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Not quite a new creative team, as acclaimed writer Ta-Nehesi Coates will stay on Black Panther as writer, as a new #1 welcomes artist Daniel Acuna and a distinctive Afro-futurist vibe.  There’s more info at Marvel.com and words of comfort from Tom Brevoort on the overall shape of “Fresh Start” or whatever the 2018 initiative is called.

 “Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be rolling out new beginnings for a few of our key franchises—new creative teams, new starting points, new storylines—all the big stuff that we’ve been building towards since LEGACY began,” said SVP and Executive Editor Tom Brevoort. “This isn’t a clearing of the slate—while these new starts will kick off with new #1s, we’ll be maintaining the classic LEGACY issue counts as dual numbering on these titles as well. Oh, and don’t read anything into not seeing a character on the Jim Cheung piece…we can only squeeze so many characters onto there without killing poor Jim!”

“Black Panther fans should be excited because this is a true #1. It’s a new story—with connections to the old story—but it’s taking him into a different space…literally. And I think people will be excited about that,” says Coates. “Black Panther #1 is a creative challenge for me. My first few books were more philosophical, and while that still rings true here, this is a fast-paced, high-octane story. And with Daniel Acuña’s art, I think people are really going to feel the energy and intensity here. I wanted people to feel like this is a really fresh storyline, and I think we succeeded in that. It’s meaty, it’s different, and it’s perfect for new readers just coming to the world of T’Challa and Black Panther.’’

“T’Challa has a life of his own—he’s full of personality and charisma. He can be a mysterious silhouette or a powerful warrior. It’s so inspiring. I really, really hope people can see this new and personal vision of Black Panther—and I’ll still follow the brilliant lead of Brian Stelfreeze’s design and settings,” adds Acuña. “My inspiration is T’Challa’s legacy, the unique history of the character, and the amazing artists that have come before. I feel like I’m a part of something very different to what I’ve done until now. This is a very significant work that I hope lasts a long time.”

Marvel has announced a refresh/relaunch for their core line, starting in May, with a number of new first issues. More will be revealed in tomorrow’s solicitations.

BLACK PANTHER #1
Written by TA-NEHISI COATES
Art and Cover by DANIEL ACUNA
On Sale 5/23/18

 

7 COMMENTS

  1. On the positive side Acuna, from what I remember, is rather stable artist so we likely won’t get new artist after 3 issues.

  2. Man! Really? Another reboot? Re-numbering, too? Wasn’t Legacy supposed to help fix all the numbering issues? And c’mon, T’Challa is smart, he hails from an amazing nation, but putting him in space? I love me some Ta-Nahesi Coates, but in space is the deal breaker. All good, I can find some good stuff amongst the indies.

  3. @hssh – I give Acuna three issues before he’s gone. At the very least, issue #4 is a fill-in. Looks like three consecutive issues is as far as he usually goes, and that’s usually with some ramp-up time included.

  4. Oh, yes, because the casual reader who just watched the movie and liked it enough to go hunting for the comic will surely dig an intergalactic take on the character.

  5. Dual numbering? I gotta give Marvel credit: I can’t think of a more perfect metaphor for the company’s total inability to pick a direction and stick with it.

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