Black Panther (Penguin Classics Marvel Collection)
The Penguin Classics Marvel Collection presents the origin stories, seminal tales, and characters of the Marvel Universe to explore Marvel’s transformative and timeless influence on an entire genre of fantasy.
A Penguin Classics Marvel Collection Edition
Collects Fantastic Four #52-53 (1966); Jungle Action #6-21 (1973-1976). It is impossible to imagine American popular culture without Marvel Comics. For decades, Marvel has published groundbreaking visual narratives that sustain attention on multiple levels: as metaphors for the experience of difference and otherness; as meditations on the fluid nature of identity; and as high-water marks in the artistic tradition of American cartooning, to name a few.
The Black Panther is not just a super hero; as King T’Challa, he is also the monarch of the hidden African nation of Wakanda. Combining the strength and stealth of his namesake with a creative scientific intelligence, the Black Panther is an icon of Afro-futurist fantasy. This new anthology includes the Black Panther’s 1966 origin tale and the entirety of the critically acclaimed “Panther’s Rage” storyline from his 1970s solo series.
A foreword by Nnedi Okorafor, a scholarly introduction and apparatus by Qiana J. Whitted, and a general series introduction by Ben Saunders offer further insight into the enduring significance of Black Panther and classic Marvel comics.
The Penguin Classics black spine paperback features full-color art throughout.
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Community Reviews
Black Panther’s anthology book is very interesting and a must-read for any Marvel fan.
The volume introduction by Qiana J. Whitted was very interesting. I read some online critics saying it was too complex and over their heads. I understood it pretty easily. I always appreciate when professors and academics treat comic books with the same amount of respect and analysis as any other literary work. Comic books can always be adult and intellectual.
As I read the various Black Panther comics, I preferred his design in his comic debut over his later designs. His later designs weren’t horrible, but they can’t compare to the original. Baron Macabre and Sombre were also interesting villains for Black Panther. T'Challa had such an amazing rogues’ gallery. I can only hope we see their debuts in future MCU movies.
I have mixed feelings about the Jungle Action series. While I enjoyed the artwork from Billy Graham for them, I was sort of bored by the story writing from Don McGregor. It became repetitive and redundant. He made Black Panther fight anyone and anything, even dinosaurs! Superheroes can’t get a break, huh?
My favorite Jungle Action comic book issues were #19, #20, and #21. They all featured Black Panther fighting against the Ku Klux Klan. It was just such a cool concept that was visually executed very well. I also appreciated learning that the reason Don McGregor wrote that storyline at the time was to indirectly speak about South African Apartheid. That was really clever!
I highly recommend the book. It was readable and digestible. More importantly, it was entertaining and informative.
The volume introduction by Qiana J. Whitted was very interesting. I read some online critics saying it was too complex and over their heads. I understood it pretty easily. I always appreciate when professors and academics treat comic books with the same amount of respect and analysis as any other literary work. Comic books can always be adult and intellectual.
As I read the various Black Panther comics, I preferred his design in his comic debut over his later designs. His later designs weren’t horrible, but they can’t compare to the original. Baron Macabre and Sombre were also interesting villains for Black Panther. T'Challa had such an amazing rogues’ gallery. I can only hope we see their debuts in future MCU movies.
I have mixed feelings about the Jungle Action series. While I enjoyed the artwork from Billy Graham for them, I was sort of bored by the story writing from Don McGregor. It became repetitive and redundant. He made Black Panther fight anyone and anything, even dinosaurs! Superheroes can’t get a break, huh?
My favorite Jungle Action comic book issues were #19, #20, and #21. They all featured Black Panther fighting against the Ku Klux Klan. It was just such a cool concept that was visually executed very well. I also appreciated learning that the reason Don McGregor wrote that storyline at the time was to indirectly speak about South African Apartheid. That was really clever!
I highly recommend the book. It was readable and digestible. More importantly, it was entertaining and informative.
