A fitting tribute for a King.
Readers on the online comic retailer Comixology this weekend have discovered something remarkable: nearly every single issue of all of the retailer’s Black Panther books is free. Ranging from early in the character’s history to contemporary releases, this library is an expansive glimpse into one of Marvel’s most complex, storied, and, at this point, popular characters, from his messy origins to his modern glories.
This move, which does not appear to have been announced previously, is almost certainly intended as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who passed away unexpectedly last weekend after a long, private battle with colon cancer. Boseman’s turn as T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe brought the character to a wide audience, and Black Panther in particular was widely acclaimed and stunningly good, possibly the most significant moment for the character ever.
[referenced id=”1355884″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/09/chadwick-boseman-remembered-by-marvel-and-ryan-coogler-in-powerful-new-tributes/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/01/b3bpafgrmmzdhystrhtv-300×169.jpg” title=”Chadwick Boseman Remembered by Marvel and Ryan Coogler in Powerful New Tributes” excerpt=”Chadwick Boseman, one of the best actors of this generation, passed away over the weekend at age 43 due to colon cancer. He was taken too soon, too suddenly, and his loss has been felt everywhere.”]
So, in honour of Boseman’s stunning performance and influential, inspirational life, giving a broad audience a chance to seek out Black Panther source material is absolutely a wonderful move. To find the books, search for Black Panther at comixology.com and click on Single Issues. Do note, the site is having some trouble as of press time — it’s possible this promotion has brought in a lot of new readers, which is great but also possibly a problem for the site’s back-end.
If you want any recommendations, I’d be remiss not to recommend Rise of the Black Panther, a six-issue miniseries by former Gizmodo writer Evan Narcisse. It’s great stuff.