Issue(s): Avengers #62
Published Date: Mar 69
Title: "The monarch and the Man-Ape!"
Credits:
Roy Thomas - Writer
John Buscema - Penciler
George Klein - Inker

Review/plot:
The Avengers have basically been abandoned by Dr. Strange after last issue's battle.

They are in Wakanda, but the area is still frozen after Ymir's attack. The Black Panther summons a remote control aircraft and takes his team mates (and the Black Knight, who i have to keep reminding myself is not officially an Avenger) to his high tech kingdom. Unfortunately, the kingdom has been taken over by the anti-modern forces lead by M'Baku, the Man-Ape, who dresses in the forbidden costume of the white gorilla. The Avenges (even the Vision!) are drugged and held prisoner. The Black Panther fights the Man-Ape but loses, surviving only because M'Baku subsequently crushes himself under a statue. Not while they were fighting, mind you . After the Panther was defeated and tied up, the Man-Ape tried to kill the Panther by knocking over a statue, but it landed on himself instead.

I've always been a little uncomfortable with the Man-Ape. Every time i see his costume, i think 'ugh, that's racist', but i can't say exactly why. I mean, there's nothing inherently wrong in dressing a black man in an albino gorilla suit, is there?

I'm also weirded out by the high-tech Wakandans running with sophisticated weapons but wearing loin cloths. I guess it's pretty hot in Africa and no amount of high-tech air conditioning is going to change that.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 5 - first Man-Ape

Chronological Placement Considerations: The Avengers are still in Wakanda after Dr. Strange teleported them there to watch Ymir and Surtur beat each other to death last issue, so there should be no other appearances for these characters in between these issues.

References:

• Hawkeye wonders where the Black Widow is and a footnote tells us she's in Captain Marvel #12.

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: Marvel Super Action #23

If it's so hot in Wakandia, why does the Panther dress in a suit that covers his entire body and face?

The usual explanation is that it's his ceremonial garb.