Black Panther Teams With Run The Jewels For New Web Series And Variant Cover

Marvel Comic's Black Panther #2 from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and artist Brian Stelfreeze has sold out, but if you need a quick primer on what is going down in T'Challa's world before the second printing, Coates and Run The Jewels (made up of Killer Mike and EL-P) have got you covered.

Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet Part 1 is a quick catch up on the status quo of Black Panther and his nation, set to a soundtrack from Run The Jewels. Coates gives some insight as to who this character is, and what sets him apart from other superheroes.

"The world is a beautiful and wonderful place, and sometimes we spoil it by the need to know every little thing. Here's a guy who is king, takes his responsibility very seriously, and what superheroes do is not necessarily what monarchs do."

The premise of this initial arc is that T'Challa's kingdom is falling apart from within, but it isn't due to just one single factor. The loss of Shuri, his sister, who died after she took on the Black Panther title during his absence, has shaken him a great deal. His advisors are all gone, and even his personal guard, the Dora Milaje, are showing cracks in their armor. All that would be bad enough, but a new character, Zenzi, is making things even more difficult.

Coates spoke quickly about Zenzi, saying: "Zenzi is someone who resents that you need to hide how you really feel about the world. She says in the first book "I come as a liberator." She aligns with Tetu, who wants to battle Wakanda and take control.

Regarding the Dora Milaje, Coates commented: "In the case of the Dora Milaje, the social contract was they give up their individual lives and individual wealth for the protection of the king, and that's where we get Ayo and Aneka, two people who, you know, were in love but did not act on it out of duty to country. Well, country ain't what it was before."

Black Panther #2 will reprint with a Run The Jewels inspired variant cover by Rahzzah this June.