Christopher Priest's run on the Black Panther was, for me, the series that defined the character's place in modern comics. Rather than ignoring his role as the King of the African nation of Wakanda, Priest explains how it motivates the character and even redefines his entire relationship with the Avengers and America as a whole. So, yes, there's definitely a political edge to the series. Why wouldn't there be?
In addition, Priest reintroduces Everett K Ross - a character who first showed up in Ka-Zar's series, also by Priest - who acts as T'Challa's liaison to America (as well as the audience) and makes numerous politically insensitive comments while being an incredibly likeable character. He's not racist, he's just not PC and Priest uses his dialogue to cleverly educate readers. It was a genius move that the filmmakers decided not to utilise when they introduced a version of the character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I understand why they didn't, but it seemed a shame to me.
I moved the release of this post forward a few weeks due to the news of the loss of Chadwick Boseman, who I felt was perfectly cast as T'Challa for the films. Christopher Priest's stories definitely influenced the MCU's Panther mythology, but I'd forgotten that a chunk of the story leads very heavily towards the impending death of the Black Panther in the comics with T'Challa facing his mortality and deciding how it should affect Wakanda. I was going to subtitle it 'Wakandan Knights' due to the characters relaunch as part of the original Marvel Knights line in 1998, but only twelve issues came under that banner. Instead, I chose to name it after the storyline Priest had been building towards which allowed him to introduce a new Black Panther to the Marvel Universe before the series was cancelled.
MCG Notes:
- Issue listings in blue & black: The must-read Black Panther stories from this time period, along with any often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
- issue listings in grey: Part of T'Challa's chronology, cameo appearances or stories of note that non-essential or no longer considered 'required reading'.
- Chronology: Every Black Panther appearance from this period is included in chronological order - mapping out his timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
- Spoilers: The are some spoilers in the story synopses, though I've tried to keep them to a minimum - just be warned!
- 1966-1974: King of Wakanda
- 1974-1998: Panther's Prey
First appearance of Reverend Doctor Michael Ibn al-Hajj Achebe, White Wolf (Hunter), Zuri, the Dora Milaje (Nakia & Okoye) and the Hatut Zeraze; Everett K Ross of the US State Department is assigned to King T'Challa, the Black Panther, when he visits America and a Wakandan-funded housing operation is revealed to be a money laundering operation for drug cartels; the Black Panther and the Dora Milaje take on the gangs; Achebe uses the Black Panther's absence from Wakanda to take over the country with help from Mephisto and the Panther's step-mother, Queen Ramonda; the Black Panther clashes with this adopted brother, the White Wolf, as well as Mephisto himself in his efforts to win back the throne.
Black Panther #19[2/2] (2000)
The Black Panther tackles a New York gang.
Daredevil #8 (1999)
Black Panther cameo; the Panther attends Karen Page's funeral.
Contest of Champions II #1-2, 4-5 (1999)
The Black Panther is drawn into the Contest of Champions run by the benevolent 'Coterie'; the Panther is one of the first to realise the aliens aren't who they say they are, but the distractions costs him the win in his one-on-one fight with Captain America.
Black Panther #6-7 (1999)
The new Kraven the Hunter (Alexei 'Alyosha' Kravinoff) is hired by the White Wolf to capture the exiled Black Panther; Kraven is defeated but the Panther is quickly confronted by some very angry Avengers.
First appearance of 'Danny Vincent' (Manuel Vicente); Riots erupt on the streets of New York, stirred by Achebe; the Black Panther is reunited with his ex-girlfriend Monica Lynn in a very unexpected way; the Black Panther admits he originally accepted membership among the Avengers to spy on them, leading him to reject his membership during ENEMY OF THE STATE.
Avengers #19-22 (1999)
Alkhema's attack on the Wakandan Design Group who build the Avengers' Quinjets leads to the Black Panther allying himself with the team again as they travel to Slorenia to face Alkhema's creator, Ultron, during ULTRON UNLIMITED.
The Black Panther finds himself at odds with Captain America when he searches for the factions within the US Government who have allied with Achebe; Cap ultimately helps the Black Panther free Wakanda from Achebe's control during ENEMY OF THE STATE.
Black Panther #13-14 (1999-2000)
First appearance of Queen Divine Justice (Ce'Athauna Asira Davin); Nakia is thrown out of the Dora Milaje by the Black Panther and falls into Achebe's hands; Erik Killmonger returns and hires Hydro-Man to attack the Panther.
