The world of the Black Panther, the Marvel Comics hero who hails from the fictional African country of Wakanda, is about to get bigger. Marvel announced on Friday a companion series, World of Wakanda, which is to premiere in November.
And just like the current Black Panther series, which is written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, the author and a national correspondent for The Atlantic, the new comic will be written by newcomers to the industry: the feminist writer Roxane Gay and the poet Yona Harvey.
Axel Alonso, Marvel’s editor in chief, said, “I wouldn’t be too quick to conclude that the online reaction” — referring to the debate over whether a white man should create Riri’s tales — “is indicative of the fan response” overall.
Still, one of Marvel’s goals, long established, is to have its characters and their creators reflect the world of today. Look to the Muslim Ms. Marvel, the black Captain America, the Korean-American Hulk and the female Thor, among other diverse heroes, for evidence. He wouldn’t be surprised, he said, if someone who looks like Riri writes her adventures one day.
But both Mr. Alonso, who is Mexican-American, and Ms. Gay, who is black, understand where fans’ impatience comes from. “In general, people of color are underrepresented in most storytelling,” Ms. Gay said. There is also a frustration, at the onset of change, “when you get sort of a trickle, and you need a flood.”
Click here for full story from the New York Times.
