BlackGeekdom Science-Fiction from a Different Perspective

New Black Panther

There are two types of books that are really hard to sell to fanboys those with a minority in the lead and those with a women in the lead. Now we have both in one book. I’m starting to hear the fat lady sing. I love the fact that we have a new black heroine on the scene but I don’t understand the timing. You have a Black Panther animated series starting in 2009 on BET but you wont be able to find him in a comic book, where is the cross promotion.

The buzz from a newly released Hulk DVD can push people to the local comic shop where they can buy a Hulk comic. Imagine if those same people went to the store and all they found was She-hulk. Doesn’t the same logic apply for BP, why waste the momentum.

I will give this book a chance but I have a feeling this will be a short lived relaunch.   I have feeling this will last about 10 issues before we see T’Challa make a comeback similar to Batman in the Knightfall story arc.   

Source: Washington Post

The first modern black superhero is about to get a serious facelift — even if we can’t yet see under the mask.

Marvel Comics tells us that come 2009, the Black Panther will have a new look. As an “exclusive” to Comic Riffs, they say, Marvel honcho Joe Quesada and Black Panther writer Reginald Hudlin trumpet that there’s a bigger surprise yet:

Black Panther will now be a woman warrior.

A first-look illustration of next year’s pioneering Black Panther. (Marvel)Enlarge Comic
Marvel will relaunch the “BP” title in February, but we’ve got the first look at the new Black Panther right here.

So who’s the woman who will wear the costume? Neither Hudlin nor Quesada would divulge the identity, but judging by their comments, the future of T’Challa — the current Black Panther — is quite bleak.

Hudlin told ‘Riffs contributor David Betancourt:

“Over the course of 40 issues [over three years], we … really defined the character in a way that hadn’t been done before. … Having done that, you go: “How do we up the stakes?” Marvel is great about doing really shocking changes to their character — they don’t believe in just keeping everything as status quo.”

And what was Quesada’s reaction to the concept? “It was a very cool idea. Especially thinking about the legacy of the character,” he says. “The fact that this is sort of a part of the Wakandan religion, and their royal family. It was a neat approach to the Black Panther, and I think it will add a wonderful twist to everything.”

The news, of course, is sure to spark controversy among fans — not unlike when Captain America began packing heat this year. How will Hudlin react to that?

“Honestly, my entire run on the series has been controversial. Which is great,” he says. “All the writers I admire are hotly debated online, and I feel like I’m always in great company in that situation. But more importantly, it means that people care about the book.”

Also important to Hudlin is writing a character that speaks to a diverse audience.
“That’s one of the goals I set: to broaden and diversify the comic book audience,” he says. “We’re breaking that gender barrier.”

Quesada, too, speaks to the importance of Black Panther’s draw across cultures and gender.

“Remember, he’s the first black superhero character ever created,” Quesada says. “I think he’s the hallmark of something that is a very important part of the Marvel universe which is that we are a very diverse universe. Our characters reflect the real world. To me, he’s the leader of the pack when it comes to that sort of stuff.”

So what will happen to the current Black Panther? Hudlin will only hint:

“There will be another after him,” he says. “In the same way that he became the Black Panther because his father was assassinated and died before his time, the same could happen to T’Challa.”

By comparison, DC Comics’s the Justice League has Vixen, another strong black woman. So will Vixen and Black Panther ever fight?

“In terms of having them pair up, match up, that’s a fabulous idea,” Hudlin says. “If DC’s down, I’m down.”

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