SIUE scholar’s new book explores cultural and literary impact of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s ‘Black Panther’

from St. Public Radio

 

In 2016, acclaimed Black American author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates entered the field of comic books with "Black Panther #1." It met with both fanfare and critique. In a new book, Howard Rambsy II argues that Coates’ take on the superhero story raised the profile and understanding of comics as an art form and affected opportunity for other Black writers. Rambsy, a literature professor at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, also talks about the ways Coates’ work illuminated the challenges of "attaining" representation in the comic book field.

Related: Writing Black Panther: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Representation Struggles