An African-American representative of the Jaberi tribe, Queen Divine Justice, saves the Black Panther and Everett K Ross from a rampaging Hulk by befriending him; Ross is sent back to Wakanda to act as T'Challa's stand-in, only to be confronted by Killmonger during HULK SMASH: WORLD TOUR.
Black Panther #16-17 (2000)
Power Man, Iron Fist, Black Goliath, Brother Voodoo and Falcon team up with the Black Panther against Nightshade, Cottonmouth, Cockroach Hamilton, Boss Morgan and Stiletto; Everett K Ross finds out his girlfriend (and boss) Nikki Adams used to date the Panther; Ross accidentally surrenders Wakanda to Erik Killmonger; Hulk goes clubbing with Queen Divine Justice.
Generation X #59 (2000)
Black Panther cameo; Synch is excited to see the Black Panther bounding through New York when Generation X visit the city for the day.
Avengers #23 (1999)
On better terms with the Avengers, the Black Panther trains with the team and agrees to share his information on Vibranium with Iron Man.
Fantastic Four #27 (2000)
Black Panther cameo; the Panther expresses his concerns about the Invisible Woman's marriage to Doctor Doom during WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE.
The BLack Panther battles Erik Killmonger for the fate of Wakanda; Everett K Ross inadvertently causes the Panther's defeat; Brother Voodoo turns to Moon Knight for help.
Black Panther #21-22 (2000)
Deadpool #44 (2000)
Black Panther #23 (2000)
First appearance of Erik Killmonger as Black Panther; Brother Voodoo and Moon Knight save the Black Panther from Nightmare's realm; as the Black Panther, Killmonger travels to America to insist on membership in the Avengers; Achebe hires Deadpool to kidnap Killmonger's leopard, Preyy, during CAT TRAP.
First appearance of Nakia as Malice; as Malice, Nakia tries to kill the Black Panther for Killmonger, catching Nikki Adams in the crossfire; the Panther tries to restore Adams with the Wakandan Resurrection Altar, but ends up clashing with aliens planning on using it to escape Earth; Killmonger is ousted from Wakanda; later, Storm of the X-Men comes to Wakanda to visit the Black Panther during MAXIMUM SECURITY.
Black Panther #26-29 (2001)
Storm and the Black Panther try to save a Deviant child from a rogue federal agent, leading to the Deviant leader Ghaur declaring war on Wakanda; the situation escalates with Doctor Doom of Latveria, Magneto of Genosha and Namor the Sub-Mariner of Atlantis becoming involved; the Black Panther learns of Klaw's role in manipulating the situation against Wakanda.
Black Panther #57-58 (2003)
The Black Panther steps in when someone tries to claim the throne of Dakenia by murdering the country's monarch.
Flashback's reveal the first time Captain America (Steve Rogers) visited Wakanda in World War II; Nightshade resurrects the Black Dragon who switches Everett K Ross' mind with his own, transforming its original body to resemble Mephisto's; Malice teams up with Man-Ape to make another attempt on the Black Panther's life; the Black Panther hires Dakota North as a bodyguard for Monica Lynn.
Avengers #43 (2001)
Black Panther cameo; the Black Panther battles AIM on the Avengers' behalf during THE KANG DYNASTY.
Black Panther #34-36[1/4], 37-38 (2001-2002)
First appearance of the Black Panther of Earth-1145 and the Black Panther of Earth-11236; the Black Panther takes on the Man-Ape and an apparently evil Everett K Ross; Man-Ape reveals the existence of the 'true' Black Panther, claiming T'Challa to be an imposter; the Panther resumes his battle with 'Mephisto'.
The Black Panther battles a mind-controlled Iron Fist and finally faces the Black Dragon during 'NUFF SAID.
Black Panther #40 (2002)
Everett K Ross is freed from the Black Dragon's control and Nightshade's plan is ruined; the Black Panther of Earth-1145 makes himself at home in Wakanda.
Thunderbolts #57 (2001)
Black Panther cameo; the Panther is among the heroes held in stasis by Graviton.
Deadpool #61 (2002)
Black Panther cameo; the Black Panther attends Deadpool's funeral during 'NUFF SAID.
Captain America #50[6/8] (2002)
Black Panther cameo; the Panther attends Captain America's funeral.
JLA/Avengers #2 (2003)
Black Panther cameo; the Panther assists the Avengers when they clash with a team of alternate universe heroes called the Justice League; the Black Panther easily takes Blue Beetle down.
The Order #5-6 (2002)
The Black Panther is among the Avengers who take on the rogue former-Defenders during ONCE MORE, THE END.
