Spinning out of Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch’s Ultimate Invasion, it’s the dawn of a new ULTIMATE UNIVERSE and with it comes an all-new ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER series from the creative minds of Bryan Hill (Blade, Killmonger) and Stefano Caselli (X-Men Red, Avengers).
Hitting stands in February, this bold new take on Black Panther sees the legendary nation of Wakanda still isolated and kept secret from the world at large. When Khonshu and Ra – the force known together as Moon Knight – seek to expand their brutal control of the continent of Africa, Black Panther is forced to take his people out of the shadows for the first time! In addition to T’Challa, readers will also meet new Ultimate versions of Okoye, Shuri, Killmonger, Storm, and more in this rousing saga of duty, sacrifice, and love. Fans can get the first glimpse at the cast bracing themselves for war in the all-new ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER trailer, featuring never-before-seen artwork.
“I was invigorated by this opportunity because in addition to my immense respect for Jonathan Hickman’s detailed storytelling, the idea of shepherding this bold new take on Black Panther in this event gives me a platform to do the kind of broad, epic, storytelling I’ve always wanted to do in comics,” Hill said.
“My influences range from the history of BLACK PANTHER comics to Ryan Coogler’s incredible work with the recent films, to Frank Herbert’s worldbuilding capacity of Dune,” he added. “This is something people won’t expect, in the best of ways, and full credit to Marvel and editors Wil Moss and Michelle Marchese for bringing this creative possibility to me.”
Following next month’s ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER will be the second launch in Marvel’s new Ultimate line. The saga began with the Maker, one of the last survivors of the old Ultimate Universe, travelling back in time on a parallel Earth to create a world without heroes. He succeeded and ruled this world in secret through various global factions. Now, he’s vanished, and a quiet war has broken out across the planet to shape what will happen to his kingdom. Some want to control the world. Some want to free it. After discovering the dark truth, a young Tony Stark embarks on a bold mission to make things right. Meanwhile, Wakanda stirs, pressured from internal and external forces to take its rightful place on the global stage… Filled with modern takes on classic Marvel ideas and characters, the new Ultimate Universe is ripe for rich storytelling and a perfect evolution of the Ultimate brand. See it grow and develop in upcoming issues of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER, and March’s ULTIMATE X-MEN along with more Ultimate titles launching in the months ahead.
Check out some of the covers of ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER #1 along with the ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER #2 cover and preorder the series at your local comic shop today! For more information, visit Marvel.com.
