One cool cat
Check out Nathan Poppe’s review of “Black Panther” along with Matt Price’s column about the new Marvel Studios film hitting theaters this weekend.
The highly anticipated “Black Panther” film from Marvel hits theaters this weekend, with Chadwick Boseman in the title role.
The Black Panther debuted in what was one of the great comic book runs of all-time, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s “Fantastic Four,” in issues #52 and #53 in 1966.
Movie ticketing site Fandango reported that presales for Marvel’s “Black Panther” are outpacing presales for all other first quarter movie releases the company’s 18-year history.
“It’s not just a superhero movie, it’s a groundbreaking cultural event,” Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis said in a news release.
The Black Panther is T’Challa, the king of the technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda. He wears the costume of the Black Panther as the head of the Panther Clan in his land.
The following are some of Black Panther’s publication highlights:
‘Panther’s Rage’
“Jungle Action” became the first regular solo title to feature the Black Panther as the lead.
Don McGregor’s “Panther’s Rage” would expand the character an early multi-issue arc for comics, in 13 issues of “Jungle Action.”
The second arc, which ran in “Jungle Action” Nos. 19-22 and No. 24, was called “Panther vs. The Klan.”
Black Panther’s first appearances in “Fantastic Four” and “Jungle Action” #6-24 were collected in 2016 in the Marvel Epic Collection “Black Panther: Panther’s Rage.”
Kirby’s return
Kirby returned to write and draw the character in a 1977 “Black Panther” series. This “Black Panther” wasn’t about social relevance, it was about fast-paced action, with the Panther initially teaming up with a little person named Mr. Little who seeks strange artifacts.
Panther in the ‘90s
Christopher Priest had been the first African-American editor at Marvel Comics. He was the choice of “Marvel Knights” editors Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti to revamp “Black Panther” in 1998. His “Black Panther” ran from 1998 through 2003, with all but two issues written by Priest.
Everett K. Ross is a government attache assigned to be the Black Panther’s handler while he’s in the U.S. What’s intended to be a four-day mission ends up keeping Ross at the Black Panther’s side for the majority of Priest’s run. Priest’s “Black Panther” is a smart, political thriller that is one of the underrated gems of Marvel Comics.
Current series
In 2016, Black Panther headlined a best-selling ongoing series launched by a black writer and artist — MacArthur Genius and National Book Award winner Ta-Nehisi Coates and artist Brian Stelfreeze. Their first story, “A Nation Under Our Feet,” was nominated for a Hugo award for Best Graphic Story.
In April, a Black Panther storyline launches called “The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda,” involving Wakandan subjects who have colonized alien planets in the name of the Black Panther.
“This is not even just about T’Challa being in space or the idea of Wakanda in space. There have been core questions about kings, responsibly and morality that have extended throughout the book,” Coates told The Washington Post.