Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s (WCL) Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ collection of a comic book character. This post is about the king and protector of the unconquered city of Wakanda, the Black Panther!
Who is the Black Panther?
The Black Panther is a ceremonial title bestowed upon the head of the royal family line of Wakanda, a technologically advanced nation in central Africa that has remained uncolonized and is known for its store of the rare energy-absorbing metal Vibranium. After the death of King T’Chaka, the role falls to his son T’Challa, a stoic and studious young prince. Empowered by a suit of Vibranium and a heart-shaped herb that increases his strength and speed, T’Challa now defends his nation and the world as the Black Panther.
Classic Black Panther
In the years before Marvel NOW!, T’Challa married Storm of the X-Men, lead the Fantastic Four, and briefly became protector of Hell’s Kitchen in Daredevil’s absence.
Black Panther : who is the Black Panther / Hudlin, Reginald
(also on Libby)
Black Panther : bad mutha / Hudlin, Reginald
Black Panther : the bride / Hudlin, Reginald
Civil War: Black Panther (only on Libby)
Black Panther : little green men / Hudlin, Reginald
Black Panther : back to Africa / Hudlin, Reginald
Secret invasion : Black Panther / Aaron, Jason
Black Panther : power / Maberry, Jonathan
Black Panther : the man without fear! : the complete collection / Liss, David
Captain America/Black Panther. Flags of our fathers / Hudlin, Reginald
New Avengers – Working with the Enemy
T’Challa discovers that Incursions (universes colliding into each other) are slowly destroying the multiverse, and he gathers the Illuminati to find a way to prevent them. However, this means working with Namor, an enemy of Wakanda since he destroyed their capital city with a tidal wave in an act of war. Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers series (and its finale Secret Wars) explores the enmity between the two kings and how far each is willing to go to protect their nations (and to spite each other).
New Avengers [1] : everything dies / Hickman, Jonathan (also on Libby)
New Avengers : Volume 2 – Infinity (only on Libby)
New Avengers [2] : other worlds / Hickman, Jonathan
New Avengers [4] : a perfect world / Hickman, Jonathan
Avengers : time runs out. Volume one / Hickman, Jonathan (also on Libby)
Avengers. Volume 2 / Time runs out / Hickman, Jonathan
Avengers : time runs out. Volume 3 / Hickman, Jonathan
Avengers : time runs out. Vol. 4 / Hickman, Jonathan
Secret wars / Hickman, Jonathan
The Ta-Nehisi Coates run
Taking place after Secret Wars, this long-running and critically acclaimed series was written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, former columnist for The Atlantic and author of Between the World and Me. Here, T’Challa faces a populist uprising in Wakanda, meets the old gods that he draws power from, and comes into conflict with a universe where Wakanda became a galaxy-spanning empire.
Black Panther : a nation under our feet. Book one / Coates, Ta-Nehisi (also on Libby)
Black Panther : a nation under our feet. Book two / Coates, Ta-Nehisi (also on Libby)
Black Panther : a nation under our feet. Book three / Coates, Ta-Nehisi (also on Libby)
Black Panther. Book 4, Avengers of the New World, part one / Coates, Ta-Nehisi
(also on Libby)
Black Panther [5] : Avengers of the new world. Part two / Coates, Ta-Nehisi
(also on Libby)
Black Panther [6] : the intergalactic empire of Wakanda. Part one, Many thousands gone / Coates, Ta-Nehisi
(also on Libby)
Black Panther [7] : the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda. Part two / Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Black Panther [8] : the intergalactic empire of Wakanda. Part three / Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Black Panther. Book 9, The intergalactic empire of Wakanda : part four / Coates, Ta-Nehisi
The World of Wakanda
Coates’ run had a number of spin-off series exploring the nation of Wakanda and its citizens and history, written by such famous Black writers as Roxane Gay, Yona Harvey, and Nnedi Okorafor.
Black Panther : world of Wakanda / Gay, Roxane
Rise of the Black Panther / Narcisse, Evan
Black Panther : long live the king / Okorafor, Nnedi
Black Panther : Killmonger [1] : by any means / Hill, Bryan Edward
Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda. Vol. 1, Eye of the storm / Zubkavich, Jim
Marvel action : Black Panther : stormy weather / Baker, Kyle
Marvel action : Black Panther : rise together [2] / Ayala, Vita
Black Panther vs. Deadpool / Kibblesmith, Daniel
Black Panther adventures / Parker, Jeff
John Ridley run
Black Panther’s following series was written by John Ridley, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of 12 Years a Slave. In this series, T’Challa is hunted by his own espionage unit after a long-buried secret comes to light, and then is tasked with fighting a wandering space rancher called ‘The Colonialist’.
Black Panther. Vol. 1, The long shadow / Ridley, John
Black Panther [2] : range wars / Ridley, John
Black Panther. Vol. 3, All this and the world, too / Ridley, John
Wakanda (an anthology series highlighting Black Panther’s supporting cast, including M’Baku, Killmonger, Shuri, and Okoye)
Eve Ewing run
Ironheart writer Eve Ewing is the current writer of Black Panther, which sees T’Challa stripped of his royal title but still defending the streets of Wakanda from the shadows.
Black Panther [1] : reign at dusk / Ewing, Eve L.
Shuri
Shuri is T’Challa’s younger sister, and next in line for the Wakandan throne. A sorceress and an accomplished scientist, she occasionally has to take over for T’Challa as ruler of Wakanda in his absence. She even became the Black Panther for a time in the late 2000s.
Black Panther : the deadliest of the species / Hudlin, Reginald
Shuri [1] : the search for Black Panther, 1 / Okorafor, Nnedi (also on Libby)
Shuri [2] : 24/7 vibranium / Ayala, Vita
These two Shuri volumes are also collected as Shuri : Wakanda forever (also available on Libby).
Black Panther : the saga of Shuri & T’Challa
Into the heartlands / Brown, Roseanne A
Teams
Black Panther has been a member of the Avengers, the Ultimates, and briefly lead The Crew, a team of Black and indigenous heroes that fight systemic injustice.
Black Panther & the Crew : we are the streets / Coates, Ta-Nehisi
The Ultimates [1] : start with the impossible / Ewing, Al
The Ultimates [2] : Civil war II / Ewing, Al
The Ultimates 2 [1] : troubleshooters / Ewing, Al
The Ultimates 2. Vol. 2, Eternity War / Ewing, Al