Black Panther #1: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Black Panther (Vol. 6) No 1 features the story "A Nation Under or Feet," written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, with art by Brian Stelfreeze. The issue is the first of an 18 issue run (2016-2017) featuring the titular superhero.

Black Panther is a superhero created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, who first introduced the character in Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four #52 (1966.)

The alter ego of T'Challa, genius ruler of the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, Black Panther is considered the first black superhero to be featured in mainstream American comics.

In 1968, he was added to the roster of Marvel Comics' super-group, The Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. After headlining stories in Jungle Action the character was given his own ongoing series in 1977. This issue from that run features a story scripted and penciled by Jack Kirby.

Black Panther remains a mainstay of Marvel Comics, appearing in comics as well as in various media properties. In film, the character has been featured within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including 2018's Black Panther.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an award winning writer who recieved a MacArthur Genius Grant in 2015.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 2016
• maker: Marvel Comics
• Object Name: comic book
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Physical Description: ink (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 10 1/8 in x 6 5/8 in; 25.7175 cm x 16.8275 cm
• Subject: Comics
• Subject: African American
• ID Number: 2018.3072.01
• catalog number: 2018.3072.01
• nonaccession number: 2018.3072
• Credit Line: Gift of Shannon Perich
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.