BLACK PANTHER: WORLD OF WAKANDA

Marvel’s hiring of acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates to write their latest Black Panther title has paid off in style, resulting in a successful relaunch that’s big enough to warrant a spin-off. World Of Wakanda is planned as a monthly exploration of Black Panther’s extensive mythology, and a rotating team of writers and artists will be using each story arc to highlight a different aspect of life in the fictional African nation.

First up is feminist writer Roxane Gay with a story of the Dora Milaje, female warriors and bodyguards to Wakandan king T’Challa, who have to evolve into different roles when disaster strikes their country. It’s also a love story between two Dora Milaje members, but while these first four issues have a compelling tone and a diverse approach, Gay hasn’t made the leap to comics as smoothly as Coates did.

Some of the storytelling feels clunky, while the heavy dependence on recent Avengers continuity is likely to leave new readers bewildered. Uninspired art from Alitha Martinez doesn’t help. Marvel’s push for diversity is to be applauded – mainstream superhero comic protagonists aren’t often black, female and gay – but sadly, this first World Of Wakanda arc is a long way from living up to its potential. Saxon Bullock