Comic book fans have been waiting anxiously for Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther and now it’s here. Before it’s release on Wednesday, the comic book already had 300,000 pre-orders.
The first in the series by Coates, Black Panther #1 has already received tons of praise from critics, specifically for its storytelling and the powerful queer women at the heart of the story.
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In an interview for NPR with Audie Cornish, Coates shared insight into how he connects to the Black Panther and diversity in comics.
“When I was a young person, my introduction frankly into the world of literature and the beauty of words and the beauty of language, occurred through three things,” he said. “It occurred through the magic of hip-hop, it occurred through the magic of Dungeons and Dragons, and it occurred through the magic of Marvel comic books, so I feel back at home.”
Coates added that any storyteller who isn’t “at least grappling with diversity” isn’t”depicting the world.”
He continued, “And while the world of comic books is not literally the true world, why would there not be gay superheroes? Why not?”
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We’re excited to see what Coates does for the rest of the series.
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