“Black Panther: Long Live the King” writer Nnedi Okorafor and artist Eric Battle’s new historical adventure series, “Antar the Black Knight,” will release in April from IDW. The book is based on Antarah ibn Shaddad, a legendary poet and warrior from pre-Islamic Arabia. Okorafor was previously interviewed about the series, saying, “Antar himself was half Middle-Eastern and half Ethiopian. That combination just seemed really dynamic to me. I love the fact it’s a real story and I have the opportunity to dig into this culture and these stories and build a really dynamic character around it.”
The series is the first part of a planned multimedia universe. Michelle Nickelson, of Dubai’s Mena CineFinance, masterminded the project and plans to expand to a feature film next. She is also in talks to develop an Antar theme park in the United Arab Emirates.
Okarafor is fairly new to comics, but is a Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award winning prose author. Battle has worked for DC, Marvel, and even did Tarzan newspaper comic strips in the early 2000s.
See the full solicit and release date below.
Antar #1—Cover A: Eric Battle—SPOTLIGHT
Nnedi Okorafor (w) • Eric Battle (a & c)Honor through perseverance. Legacy through diversity. IDW is proud to present the epic story of one of history’s greatest warriors and finest poets: Antar the Black Knight. A despised camel driver born of an African slave mother and an Arab Noble father, Antar proves that heroes are made by embracing who we are and dreaming about what we can become.
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Expected in-store date: 4/25/18
