Writing Black Panther: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Representation Struggles (Black Literary and Cultural Expressions)

A timely look at contemporary African American creative works through the lens of Ta-Nehisi Coates's ground-breaking entry into the comic book industry.Writing Black Panther traces Ta-Nehisi Coates’s presence in comic books from 2015-2023, focusing on his contributions as the writer for Black Panther.His ambitious 50-issue run of the Marvel comic coincided with ongoing and multifaceted debates concerning diversity and inclusion - what we might call representation struggles - at a key moment in the history of comics with respect to Black writers.Howard Rambsy II locates Coates’s contributions at the intersection of African American literary studies and comic book studies, showing a dynamic convergence that redefines both fields and broadens the scope of Black creativity.Writing Black Panther demonstrates key aspects of Coates’s comics narratives that overlap with major themes and topics in African American literature.These include the depiction of multiple Black characters, exploration