Writer Christopher Priest will return to Black Panther with a new story in Marvel Comics' Black Panther Annual #1.

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In the 12-page story, T'Challa become a murder suspect, but the focus won't be on Black Panther himself. Instead, Priest will draw attention to Everett K. Ross, a character he co-created in 1998.

Priest wrote Black Panther from 1998 to 2003 under the Marvel Knights imprint. The new story he will be released on Feb. 21, the 20th anniversary of his original run.

As Priest describes it, Ross was used as a gateway character to bridge the gap between a black superhero and the predominantly white audience that bought comic book. Ross is portrayed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by actor Martin Freeman, who has a prominent role in director Ryan Coogler's Black Panther.

Absent from the comics industry for a decade, Priest has recently received critical acclaim for his work on DC Comics' Deathstroke. He also began a run this month with artist Pete Woods on Justice League.

Arriving in theaters Feb. 16, Marvel's Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, and Forest Whitaker as Zuri.

(via Newsarama)