Black Panther (comics)
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- This article is about a comic book character. For other uses of the term black panther, see black panther (disambiguation).
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The Black Panther (T'Challa) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe who is the first modern Black superhero. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciler-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four Vol. 1, #52 (July 1966). Although there have been numerous men who have used the Black Panther identity during the history of the Marvel Universe, this article refers solely to the modern-day Black Panther, also known as his birth name, T'Challa.
The Black Panther, whose name predates the use of the October 1966 founding of the Black Panther Party, is not the first Black hero in mainstream comic books. That distinction is split between Waku, Prince of the Bantu, who starred in his own feature in the multitple-character omnibus series Jungle Tales, from Marvel's 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics; and the Dell Comics Western character Lobo, the first Black character to star in his own comic book, and the medium's first African-American title star. Previous non-caricatured Black supporting characters in comics include Daily Bugle managing editor Joe Robertson in The Amazing Spider-Man, and U.S. Army infantry private Gabriel Jones of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos.
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[edit] Publication history
The Black Panther's first starring series was in Jungle Action Vol. 2, #6-24 (Sept. 1973 - Nov. 1976), written by Don McGregor with art by pencilers Rich Buckler, Gil Kane, and Billy Graham. One now-common innovation it pioneered was that of the self-contained, multi-issue story arc.
McGregor's first arc, "Panther's Rage", ran from Jungle Action #6 (Sept. 1973) through #18 (Nov. 1975). A second arc, "Panther vs. the Klan", was truncated when the series was canceled with issue #24. Jungle Action #5 and #23 reprinted, respectively, The Avengers #62 (March 1969), which featured the Black Panther, and Daredevil #69 (Oct. 1970), in which the Panther guest-starred.
Immediately following the initial series was the much less well-received Black Panther, written and illustrated by Jack Kirby for 12 of its 15 issues (Jan. 1977 - March 1979), with a corresponding shift in tone from McGregor's lyrical naturalism to Kirby's trademark high adventure. A four-issue miniseries, also titled Black Panther, appeared in 1988, written by Peter B. Gillis and pencilled by Denys Cowan.
McGregor revisted his Panther saga with Gene Colan in "Panther's Quest", published as 25 eight-page installments within the bi-weekly omnibus series Marvel Comics Presents (issues #13-37, Feb.-Dec. 1989). He later teamed with artist Dwayne Turner in the squarebound miniseries Panther's Prey (Sept. 1990 - March 1991).
Writer Christopher Priest's 1998 series The Black Panther utilized Erik Killmonger, Venomm, and other characters introduced in "Panther's Rage," together with new characters such as State Department attorney Everett Ross, the Black Panther's adopted brother, Hunter, and Panther's protege, Queen Divine Justice. Priest and penciler Mark Texeira also revamped the Panther himself, playing up the manipulative side seen in the Panther's first appearance but largely abandoned afterward, and later contrasting their manipulative, control oriented Panther with an alternate future Panther that more closely resembled the happy-go-lucky swashbuckler of the Kirby series. The Priest-Texeira series The Black Panther, which was under the "Marvel Knights" imprint its first year, earned critical plaudits, but sales of the comic were never high. Because of complications involving his new grayscale painting technique,[citation needed] Texeira only worked on the first five issues.
The last 13 issues (#50-62) saw the main character replaced by a New York policeman named Kasper Cole, with T'Challa relegated to a background character. The experiment brought in few new readers and allienated the small but extremely loyal fanbase resulting in the cancellation of the series. This Black Panther, now the White Tiger, was placed in the series The Crew, running concurrently with the final few Black Panther issues, but this was cancelled quickly with issue #7.
In February 2005, Marvel began publishing a new ongoing Black Panther series, written by filmmaker Reginald Hudlin and penciled by artist John Romita, Jr., with the first arc set immediately after the character's first appearance.
[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Early life and background
The Black Panther is the ceremonial title given to the chief of the Panther Tribe of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. In addition to ruling the country, he is also chief of its various tribes (collectively referred to as the Wakandas). The Panther uniform is a symbol of office and is used even during diplomatic missions.
