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Did you know that the Washington Post now has a Comic Book Blog written by Michael Cavna? Neither did we. But anyway, this blog gets its first “scoop” with news that Black Panther is going the death, rebirth, sex change route:

Marvel Comics tells us that come 2009, the Black Panther will have a new look. As an “exclusive” to Comic Riffs, they say, Marvel honcho Joe Quesada and Black Panther writer Reginald Hudlin trumpet that there’s a bigger surprise yet:

Black Panther will now be a woman warrior.

A first-look illustration of next year’s pioneering Black Panther. (Marvel)Enlarge Comic

Marvel will relaunch the “BP” title in February, but we’ve got the first look at the new Black Panther right here.

So who’s the woman who will wear the costume? Neither Hudlin nor Quesada would divulge the identity, but judging by their comments, the future of T’Challa — the current Black Panther — is quite bleak.


Wow, Storm must be crying! Comments from Quesada and Hudlin in the link.

1 COMMENT

  1. Well, this was rumored at the Diamond Summit last month…

    Question… has a female superhero ever been relaunched as a male superhero?

    And might DC file a cease-and-desist letter given the similarities between this Black Panther and Catwoman and the Cassandra Cain Batgirl?

  2. # Torsten Adair Says:
    10/22/08 at 3:44 pm

    Well, this was rumored at the Diamond Summit last month…

    Question… has a female superhero ever been relaunched as a male superhero?

    And might DC file a cease-and-desist letter given the similarities between this Black Panther and Catwoman and the Cassandra Cain Batgirl?

    In answer to your first question, I don’t know, but I’d love to look it up. I know Emma Frost was thought to be dead and was hiding in Iceman’s body for a while if that counts…

    As for the Batgirl & Catwoman aspects, I point to merely one example that far predates Batgirl, Catwoman, or even Heroes Reborn Bucky: Dazzler!

    Dazzler I – http://www.uncannyxmen.net/glossary/showentry.asp?fldAuto=386

    Dazzler II (Also known as Dazzler the greater): http://www.uncannyxmen.net/glossary/showentry.asp?fldAuto=387

  3. I feel like the new BP will be Storm. Ororo could be in that role, doesn’t seem to me like X-men issues have used her much lately.

  4. Can anybody spot a signature on that art? If I didn’t know better I’d say it looked like Andy Kubert’s work (though it’s hard to tell at this size).

  5. I’m still waiting for Marvel to do the Essential Black Panther Vol 1-2, but apparently, Essential Godzilla & Essential Tales of the Zombie are in far more demand.

    Now that T’Challa has tits, however, that should change soon enough. I’ll betcha Mephisto is behind this, too.

    **headdesk**

  6. “Question… has a female superhero ever been relaunched as a male superhero?”

    Well, DC’s introducing a male Wonder Woman sometime, but I guess that doesn’t count as a relaunch.

  7. T’Challa will probably die in X-Men: Worlds Apart #4 which comes out in January. There is no Black Panther solicited for that month. Then the new one will come out in February. This way, Storm is free to be back with the X-Men full time. They thought that Storm would sky-rocket the sales of Black Panther and it really hasn’t changed much.

  8. Speaking as someone who’s been a T’Challa fan since at least Avengers #52…

    I love my Black Panther. I love my superheroines.

    Black Panther as a superheroine? I’m not loving that.

    Why does Joe Quesada hate me so much?

  9. Mark – get in line, I’m still waiting for Marvel to start issuing Essential volumes of Master of Kung Fu.

    I don’t think there’s enough material of silver age solo Black Panther stories to fill out two five hundred plus page volumes to be honest.

    ~

    Coat