The best Black Panther comics to read if you're amped for the movie
Excited for Black Panther? So are we. Which is why we're rolling out obsessive coverage with Black Panther Week.
Long before becoming a title star in the Marvel cinematic universe, Black Panther developed a storied history in Marvel comics.
Ahead of the release of Black Panther on Feb. 16, we've compiled a list of Black Panther comics that deserve your attention and shed a little light into the history of the superhero from Wakanda.
Who Is The Black Panther?
This appropriately titled Black Panther series written by Reginald Hudlin gives a great overview of who, exactly, Black Panther is and the significance of Wakanda, a fictional African nation that has been untouched by the outside world for centuries. It kicks off with a brief history of the country, its impressive technological prowess, and uncanny ability to maintain its complete and total independence by killing anyone who tries to attack it.
Who Is The Black Panther sheds light into Black Panther and how Wakandans can earn the right to be Black Panther. The story arc starts with T'Challa taking up the mantle and having to deal with a new threat to Wakanda: Klaw.
A Nation Under Our Feet
A Nation Under Our Feet is a more recent take on Black Panther, giving T'Challa a different kind of threat to contend with: corruption, hatred, and war rising up from Wakanda itself.
Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, this arc delves into the inner politics of Wakanda and Black Panther's role within it. Although it focuses on Black Panther's struggles to keep his people united, A Nation Under Our Feet also sheds light on a handful of other characters around Black Panther, including his mother Ramonda and members of Dora Milaje — Wakanda's all-female special forces.
Black Panther, Vol. 3
Christopher Priest's run on Black Panther reimagined the character into the king that we know today, introduced a handful of new key characters to Black Panther, and put Black Panther on the map in the late-'90s and early-'00s. With his multi-year run on Black Panther, Priest established Black Panther as a cool, ass-kicking hero and brought respect and gravitas to the character who had been lost in the shuffle since his debut in 1966.
A part of Priest's run serves as the groundwork for the Black Panther movie, specifically T'Challa's struggle against Kilmonger and his duty to keep Wakanda safe.
Rise of the Black Panther
The Rise of the Black Panther series is the latest take on Black Panther from writer Evan Narcisse. The series just kicked off it's monthly, six-issue run in January and its first issue was a perfect and succinct history of Black Panther, the hero's relationship with the outside world, and Vibranium.
Rise of the Black Panther acts as a sort of prequel to A Nation Under Our Feet, starting with T'Challa's grandfather and his meeting with Captain America and leading up to the start of T'Challa's reign in the first issue. The second issue dives into some of the earliest days of his kingship and a handful of threats that are facing Wakanda.