The Black Panther is entitled to the use of a heart-shaped herb that grants the person who consumes it enhanced strength, agility, and perception. The present-day bearer of the Black Panther mantle is T'Challa, who has had a lengthy career as a superhero, including a longstanding membership in The Avengers. For a brief time upon joining the superhero team the Avengers (in The Avengers #52-55, May-Aug. 1968), the Black Panther wore a cowled half-mask, similar to that of Batman. In stories published in the 2000s, it came to light that the Panther originally joined the Avengers with the intention of spying on them. This drove a temporary wedge between T'Challa and his teammates.
T'Challa is the son of T'Chaka, who was the Black Panther before him. In the distant past, a massive meteorite comprised of the sound-absorbing mineral vibranium crashed in Wakanda, and was unearthed a generation before the events of the present day. Knowing that others would attempt to manipulate and dominate Wakanda for this rare and valuable resource, T'Chaka concealed his country from the outside world. He would sell off minute amounts of the valuable vibranium while surreptitiously sending the country's best scholars to study abroad, consequently turning Wakanda into one of the world's most technologically advanced nations. Eventually, however, the explorer Ulysses Klaw found his way to Wakanda to covertly create a vibranium-powered, sound-based weapon. When exposed, Klaw killed T'Chaka and other Wakandans, only to see his "sound blaster" turned on him by a grieving T'Challa, then barely a teenager. Klaw's right hand was destroyed, and he and his men fled. In a retcon, T'Challa during his youth met and fell in love with apparent orphaned child Ororo Munroe, who would grow up to become the X-Men member Storm; the two broke up over T'Challa's need to avenge his father's death.
T'Challa earned the title and attributes of the Black Panther by defeating the various champions of the Wakandan tribes. One of his first acts was to disband and exile the Hatut Zeraze — the Wakandan secret police — and its leader, his adopted brother Hunter the White Wolf; later, to keep the peace, he picked "dora milaje" ("adored ones") from rival tribes to serve as his personal guard and ceremonial wives-in-training. He then studied abroad before returning to his kingship. To prove himself worthy as the defender of his people, T'Challa attacked the Fantastic Four and defeated them in individual combat before revealing his reasons.
After making up to the team with a sumptuous welcome, he persuaded the Fantastic Four to help him battle the returning Klaw, who had become a being made entirely of living sound. Later, T'Challa began a long association with the Avengers, and became romantically involved with the American singer Monica Lynne.
[edit] Solo adventures
Beginning in his debut solo series in Jungle Action, the Panther leaves his active Avengers membership to return to a Wakanda on the brink of civil war, bringing Lynne with him. After defeating would-be usurper Erik Killmonger and his minions, he ventures to the American South to battle the Ku Klux Klan. He later fights Kiber the Cruel during a quest for the mystic time-shifting artifacts known as King Solomon's Frogs; these produced an alternate version of T'Challa from a future ten years hence, a merry, telepathic Panther with a terminal brain aneurysm, whom T'Challa placed in cryogenic stasis.
Years later, the Panther accepts a Washington, D.C. envoy, Everett K. Ross, and faces multiple threats to Wakanda's sovereignty. First Xcon - an alliance of rogue intelligence agents - backs a coup led by the sorceror Reverend Achebe. Afterward, Killmonger resurfaces with a plot to destroy Wakanda's economy. This forces T'Challa to nationalise foreign companies. Killmonger then defeats him in ritual combat, thus inheriting the role of Black Panther, but falls into a coma upon eating the heart-shaped herb — poisonous to anyone outside the royal bloodline, which had a hereditary immunity to its toxic effects. T'Challa preserves his rival's life rather than allowing him to die.
