The origin of the King of Wakanda is set to be explored in a brand new series called “Rise of the Black Panther,” it was revealed today on io9. The writer will be io9’s senior writer Evan Narcisse, and while no artist has been officially announced, the news came with a look at the cover to issue 1, illustrated by Brian Stelfreeze. Although it is not labeled as an ongoing or limited series, the presumption is that it will be a limited series.
“Rise of the Black Panther” looks to explore the first year of T’challa’s reign as King of Wakanda, and his decision to announce the reclusive nation’s existence to the rest of the world. It ends centuries of self-imposed secrecy and presents its fair share of political conflict for the newly crowned king.
Writer Narcisse states that he worked closely with Ta-Nehisi Coates – current writer of the main “Black Panther” titles – to chart the early days of T’challa, which will show a different type of Black Panther than we’re used to, showing him as a rebellious young leader that rises to the king we know. “There’s a bit of thematic irony here because Ta-Nehisi’s first story arc involved an instance of change where he represented the historical status quo. In Rise of the Black Panther, he’s the one rebelling against what’s always been done. He goes from being a rebel of sorts to being the establishment.”
This is the second Black Panther series announced this week, with the comiXology exclusive “Black Panther: Long Live the King” by Nnedi Okorafor and Andre Araujo that was announced yesterday.
“Rise of the Black Panther” is scheduled for release in January 2018.
Update: Marvel has released addition information about the series: it will run six issues, will be illustrated by Paul Renaud, and co-written by “Black Panther” scribe Ta-Nehisi Coates.
