Black Panther ReLaunch.
The Black Panther, the first-ever black super hero - created by Marvel Comics in the 1960s, will return with a new series in February 2005, coinciding with Black History Month.The series, which recreates the origin of one of the comic world’s greatest cult heroes is being written by Reginald Hudlin, a pioneer of the modern black hip-hop film movement with “House Party." Reginald is also currently directing and producing "The Bernie Mac Show" and recently authored the comic novel “Birth of a Nation.” Legendary Marvel illustrator John Romita, Jr. has recreated and updated the Black Panther’s appearance.
The Black Panther was created in 1966 by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the legendary team behind such iconic Marvel characters as Spider-Man and X-Men. The Panther was first introduced as an antagonist in Fantastic Four #52, where it was made clear that this complicated hero was no villain.
Marvel and Hudlin’s decision to bring back the Black Panther now is a reflection of how the richness of the character is relevant today. Lee and Kirby created the Black Panther during the turbulent 1960s - during the heart of the Civil Rights movement. President Lyndon B. Johnson had signed the Civil Rights Act two years prior and Martin Luther King, Jr. had led his famous March from Selma to Montgomery, AL the year before. The character’s name predates the rise of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California.
Lee and Kirby - creators who had always been sensitive to how Marvel characters should reflect the diversity of the “real” world - have provided Hudlin with the platform to introduce the character’s relevance to a new revolution happening in America today: the emergence of the Hip-Hop generation.
"When Marvel first created the Black Panther, there was excitement and real magic in the character for me," said Hudlin. " The Black Panther is a king of a powerful yet untapped country, a son avenging his father's death, and a man educated in the finest schools. I'm thrilled to be given the opportunity to bring back the character in a way that not only respects the original idea of Stan Lee, but also explores a side of his history that fans have never seen before."
The new series will create an adventure that is of epic proportions, returning to the origins of the Black Panther and his ancestral home of Wakanda, a fictional country in the heart of Africa. Wakanda has remained elusive to the modern world, despite its advancements in science and technology, as well as its vast resource of a precious fossil fuel, vibranium. Not only does Wakanda’s independence block the total dominance of Africa by colonial powers, its cultural evolution has gone unchecked for centuries.
It’s from this exiting culture that Hudlin begins to tell the rich history of the Black Panther and bring him into prominence within the Marvel universe. The first six issues will recreate the legacy of the character for Marvel fans - his family history, his enemies, and his strength. The second six issues will begin to integrate the character into the Marvel universe. By the end of the second story the Black Panther will have impacted every major character in the universe.
“Reggie Hudlin’s idea to bring back the Black Panther with a storyline that repositioned the character’s role from that of a niche character to much larger role in the Marvel universe was so fresh and exciting, we were all captivated with the idea,” said Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief, Marvel Publishing. “In fact, we see the Black Panther taking on the same kind of prominence in the Marvel universe as Spider-Man.”
Any thoughts about this new series? And can it possible compare to the great works that Christopher J. Priest did during his awesome run with The Black Panther?