Chew the Fat: The Black Panther!

Martinex1: Today let's chew the fat about one of the premier Marvel heroes and one of my favorite characters.  He has had limited fanfare in the past but he is about to get his time in the limelight with a movie - King of Wakanda! Avenger! T'Challa! The Black Panther!

Take a look at the latest movie trailer to get a sense of what is to come to theaters on February 16, 2018.

The hero made his grand entrance in The Fantastic Four during the peak of the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby run.  He appeared for the first time in issue #52 right after the creative pinnacle of the Galactus and Silver Surfer arc.  Soon after, he appeared in The Avengers and became a mainstay of the team.

One of the most memorable arcs with the Avengers was when T'Challa and the team confronted the Sons of the Serpent.

 Later, the Black Panther would start headlining as a solo act in Jungle Action and his own title.   The books took T'Challa to his homeland to battle a unique set of rogues and miscreants who wanted to ravage the wondrous land of Wakanda.

 The character also spent some time in the United States and confronted issues of racism, prejudice, poverty, and crime.  Marvel and the creative talents did not shy away from critical social issues. The Black Panther is truly a comic book hero that can confront modern injustices.

 Some critics thought the later Jack Kirby penned Black Panther issues were strange and dated, but I enjoyed what I've read of the oddball adventures and explorations.

The Don McGregor written and Billy Graham pencilled works, however, were clearly magnificent.  Take a look at one of their splash pages below.  The words and art took it to a different level for their "Panther's Rage" epic.  Not everybody is a fan of that story so I am curious what our readers think.

I am extremely curious what topics the Marvel movie with explore.  I am excited to see action in Wakanda as well.   The glimpses I have seen of the mysterious land have my interest piqued.   I am also happy to see Klaw as a major protagonist.  That villain has been a favorite comic book antagonist for decades, and he has been challenging the Black Panther since the hero's inception.   I cannot wait to see that confrontation and for T'Challa to take down the master of sound.

 The Black Panther had some further ongoing series, mini-series and specials in more recent years. Although I have more of an affinity to his Bronze Age classics, I did enjoy the Panther's Prey mini-series and the run under the Marvel Knights banner.

In more modern times, T'Challa was married to the X-Man Storm and together they had a stint with the Fantastic Four.

So what do you think about the Wakandan hero?  Do you have any recommendations for particular issues, series, or arcs?   What themes and stories did you find the Black Panther creators tackled well?  Do you have high hopes for the movie?  What has been lacking in T'Challa's portrayal in the books or recent film appearances?   Let's Chew the Fat!