First appearance of XCon; first appearance of Manuel Vicente as Junta; Wolverine and the Black Panther clash with Iron Man while XCon try to take over Stark Enterprises; Wakanda commit an act of war against Canada, stirring Alpha Flight into action; the two Black Panthers are sent back in time by King Solomon's Frogs and end up teaming up with Wild West heroes Kid Colt, Rawhide Kid, Sundance and the Two-Gun Kid as well as Thor against Loki.
Avengers #57-61 (2002-2003)
First appearance of Scorpio; first appearance of Avengers Mansion as the Avengers Embassy; the United Nations call in the Avengers when the new Scorpio starts making world capitals vanish and uses the Scorpio Key to split the In-Betweener apart; having defeated Scorpio, the UN grant the Avengers 'world power' status, upsetting the US Government.
The Black Panther learns he's going to die due to a brain tumour; T'Challa makes plans for Wakanda in the face of his own demise; a Black Panther dies at the hands of the Man-Ape.
Black Panther #50-51 (2002-2003)
First appearance of the new Black Panther (Kevin 'Kasper' Cole); police officer Kasper Cole finds a Black Panther suit and uses it in his efforts to take down the 66 Bridges Gang.
MCG Note: T'Challa does not appear in these issues.
First appearance of Triage (Nigel Blaque); Kasper Cole tracks down T'Challa while he hides out in New York, waiting to die; the new Black Panther clashes with 66 Bridges gang member Triage, the White Wolf and the NYPD.
Black Panther #59-62 (2003)
First appearance of Kasper Cole as the White Tiger; the new Black Panther teams up with the Falcon against the 66 Bridges; Kasper Cole decides to continue being the Black Panther but has to fight Erik Killmonger to keep his title; having found a way to remove his brain tumour, T'Challa reclaims the role of the Black Panther and makes Kasper an acolyte, giving him a new costume and naming him the White Tiger during THE CREW.
Marvel Holiday Special #1[3/4] (2007)
Black Panther cameo; the Black Panther explains a little about how they celebrate Christmas in Wakanda.
The Black Panther returns to the Avengers to help find a way to stop a deadly red cloud of dust from spreading across America only to discover it's American-made; the Black Panther escape the US Army; the Red Skull is revealed to be the mastermind behind the virus and explains his plan to frame Wakanda; the Falcon and Black Panther defeat the Red Skull and the threat is ended by the Scarlet Witch.
Iron Man #75 (2004)
Black Panther cameo; the Panther is present when Tony Stark's new role as US Secretary of Defense calls the Avengers' UN status into question.
Iron Man #79 (2004)
Black Panther cameo; the Black Panther is present when Tony Stark is sworn in.
Iron Man #84-85 (2004)
The Avengers - including the Black Panther - assist Iron Man against the rampaging Arsenal Alpha during AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED.
X-Statix #26 (2004)
Black Panther cameo; the Black Panther attends the X-Statix farewell party.
Wonder Man: My Fair Superhero #5 (2007)
Black Panther cameo; the Black Panther attends a party at Avengers Mansion.
Avengers #500-503 (2004)
The Black Panther is present when the Avengers come under attack from Ultron, the Kree and even She-Hulk before discovering the true threat is one of their own; the Black Panther doesn't play a big part in the story, but this does mark the end of his tenure as a member of the Avengers for quite some time during AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED.
Further entries covering the Black Panther's chronology will be added here:
- 2005-2009: The Wedding (2005-2009)
- 2009-2015: The Most Dangerous Man Alive (2009-2015)
Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection
Include Black Panther #1-62 and Deadpool #44.Avengers Assemble vol.2
Avengers by Kurt Busiek & George Perez Omnibus vol.1
Avengers: Ultron Unlimited
Include Avengers #19-22.
Avengers vol.1: World Trust
Includes Avengers #57-61.
Avengers vol.2: The Red Zone
Includes Avengers #66-70.
Avengers Disassembled
New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: The Complete Collection vol.1
New Avengers Omnibus vol.1
Include Avengers #500-503.
Black Panther: The Client
Marvel Knights: Black Panther by Priest & Texeira - The Client
Collect Black Panther #1-5.
Black Panther: Enemy of the State
Collects Black Panther #6-12.
Deadpool Classic vol.6
Deadpool Classic Omnibus
Deadpool: The Adamantium Collection Slipcase
Include Black Panther #23 and Deadpool #44.
Avengers: The Vibranium Collection Slipcase
Includes Avengers #19-22, 66-70.
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