Action and acumen
Marvel’s latest offering breaks with formula and the result isn’t just beautiful, it has brains to spare
Black Panther
(out of 4) Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman. Written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Opens Friday at GTA theatres. 134 minutes. PG Of all the wondrous places the Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken moviegoers, it turns out the most fascinating one is on planet Earth. It’s called Wakanda, in Africa, as seen in Black
Panther, the best superhero movie in recent memory. Wakanda is fictional, vibrantly brought to the big screen by writer/director Ryan Coogler ( Creed,
Fruitvale Station) and his co-writer Joe Robert Cole, drawing on decades of Marvel Comics mythos. But don’t let that stop you from recognizing how authentic the place seems, and how steeped in real-world issues its inhabitants are.
This new Marvel franchise, the first with a predominantly Black cast, succeeds not only for the quality of its design and diversity of its casting but also for its strength of purpose.
Black Panther isn’t yet another blockbuster where mutant heroes fight a supernatural villain bent on blowing up the world and/or the galaxy for kicks. The main argument here concerns ideology: how people define duty and responsibility both within and without national borders.
As Black Panther gets set to rule the box office, the appetite for more about the character can easily be satiated by going to your local or digital comics shop. (After all, a film sequel, however likely one seems, will take some time.)
Here are some of the essential comics for those looking for more of the King of Wakanda and his coterie of characters.
Black Panther (1998) written by Christopher Priest This almost 60-issue run is considered the essential series about T’Challa, and was the first time a black creator got to write the character.
This is the series — remembered for its sneaky and complex tales — where the character gets his due as Marvel’s version of Batman. Officially known as Black Panther Vol. 3.
Priest introduced several wellknown aspects of the characters and Wakanda — like the all-female royal bodyguard crew known as the Dora Milaje, as well as Everett Ross, a white fish-out-of-water inspired by Matthew Perry’s character in Friends — that now appear, in adapted form, on the big screen.
Who is the Black Panther (2006), written by Reginald Hudlin This six-issue series drawn by comics legend John Romita Jr. is a great, concise story that serves as a origin story setting up the character, the legacy of the Black Panther and the mythos of Wakanda.
Black Panther (2016), written by Ta-Nehisi Coates He’s regarded as one of the sharpest writers on race right now, and two years ago, Coates got his hands on the character and has delivered a critically acclaimed run titled “A Na- tion Under Our Feet,” which expands more on the character and Wakanda with great art by Brian Stelfreze.
Coates also worked on a few limited series that expanded the character’s world, like Black Panther and The Crew — a fun, team-oriented six-issue run that also featured Luke Cage, Misty Knight and Storm. As well, Coates teamed with writer Roxanne Gay on the World of Wakanda miniseries in 2016, which is also worthwhile.
New Avengers Vol. 3 Writer Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers run is the one to look at if you want to try and read up on po- tential Avengers: Infinity War spoilers. This focuses on T’Challa and the Avengers and an Infinity Stone and may likely supply an Easter egg or two for the upcoming film. (Or maybe not, but these are still pretty fun.)
Rise of the Black Panther Written by Evan Narcisse (comics journalist for the blog io9.com) with an assist from Coates, this is a currently ongoing miniseries that is a third of the way into its six-issue run.
Described as Black Panther “Year One” (that’s an expression in comics fandom, suggesting a tale from the character’s earliest days) this is a look at T’Challa as a new king and hero.