Fresh off his critically acclaimed run on Future State: The Next Batman, Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) is bringing his talents to Marvel Comics in order to provide a new spin on their premier African superhero King T’Challa, the Black Panther. Along with Juann Cabal (Guardians of the Galaxy), Ridley's new series will follow the King of Wakanda as he receives an emergency beacon from one of his undercover agents in danger, with Ridley calling it “a hybrid espionage-superhero thriller, but at its core, it’s a love story.” Ridley had originally premiered at Marvel earlier this year with contributions to Wolverine: Black, White & Blood.
The character of Black Panther has seen a resurgence in recent years, in part thanks to the iconic portrayal of the character by the late Chadwick Boseman in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since 2016, the title has been helmed by award-winning writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, who will be moving on from both his runs on Black Panther and Captain America. It is only fitting that one great African-American writer should follow another on such a storied title.
In an interview with The New York Times, Ridley said that the piece will focus on the fearless King T’Challa’s relationships with his agents and subjects, saying he often reminisced on his old friends “and the ways that we ran together and how our lives changed over time” in finding the inspiration for this work. He continued to say that the protests of 2020 following the death of George Floyd also influenced the book's tone. “…It was really important to me after the year we had where we can have these conversations with Black people and we can use words like love and caring and hope and regret and all these really fundamental emotions that everybody has,” he said. Take a look at the first issue's full cover art from Alex Ross below.
According to the cover art, the series teases guest appearances from all manner of Mavel’s stable of superheroes, including T’Challa’s wife, the X-Man Storm, members of the Avengers including Captain America and Thor and also perhaps feature a trip out to space for the technologically adept king.
Ridley said he was thrilled to take on writing duties for such a landmark character, being the first Black mainstream superhero having debuted in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four #52 in 1966 when his kingdom comes under attack from the vicious sonics-wielding villain Klaw. “...Being a young Black kid growing up, every time you saw a hero that looked like you, even if their background didn’t reflect my lived experience, it was just something that made you feel closer to the wish fulfillment that is intrinsic in graphic novel writing,” he said.
With powerful creative forces behind it, how far can T’Challa go? Black Panther #1 will go on sale in August wherever comic books are sold.
Source: The New York Times