Marvel Is Sending Black Panther to Outer Space

Black Panther is taking the glory of Wakanda into out space.

Marvel Comics has announced a new Black Panther #1, marking a new direction for the ongoing Black Panther comic book series. Ta-Nehisi Coates remains on as series writer, joined by new artist Daniel Acuna.

The new story sees T'Challa discovering that the Black Panther's influence stretches much further than Wakanda's borders. It turns out there is a vast empire spread across space and the Multiverse built on his name and reputation. This empire was first teased in last year's Marvel Legacy #1, and Marvel will begin to follow through on that promise in Black Panther #1 this May.

"T'Challa has a life of his own—he's full of personality and charisma. He can be a mysterious silhouette or a powerful warrior. It's so inspiring. I really, really hope people can see this new and personal vision of Black Panther—and I'll still follow the brilliant lead of Brian Stelfreeze's design and settings," Acuña tells Marvel.com. "My inspiration is T'Challa's legacy, the unique history of the character, and the amazing artists that have come before. I feel like I'm a part of something very different to what I've done until now. This is a very significant work that I hope lasts a long time."

Editor Wil Moss adds, "I can't emphasize enough how clean of an entry point this is for new readers. Readers are going to be learning about this mysterious 'Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda' right alongside T'Challa, so everyone is going to be on the same page. And oh man, is Daniel Acuña delivering the goods! He 'gets' the character of Black Panther like no other, and his designs for the Intergalactic Empire are…well, they're out of this world!"

The new Black Panther direction is part of Marvel's "Fresh Start" plans. This is the third new #1 announced, following Venom #1 and Avengers #1, both announced yesterday.

"Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be rolling out new beginnings for a few of our key franchises—new creative teams, new starting points, new storylines—all the big stuff that we've been building towards since Marvel Legacy began. This isn't a clearing of the slate—while these new starts will kick off with new #1s, we'll be maintaining the classic Legacy issue counts as dual numbering on these titles as well," Marvel SVP and Executive Editor Tom Brevoort said.

Black Panther #1 goes on sale this May.