Catch up on the best of “Black Panther” comics

If you’ve got Black Panther fever and can’t wait for the movie to premiere Feb. 16, here’s a (graphic) novel idea: Catch up on the best of Black Panther comics.

First, this is a must: Read the introduction of the Panther in “Fantastic Four” No. 52-53 (1966), however or wherever you can find those issues. Fortunately, they’re available in a lot of “Fantastic Four” and “Black Panther” collections at comic shops, bookstores and online.

Admittedly, those 52year-old comics haven’t aged flawlessly. Some of the African representations are kinda icky, and at one point the Panther says of battling the Invisible Girl, “I do not consider females to be fair game!”

Still, two of the most legendary names in comics, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, decided that what the world needed in 1966 — 1966! — was an African superhero. And not just a superhero, but a king. And not just a king, but a king of an African nation that — unlike every other depiction of African nations at the time — was the richest, most civilized, most technologically advanced nation on Earth.

The audacity was stunning. As was the imagination poured into the concept. Lee invented Wakandan history, giving us the vibranium mound that kick-started Wakanda’s tech and wealth, all explained with proud, slightly exotic Wakandan dialogue. Kirby invented the look of Wakanda, mixing traditional African (mostly Zulu) iconography with elaborate, eyepopping sci-fi contraptions.

It’s fascinating, at every level, that the Black Panther came to be at that time, in such a way, at the hands of two middle-aged Jewish men from the Lower East Side of New York City.

For some time after that, though, the Black Panther wandered the wilderness. T’challa served an unremarkable stretch with the Avengers, and substituted for Daredevil in the Man Without Fear’s title. Neither of those roles really did much for the Panther, a character for whom “superhero” is a hobby.

But then came “Jungle Action” in 1972. OK, that’s a terrible name for anything, even a 1970s comic book. But it was “Jungle Action” that gave T’challa his first solo series — one that brought the character back to his roots. Heck, this series almost invented those roots.

In the 19-part “Panther’s Rage,” by writer Don Mcgregor and a variety of superstar artists, King T’challa faced an existential rebellion from a tribal leader named Erik Killmonger. The threat from within Wakanda’s borders gave us tons of info about this mysterious nation, expanding background and history and social norms in every direction, as well as building a rip-snorting saga described (some would say over-described) by the voluble Mcgregor’s purplest prose.

Bonus: Erik Killmonger is a major player in the movie, played by the magnetic Michael B. Jordan — so, yeah, “Panther’s Rage” is another must-read.

Christopher Priest took on the Panther in 1986, emphasizing his royal station, his diplomatic responsibilities, his outsized privileges and his contrast with (and distance from) American superheroes. T’challa had never seemed so formidable, so serious, so ... well, kingly. And to give us the proper distance to appreciate the Panther’s majesty, Priest used as his POV character a nebbish-y white State Department bureaucrat named Everett K. Ross (played with nebbish-y perfection by Martin Freeman in Marvel movies).

“He had the classic run on Black Panther, period, and that’s gonna be true for a long time,” said journalist and author Ta-nehisi Coates in a recent — and excellent — Vulture.com profile on Priest. “People had not put much thought into who and what Black Panther was before Christopher started writing the book. (Priest) thought that Black Panther was a king.”

Which brings us at last to perhaps the greatest Panther run of all. Despite what Ta-nehisi Coates said above, the newest “Black Panther” series is the best to date — and it’s written by some guy named Ta-nehisi Coates.

The celebrated non-fiction writer has taken a deep dive into Wakanda in his first comic series, developing its language, customs, internal tensions, mythology, diplomatic relations, religion and various geographic locations. He’s even explored the gods of Wakanda, the Oshira, which includes the Panther’s totem, Bast the Cat-god. He has also extended and expanded on T’challa’s friends, foes and family, adding dimensions to Royal Mother Ramonda, rebel leader Zenzi, the Orisha (the Wakandan gods) and even a host of resurrected Priest and Mcgregor characters.

So, here’s your Black Panther reading list: Leekirby, “Panther’s Rage,” Christopher Priest, Tanehisi Coates, “World of Wakanda.” Afterward, if you want to say “N’cos” (“thank you”), well ... you’re certainly welcome.