Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Black Panther has taken the world by storm. In fact, it is so popular, the new Avengers: Infinity Wars film was moved up from its original release date of May 4 to April 27 and a new trailer featuring more of the beloved characters from the film has appeared on television and across social media. With the success of the film and its star Chadwick Boseman’s hilarious portrayal of T’Challa on SNL, Marvel’s Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, Book 1 (written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, winner of the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant) deserves a new, more introspective look.
It would be unfair to say that he’s arguably one of the most important literary voices of our time, because the point isn’t arguable. His profound and thoughtful writing, paired with artist Brian Stelfreeze’s naturalistic and colorful illustrations, is expected to bring an entirely new audience to the classic, beloved Black Panther character, who was developed by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby 50 years ago, and to the art of comic books in general. The comic has already been labeled a huge success, having sold over 300,000 pre-order copies (To put that into context, if a comic book sells 50,000 pre-order copies, it’s considered a wild success!).
If you’re completely unfamiliar with the character Black Panther, then you’re in for a treat. Black Panther, whose real name is T’Challa, is a totally awesome superhero: he’s the ruler of a fictional African nation, called Wakanda, a master martial artist, a brilliant scientist and inventor who can also control the undead (and wear the crap out of a super-amazing costume). So, if you’re looking for something a little different that’s as profound as it is visually enticing, you should check out the latest Black Panther series! You can read more about the comic, plus an interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates, over at The New Republic.
Since Black Panther broke all box office records, we’re pretty excited for Avengers: Infinity Wars and the Black Panther sequel that has been announced. Watch the new Infinity Wars trailer below: