This was a fun read. It reads like a fun crossover event like the good old days of Marvel Comics.

As always with Okorafor the character writing is strong and the arc actually ties into the wonderful Christopher priest run on Black Panther. In particular, this comic finishes Malice (Nakia) story arc.

In a desperate attempt to lure the Black Panther to her before she dies, Nakia tracked down a long forgotten Dora Milaje weapon called the Mimic-27 which can create power-duplicating doppelgangers. Nakia eventually decided to send Mimic-27 after T'Challa's ex-wife, Ororo Monroe aka Storm of the X-Men, but the weapon broke free of Nakia's control and attacked her, too. To stop it, the Dora Milaje need Nakia's help, but she refused to act until she could see her king again. This comic is basically about the Dora Milaje alongside of various X-Men and Avengers attempting to stop Malice (Nakia) from destroying Brooklyn with the Mimic-27. It is also about the redemption of Nakia.

It made me want to go back and read Christopher Priest's legendary run on Black Panther, which I think I'll do. ( )

The loosey-goosey plot of the main story is fun, and in the back-up stories I was very happy to see Priest tackle Black Panther again and was intrigued by the story set in a future world dominated by Wakanda. ( )

I'm not much of a Marvel fan; I read this because of the authors. And unfortunately, I just don't know enough about the world to be able to follow it. I'm sure that there are good reasons that each episode focused on a different part of the Marvel canon, with the Dora Milaje as the common thread, but it really jarred -- that to have a story about black women as both heroes and villains, it couldn't happen without other people. Particularly given that the first one is spider man, and I failed to read the title as cross over, but rather as "Wakanda Forever: Amazing Spider-man" -- lets talk about African women through the lens of a white man.

So basically -- I wasn't able to get enough into the story to enjoy it; I don't have the background to have easily got in to the story. ( )

The Dora Milaje are the all-female warrior elite of Wakanda who have been recruited from various tribes around Wakanda and whose original mission was to protect the King and then the Royal family. But that has changed since the King has changed the way things are ruled in Wakanda and there is now a governing council to help with the decision making. Therefore the Dora Milaje no longer just protect the King and the Royal family, they protect all of Wakanda. Before striking out for their independence from the throne, one of their leaders, Okoye was the personal bodyguard of King T'Challa along with another woman named Nakia. Nakia grew dangerously obsessed with T'Challa and began to fight with his friends and family forcing T'Challa to expel her. Bitter and with no one to turn to, Nakia began to collect weapons including a drug named Jufeiro that gives her power over men. She has been a thorn in the side of Wakanda ever since.

Nakia, or Malice, as she is now known by, lands in New York City and lets loose a purple chemical cloud in a schoolyard. Spider-Man shows up before the Dora Milaje does to help the children. This involves going underwater and dealing with Hydroman, whom Malice has set loose.

Meanwhile, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Rogue are shopping in Storm's favorite store so she can cook T'Challa his favorite meal. Malice remembers Storm talking about that store and goes there looking for Storm and trouble. She's hoping to catch Storm and hold her so that it will bring T'Challa. The mimic-27 drum which when struck causes an echo of yourself to appear is struck so all of them are stuck fighting their opposites. This indeed gets T'Challa's attention as well as the rest of the Avengers and some X-Men. But one of the Dora Milaje took her spear and struck the drum in the middle making it impossible to turn off.

This comic is exciting and very interesting in its use of a variety of characters from different branches of the Marvel Universe. Malice makes a good bad guy and the Dora Milaje are always worthy warriors. Also included are three mini-comics about a cop who knew Malice, a woman whom T'Challa Loved, and T'Challa as a grandfather telling stories to his granddaughter. All three are great, but they're much too short. They leave you wanting more. Overall this is an amazing book and I give it five out of five stars. ( )

Wakanda Forever collects Wakanda Forever: Spider-Man, Wakanda Forever: X-Men, and Wakanda Forever: Avengers written by Nnedi Okorafor with art by Alberto Alburquerque, Ray-Anthony Height, and Aleg Okunev, respectively, as well as Black Panther annual no. 1 written by Priest, Don McGregor, and Reginald Hudlin with art by Mike Perkins, Daniel Acuña, and Ken Lashley.

The story focuses on the Dora Milaje tracking a former member, Nakia, who became obsessed with King T’Challa and, through the use of Juffeiro, controls men’s minds. Nakia uses a Wakandan weapon named Mimic-27 to attack Brooklyn in order to get T’Challa’s attention before she dies as a result of the Juffeiro. When Okoye, Ayo, and Aneka of the Dora Milaje arrive to capture their former member, they receive assistance from Spider-Man, the X-Men Storm, Rogue, and Nightcrawler, and the Avengers Captain America and She-Hulk. Nnedi Okorafor effortlessly tells a fun adventure story that has a deeper heart of pain and loss, with the Dora Milaje and T’Challa examining their impact on peoples’ lives. The way she portrays Spider-Man and Nightcrawler interacting with the Dora both entertains the reader and offers opportunities for exploring some of the Dora’s background. The stories in Black Panther annual no. 1, while not direct continuations of Nnedi Okorafor’s work, do follow the same theme of responsibility to the world and loss.

Wakanda Forever is a must-read for all fans of Black Panther’s world, new and old, and the focus on the Dora Milaje with other characters in the Marvel Universe makes for great character studies as the story progresses. ( )