An upcoming limited series will retell the origins of Black Panther for new audiences.
Marvel announced today that Marvel Legends: Black Panther will arrive this October from Tochi Onyebuchi and New York Times-bestselling illustrator Setor Fiadzigbey. Pitched at young readers as well as life-long fans of the character, the new series will focus on T'Challa in his early days, long before taking the throne. As the story unfolds, however, major moments in his life will be revisited. Check out the synopsis and cover art below.
Marvel Legends: Black Panther explores the moments that make T’Challa who he is, from his adventurous upbringing to his walkabout as a teen, to when he first invites the Fantastic Four into Wakanda. As each chapter unfolds, new pieces of T’Challa’s character will be revealed and the Black Panther will emerge. The series’ unique approach to action, art style, and universal storytelling make it easy to bring younger audiences and new fans into the Marvel Universe.
Onyebuchi, known for the science fiction books War Girls, Beasts Made of Night, and Riot Baby, spoke about what all readers can expect when they pick up the book. "We meet T'Challa at a very young and impressionable age," Onyebuchi. "He's still figuring out his place in Wakanda as well as Wakanda's place in the world. How that interacts with his sense of duty gives us the major throughline of his journey in this series."
"With this series, I want to get a deeper look at Black Panther's family life," Onyebuchi continued. "From a very young age, T'Challa is forced to deal with his family being under attack, and every figure has a major impact on his life and worldview. How does his family life inform the way he grows into who he will become?"
The series will kick off the new Marvel Legends series of books, which is aimed at new readers who may have discovered the characters from movies like Black Panther. It will offer an entry point while also exploring stories and aspects of the characters that longtime readers will still find engaging.
"T'Challa is such an iconic figure and was one of Marvel's earliest characters. Despite such a rich back catalog of stories, however, there isn't a whole ton of comics that share his early canonical adventures specifically for younger readers," Marvel Comics Senior Editor Lauren Bisom said. "Marvel Legends gave us the opportunity to retell some of his seminal stories while presenting them in a super accessible format! As each chapter unfolds, new pieces of T'Challa's character will be revealed and the Black Panther will emerge."
Marvel Legends: Black Panther launches October 2021.
Source: Marvel Comics