Later, T'Challa finds he has a brain aneurism like his alternate future self. He again battles Xcon, in the processes destroying his relationship with Iron Man, and then succumbs to instability and hallucinations. After his mental state almost causes tribal warfare, the Panther hands power to his council and hides in New York City. There he mentors police officer Kasper Cole (who had adopted an abandoned Panther costume), an experience that gives T'Challa the strength to face his illness, reclaim his position, and return to active membership in the Avengers, whom he helps secure special United Nations status. His rule has since been challenged by a revived Killmonger.
In his fourth solo series, the Panther assisted the X-Men in a mission to Niganda and afterward joined with Blade, Brother Voodoo, Luke Cage and Monica Rambeau to fight vampires in a New Orleans ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
[edit] Civil War and marriage
In 2006, he helps Ororo Munroe (the X-Men-member Storm), with whom he had a brief romance during his teens, reunite with her surviving family members in Africa and the U.S. He shortly afterward proposes, and the two are married in a large Wakandan ceremony attended by many superheroes. They are currently on a World Tour, meeting with other known royalties such as Doctor Doom, Namor, and the Inhumans. Solicitations from Marvel have confirmed that The Black Panther and Storm will choose a side in the Civil War, and place their support behind Captain America and the Secret Avengers sometime in January.
[edit] Powers and abilities
The title "Black Panther" is a rank of office, chieftain of the Wakandan Panther Clan. As chieftain, the Panther is entitled to eat a special heart-shaped herb that grants him enhanced senses: hearing, smell, taste, agility, speed, balance and night vision. Like Wolverine, he can pick up a prey's scent and memorize tens of thousands of individual ones. Beyond his enhanced senses, the Panther is an above-olympian level athlete and is considered to be at nearly peak human physical condition (the equal of Captain America). T'Challa is a rigorously trained gymnast and acrobat, proficient in various African martial arts as well as contemporary ones. He is a skilled hunter, tracker and scientist — he has a Ph.D. in physics from Oxford University.
As king of Wakanda, the Panther has access to a vast collection of magical artifacts, technological and military hardware, as well as the support of his nation's wide array of scientists, adventurers, and superheroes.
In Volume 3, writer Christopher Priest expanded the Panther's day-to-day arsenal to include equipment such as an "energy dagger", a vibranium-weave suit, and a portable supercomputer, the "Kimoyo card." In Volume 4, writer Reginald Hudlin introduced such specialized equipment as "thrice-blessed armor" and "light armor" for specific tasks.
[edit] Coal Tiger
Jack Kirby's original, unused conception for the character, under the name Coal Tiger, featured a colorful uniform with striped pants and no face mask. As an homage to Kirby's concept, Marvel has used a character named the Coal Tiger on two occasions:
- Coal Tiger (I) A parallel universe version of T'Challa as the Coal Tiger briefly appeared in a mid-1990s issue of The Avengers.
- Coal Tiger (II) - In the 2000s MC2 parallel-universe series A-Next #4 and 12, Coal Tiger is T'Chaka, son of T'Challa in this possible future. He is an ally of the Avengers of that era.
[edit] Alternate versions
- While the Black Panther does not appear in the animated series The Avengers: United They Stand, he does appear in issues #1 and #6-7 of the comic-book series based on the show.
[edit] Appearances in other media
[edit] Television
- The Black Panther appeared in the "Prey Of The Black Panther" episode of the 1994 Fantastic Four animated TV series, voiced by Keith David.
- The Black Panther made a cameo appearance in the "Sanctuary" episode of an X-Men animated TV series.
[edit] Features
- The Black Panther appears in the direct-to-video animated feature Ultimate Avengers 2 as a central character.
