MARVEL COMICS’ BLACK PANTHER #1 HELMED BY TA-NEHISI COATES
New York Times Bestselling Author Takes on T’Challa, a.k.a. the Black Panther
Marvel is excited to announce that next spring, one of the most thought-provoking and perceptive writers today, Ta-Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me) along with legendary artist Brian Stelfreeze, will helm a new BLACK PANTHER series, adding an exciting, erudite new voice to the All-New, All –Different Marvel lineup.
The indomitable will of Wakanda -- the famed African nation known for its vast wealth, advanced technology and warrior traditions -- has long been reflected in the will of its monarchs, the Black Panthers. But now, the current Black Panther, T’Challa, finds that will tested by a superhuman terrorist group called The People that has sparked a violent uprising among the citizens of Wakanda. T’Challa knows the country must change to survive — the question is, will the Black Panther survive the change?
“Wakanda is really the light of the world, in the Marvel Universe. And yet it's a system of governance that has not advanced beyond the idea of blood-rule,” says Coates. “It's always seemed to me that T'Challa was aware of this discrepancy. Among the monarchs of Marvel --Namor and Doctor Doom for instance-- T'Challa has always been distinguished to me by his discomfort on the throne, and with the problems of one-man rule. I am very much looking forward to exploring that tension.”
That tension and conflict is what will fire BLACK PANTHER #1 into a no-holds-barred adventure that will demonstrate why Black Panther is one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe.
“Ta-Nehisi writes brilliantly about everything from race to politics to fatherhood to modern culture, but he’s also a longtime Marvel reader. And combining his writing skills with his passion for and understanding of Marvel’s characters, paired with the captivating and engaging artwork of modern master Brian Stelfreeze, has led to a truly amazing story that we can’t wait for the world to read,” says Wil Moss, editor of the new BLACK PANTHER series. “This story will have all the political intrigue of the best episodes of THE WEST WING and HOMELAND, but it’s also going to have the trademark Marvel action and energy that Stan Lee & Jack Kirby (Black Panther’s creators!) built into the foundation of the Marvel Universe. Look for some fun and unexpected Marvel villains to show up in this story, as well as an appearance or two by T’Challa’s new teammates, The Ultimates.”
Join us next year as Marvel continues to change the creative landscape of the comic book industry as Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze make history as the new creative team on Marvel Comics’ BLACK PANTHER.
BLACK PANTHER #1
Written by TA-NEHISI COATES
Artwork by BRIAN STELFREEZE
Cover by BRIAN STELFREEZE
On sale spring 2016
Replies
I'm looking forward to this, because I can expect that Ta-Nehsi Coates will look at the character the way Christopher Priest did -- that the Black Panther is a king, and not just another superhero.
The best thing about this announcement is that it does seem to indicate that some suer-hero titles are still being written as a serious drama - with all the 'quirky' 'hillarious' 'off the wall' advertised titles of the last few years - and the childish comedy angle of old-guard like Spider-Man or the time-displaced original X-Men - I was beginning to despair comics were becoming 'the funny papers' again!
ClarkKent_DC said:
Absolutely. T'Challa actually moves in a more dangerous world than that of the superhero, that of international politics. Supervillains tend to announce their goals and intentions -- and the fact that they are villains -- whereas bad actors on the international stage tend to be more circumspect. (Vladimir Putin notwithstanding.) The fact that T'Challa handles this world deftly indicates how smart and prepared he is (and must be).
Speaking of which, I love it when they play Panther as the Marvel U's Batman, as The Most Dangerous (or Most Prepared) Man in the World, about seven steps ahead of everybody with a contingency plan for everything. That's exciting stuff, although it does put a lot of pressure on the writer to wow us with lots of lead-up and a big finish. That's not as easy to write as "Spider-Man stops a bank robber," which pays the same, which is probably why so few writers do it.
I'm cautiously optimistic, as I was when Hudlin took over the title. That optimism was curshed pretty quickly.
Ta-Nehisi Coates Receives Genius Grant
My friendly neighborhood comics shop, Fantom Comics in Washington, DC, has held a book group discussion each month the day after each issue of Black Panther is released. Last month, when we were discussing issue #3, someone in the crowd sent a tweet to Ta-Nehisi Coates during the discussion and he responded! Moreover, he joined the discussion via Twitter for the rest of the session and invited us to ask questions!
So, the moderator asked: Can you come here and join us in person next time? His answer? I do get to DC a lot, so maybe around issue #7.
Surprisingly enough, he came last night for the discussion on issue #4! And The Atlantic videotaped it. It's available here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAtlantic/videos/10154449515058487/