T'Challa is getting a new look and costume for Marvel's upcoming Black Panther reboot series.
Marvel unveiled new cover art by Taurin Clarke and a T'Challa character design sheet by artist Chris Allen for Black Panther #1. The new series, written by Eve L. Ewing, gives T'Challa a brand-new look as his costume boasts a cape and other impressive amenities.
"I am so excited for people to see this character design! T'Challa is going to be looking really different. It's much more edgy and kind of homespun. It's not so sleek and slick. Not giving too much away from the story, he's trying not to be seen. He's kind of working incognito," Ewing said when revealing the costume on the NBC TODAY Show. "What I can say, honestly, is that we will be seeing Wakanda in a way that we have not seen it ever before."
What Is Marvel's New Black Panther Series About?
Marvel teased of the new series, "Banished from the throne and a fugitive in his own homelands, T'Challa still can't leave Wakanda without its sworn protector. A king without a crown, he finds new purpose lurking the streets and shadows of the Wakandan city that bears his father's name, BIRNIN T'CHAKA. New direction, new villains, new creative team – get in on the ground floor of Marvel’s next smash hit! Get a first look at the revamped design for T’Challa now."
"More than anything, I'm bowled over at the opportunity to write such a marquee character. I see it as a big responsibility," Ewing said when the series was announced. "Black Panther is a tremendously important legacy character for Marvel fans, but moreover the character has become one of the most important icons in pop culture for people of the African diaspora all over the world. And on a personal note, the title was so indelibly shaped by my friend and mentor, Ta-Nehisi Coates, who is a big part of why I'm even in comics. There are a lot of talented creators working right now and I feel very awed that the editorial team asked me to take this on. It makes me feel really seen as a comics writer, very humbled, and very grateful. It's a big role for me and I take it extremely seriously."
Ewing and Allen's Black Panther comes follows writer John Ridley's run, which concludes on March 8, 2023, with Black Panther #15. The synopsis for the issue reads, "THE EPIC FINALE OF JOHN RIDLEY’S GAME-CHANGING RUN! Finally, all things must come to a head! Jhai, T’Challa’s best friend and the sleeper agent whose assassination served as the catalyst for all of T’Challa’s recent troubles…is alive. Not only is he alive, but he seeks to seize control of the entire world, all in the name of Wakanda! Still injured, Black Panther rushes forward to take down the man who was once his closest comrade. But T’Challa knows he must still pay his pound of flesh for his role in bringing so much strife to fruition…"
Black Panther #1 comes from Ewing and Allen. The issue goes on sale June 2023 from Marvel.