Black Panther – Tales of Wakanda is a must-read anthology for Marvel fans

Marvel has a long history with its character Black Panther. The king of the fictional country of Wakanda has been a Marvel Comics character for decades, but it wasn’t until recently that he exploded in popularity. The MCU brought him to the screen in Captain America: Civil War with the late Chadwick Boseman playing the role. And he later starred in his own solo film in 2018, really bringing the character to new heights in his popularity.

With that being said, the demand for more Black Panther has been at an all-time high. And that’s where Black Panther – Tales of Wakanda fits in to satisfy those Wakanda stories craving.

The official title of the book is Black Panther – Tales of Wakanda: A Ground-Breaking Anthology from the African Diaspora. And this exciting read (sent to us courtesy of Titan Books) is an anthology absolutely filled to the brim with brand new stories from the world of Wakanda. The book features a whopping total of 18 stories, each written by authors of the African diaspora. And that, in and of itself, is a remarkable feature of this book: giving voices to those who are not just diverse because they are Black but because of the various cultural backgrounds and experiences they bring to the table.

The stories, too, cover a broad range of plots and characters. Of course, we get to cover the perspective of T’Challa as he faces the difficulties of being a king in a modern era. Much like the Black Panther in the movie, he struggles to figure out what it means to be both a leader and a hero. But even then, there are a wide variety of other characters who we get to go inside the minds of — because the supporting cast of characters gets tales as well. That includes Shuri, Okoye and Killmonger. In fact, a Killmonger story, from writer Cadwell Turnbull, one was a favorite of mine for the way that it explored the many facets of the troubled character who goes by many names.

You’ll also come across other characters such as the Dora Milaje’s Okoye and Ayo, and even W’Kabi. Plus, there are a wealth of other characters who will grow on you in these stories who are certainly not your T’Challas and Shuris — but the authors make sure to give even their smaller characters the same complexities as the more popular ones. Oh, and for the Marvel fans, there are also more cameos in store from heroes outside of the Black Panther universe, but I’ll leave you to find those out on your own!

One thing to note, this book is not based in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther world. It’s based more so on the comic book lore of Black Panther. And as many fans know, when movies are translated into film, some tweaks are made to the story for various reasons. But regardless of what canon it uses, the stories are completely immersive, and I enjoy that we get to read stories that are centralized around Africa and the Black experience — in the Marvel universe, to boot!

Still, if you’re more of a fan of the MCU than the comic world, don’t let that deter you from reading. I barely knew much about the comic book lore myself. But as long as you know the characters, you should still be able to enjoy the stories. And piece by piece, it will begin to make more sense. Even then, the stories have a beautiful way of keeping you glued to the pages that even if this weren’t a Marvel book, you would still be interested in the stories that unfold.

The book in hardcover print is nearly 500 pages, so it definitely isn’t a quick read for most. But that just gives you the opportunity to savor this book, story by story. Each story can be read in one sitting, so you can choose to read multiple at a time if you like. But with this being an anthology of short stories, it’s the kind of book you can hop in and out of at any time.

Credit must be given to all the fantastic authors involved. Jesse J. Holland (Who is the Black Panther?) edited the book and penned a story, and the other stories are written by these 17 additional authors: Sheree Renée Thomas, Nikki Giovanni, Tananarive Due, Cadwell Turnbull, Alex Simmons, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Linda D. Addison, Kyoko M., Danian Jerry, Glenn Parris, Milton J. Davis, Troy L. Wiggins, Christopher Chambers, Harlan James, L.L. McKinney, Maurice Broaddus, and Temi Oh.

For Black Panther and Marvel fans, you’ll want to grab Black Panther – Tales of Wakanda. The book is out now wherever books are sold.