[edit] Video games
- The Black Panther is an unlockable hero in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
[edit] Quotes
- Dwayne McDuffie on the 1970s "Black Panther" series : "This overlooked and underrated classic is arguably the most tightly written multi-part superhero epic ever. If you can get your hands on it (and where's that trade paperback collection, Marvel?), sit down and read the whole thing. It's damn-near flawless, every issue, every scene, a functional, necessary part of the whole. Okay, now go back and read any individual issue. You'll find seamlessly integrated words and pictures; clearly introduced characters and situations; a concise (sometimes even transparent) recap; beautifully developed character relationships; at least one cool new villain; a stunning action set piece to test our hero's skills and resolve; and a story that is always moving forward towards a definite and satisfying conclusion. That's what we should all be delivering, every single month. Don McGregor and company did it in only 17 story pages per issue".[1]
[edit] Bibliography
- Jungle Action Vol. 2, #5-24 (July 1973 - Nov. 1976)
- The Black Panther #1-15 (Jan. 1977 - May 1979)
- Marvel Premiere #51-53 (Dec. 1979 - April 1980)
- Black Panther Vol. 2, #1-4 (miniseries; July-Oct. 1988)
- "Panther's Quest" Parts 1-25 in Marvel Comics Presents #13-37 (Feb.-Dec. 1989)
- Black Panther: Panther's Prey prestige-format miniseries #1-4 (May-Oct. 1991)
- Black Panther Vol. 3, #1-62 (Nov. 1998 - Sept. 2003)
- Black Panther Vol. 4, #1- (April 2005- )
[edit] Creators
[edit] Writers
- Don McGregor - Jungle Action Vol. 2, #6-22, 24; "Panther's Quest" in Marvel Comics Presents #13-37; Black Panther: Panther's Prey #1-4
- Jack Kirby - The Black Panther Vol. 1, #1-12
- Ed Hannigan - The Black Panther Vol. 1, #13-15; Marvel Premiere #51-53
- Jim Shooter - The Black Panther Vol. 1, #13 (co-author)
- Peter B. Gillis - Black Panther Vol. 2, #1-4
- Christopher Priest - Black Panther Vol. 3, #1-56, 59-62
- Joe Quesada - Black Panther Vol. 3, #1-4 (co-author)
- J. Torres - Black Panther Vol. 3, #57-58
- Reginald Hudlin - Black Panther Vol. 4, #1-
[edit] Pencilers
- Rich Buckler - Jungle Action Vol. 2, #6-8, 22, 24
- Gil Kane - Jungle Action Vol. 2, #9
- Billy Graham - Jungle Action Vol. 2, #10-22
- Keith Pollard - Jungle Action Vol. 2, #24
- Jack Kirby - The Black Panther Vol. 1, #1-12
- Jerry Bingham - The Black Panther Vol. 1, #13-15; Marvel Premiere #51-53
- Denys Cowan - Black Panther Vol. 2, #1-4
- Gene Colan - "Panther's Quest" in Marvel Comics Presents #13-37
- Dwayne Turner - Black Panther: Panther's Prey #1-4
- Mark Texeira - Black Panther Vol. 3, #1-4
- Vincent Evans - Black Panther Vol. 3, #5
- Joe Jusko - Black Panther Vol. 3,#6-8
- Amanda Conner - Black Panther Vol. 3, #8
- Mike Manley - Black Panther Vol. 3, #9-10
- Mark Bright - Black Panther Vol. 3, #11-12, 24
- Sal Velluto - Black Panther Vol. 3, #13-17, 19-23, 25-29, 31-33, 36-45, 48-49
- Kyle Hotz - Black Panther Vol. 3, #18
- Norm Breyfogle - Black Panther Vol. 3, #30
- James Calafiore - Black Panther Vol. 3, #34-35, 55-56, 61-62
- Jorge Lucas - Black Panther Vol. 3, #46-47, 51-54
- Dan Fraga - Black Panther Vol. 3, #50
- Ryan Bodenheim - Black Panther Vol. 3, #57-58
- Patrick Zircher - Black Panther Vol. 3, #59-60
- John Romita, Jr. - Black Panther Vol. 4, #1-6
- Trevor Hairsine - Black Panther Vol. 4, #7
- David Yardin - Black Panther Vol. 4, #8-9
- Scot Eaton - Black Panther Vol. 4, #10-
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
- MDP:Black Panther - Marvel Database Project
- Black Panther Message Board
- Christopher Priest's website
- Reginald Hudlin's website
- Don McGregor's website
- Stx Superhero Report Panther film/video appearances (dead link)
