // Marvel “Trust not in mortal men . . . glory only in the Orisha.” Six issues into the saga of the “Intergalactic Wakandan Empire,” BP scribe Ta-Nahisi Coates reveals the origins of Emperor N’Jadaka’s power and ascent to the throne. After five issues of focusing on T’Challa and the Maroons, the series turns its gaze to the dark side, and believe or not, the Klyntar (symbiotes, folks!) and the Orishas themselves play an unexpected role.

Pan-African spirituality, mythology, science fiction, and the Marvel Universe collide in the most beautiful and tragic ways in these glossy pages. Emperor N’Jadaka (that’s Killmonger for your new jacks) travels to the Orisha Gate, the portal to the realm of the Wakandan deities.  He seeks an audience with Bast, panther goddess and spiritual center to the Wakandan Empire, because he fears that T’Challa will usurp his rule and become the true avatar of the deity. “Conquest was the only defense.” Bast herself recounts the rise of young N’Jadaka, an idealistic mercenary with hopes of protecting the empire through expansion and preventative aggression.  His ambitions are almost thwarted by a jealous king who realizes that N’Jadaka’s name is chanted and praised more than his own.  When the king turns on him, N’Jadaka and his followers are driven to find allies in a species almost driven to extinction  – the Klyntar.  The symbiote species (the Venom, Carnage, Scream, et al. family tree) binds with N’Jad…