As both a poet and an avid comic reader, when I heard Ta-Nehisi Coates, Roxane Gay, and Yona Harvey were teaming up for Black Panther: World of Wakanda, I was thrilled. I went into my local comic shop and buzzed about it with the staff, also full of anticipation. Coates's Black Panther run has been incredibly successful, and each new issue sat at the top of my stack, but World of Wakanda was even more exciting. I've been a Bad Feminist devotee since its release and an active Twitter follower of Roxane Gay. Yona Harvey's poetry teaches me a distillation and gravitas that few poets can. Rarely have my nerd-self and my academic-literary-self both been so fed at the same time. Gay and Harvey are the first black female team at Marvel (and indeed, the first black female writers at Marvel), and World of Wakanda is centered on the black female experience in the fictional nation.
Set before the events of Black Panther, Gay's story explores the Dora Milaje, trained warriors who protect the Black Panther and the royal family. Aneka and Ayo's romantic relationship is set up in this first installment, a complex power dynamic between two flawed women. It's a testament to Gay's writing and artists Alitha E. Martinez and Rachelle Rosenberg that their longing for one another is palpable on the page. Issue #1 left me wanting to know more about their journey together, but I'm especially interested in the character of Folami. Folami begins as an initiate into the Dora Milaje in the same way Ayo does, but her power comes from knowledge and observation, not simply physical strength. This asset is recognized by leadership, but I'm most excited to see what becomes of it and who she becomes.
Harvey's comic follows Zenzi, a villain in the Black Panther universe, though Harvey herself cautions against using the word "villain" too quickly. Zenzi's power to make people see their greatest fears leads her to seek liberation, not only for herself but for the nation of Niganda, stripped of its resources by its rich northern cousin, Wakanda. Again, artists Afua Richardson and Tamra Bonvillain are essential to this story, whose green and yellow tones compliment Zenzi's power and showcase her strength. Zenzi, like the Dora Milaje, is searching, and though we know her path will lead her into conflict with them, following that path will prove to be complicated literature.
World of Wakanda's next issue isn't out until December 21, but it's a thrilling time to love writers, writing, and comic books. Black Panther #8 is out now, and if you haven't been to a comic shop in awhile, you might find yourself surprised by the depth and diversity of the storytelling going on there. While there is still so much work to be done, World of Wakanda's queer black women are staking their claim of excellence in the Marvel universe.
World of Wakanda #1 cover by Afua Richardson
Sarah Gzemski is the Publicity and Publications Coordinator at the Poetry Center and the Managing Editor of Noemi Press. Her chapbook, Centralia, is available from Porkbelly Press.