Despite being a titan of pop culture, Marvel has still garnered their fair share of criticism, specifically regarding its lack of racial and gender diversity. There’s just an awful lot of white dudes on their roster, and there are so many different stories that could be told.
Well, Marvel apparently took the criticism to heart and is taking steps toward growth, because they have enlisted The Atlantic journalist and best-selling author Ta-Nehisi Coates to pen the next round of Black Panther comics. Coates may be best known for his longform culture essays and for his recent book, Between the World and Me, but the man is a huge comic nerd.
He spoke to Vulture about the importance of comics last year, and interviewed Marvel Entertainment director of content and character development Sana Amanat about the importance of Kamala Khan, the wildly popular Muslim Ms. Marvel, this summer. A glance through Coates’ Twitter feed will establish his love of comics, as well. While he may be known for heavier work, Coates is confident that his style will work well with Marvel, telling The New York Times:
“I don’t experience the stuff I write about as weighty,” he said. “I feel a strong need to express something. The writing usually lifts the weight. I expect to be doing the same thing for Marvel.”
The year-long storyline, “A Nation Under Our Feet,” is based on the 2003 book of the same name by Steven Hahn and will feature the art work of Brian Stelfreeze. There is no official release date yet, but look for it at the beginning of next year.
(Via The New York Times)