Black Panther is about to make a comeback in a big way: not only will the character stride into action in Captain America: Civil War, followed by his own solo movie, but he also returns to Marvel Comics this year in a new ongoing series.
Not only that, but the new Black Panther book's writer is Ta-Nehisi Coates, a national correspondent for The Atlantic and one of the nation's key voices on African-American social and cultural issues. At the helm of the comic book's art is Brian Stelfreeze, one of the original members of Atlanta's coalition of freelance comic book artists, Gaijin Studios.
Marvel recently released a preview of artwork, including cover art and interior pages, from the first issue of Black Panther and promises that this new ongoing series will bring a new era for Wakanda and its ruler, T'Challa.
"Can a good man be a king, and would an advanced society tolerate a monarch?" wrote Coates for The Atlantic. "Research is crucial in both cases. The Black Panther I offer pulls from the archives of Marvel and the character's own long history. But it also pulls from the very real history of society - from the precolonial era of Africa, the peasant rebellions that wracked Europe toward the end of the Middle Ages, the American Civil War, the Arab Spring, and the rise of ISIS."
In Black Panther, T'Challa, the current Black Panther, must face a superhuman terrorist group within the ranks of the people of Wakanda. T'Challa understands that change means survival of his people, but will he survive that change?
"For centuries, Wakanda has been sending would-be conquerors home in body bags," said Axel Alonso, Marvel Comics editor in chief, in an email press release. "Now, it is about to face its biggest threat - and it comes from within. "Under Ta-Nehisi's unflinching gaze, the Black Panther will grapple with a threat that can't simply be beaten into submission, one that raises questions about life, liberty and honor that are especially relevant today."
Black Panther, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first debuted in Marvel Comics in 1966.
Black Panther #1 hits comic book shelves on April 6.
Photos: Marvel Comics
