With It's no secret that Shuri is the new Black Panther, but some audiences are surprised to find the creative decision goes all the way back to 2010 during the Doomwar event.
While Shuri's time as the Black Panther has been rather limited in the comics, there are a number of storylines which feature her and her brother. Regardless of who possesses the Black Panther mantle, Redditors have noted that the best Black Panther comics focus on the character's relation to the nation of Wakanda.
Fantastic Four #52
While many modern readers have difficulty reading comics from the 1960s, AdrenIsTheDarkLord enjoys "the classic Lee/Kirby" books, calling them "wacky and insane, but very enjoyable." Among the fabled tomes from Marvel's godfathers is Black Panther's debut in Fantastic Four #52, which sees the hero team up with Marvel's First Family to stop Ulysses Klaw from draining Wakanda dry of its vibranium.
Beyond simply introducing audiences to Black Panther, Fantastic Four #52-53 are essential reading due to how tastefully T'Challa and his country are portrayed. He bested the individual of The Fantastic Four when testing their fighting skills and allowed him to be the comic's hero when fighting Klaw, which shows how committed Lee and Kirby were to creating the first black superhero.
Who Is The Black Panther
Though not as beloved as Christopher Priest's run on Black Panther from the late '90s or as foundational as Don McGregor's work on the character during the 1970s, xaxzzzaz believes "Who is The Black Panther by Hudlin is a good choice" for new readers. The story spans the first six issues of Hudlin's run, and focuses on T'Challa's rise to the throne as he struggles with revenge against the man who killed his father.
What separates Who Is The Black Panther from other stories about the Wakandan king is the way in which it deconstructs the character. He largely serves as a ing role in the story while the citizens of Wakanda (including some of the best Black Panther characters not in the MCU) take center stage, showing how the Black Panther is more than just a hero in a mask, but a figurehead, symbol, and dedicated servant.
Black Panther Vol. 2
Despite being forgotten in the grand scheme of Black Panther comics, "The 1988 mini series by Peter B Gillis" is a good starting place, according to King_Nomarch. It was the first time T'Challa was given a solo series since the late 1970s, and saw the character go up against White Ape to reclaim his title as Wakanda's protector.
While Gillis' miniseries lacks the thrill of later Black Panther comics, the story is notable for pitting the King of Wakanda against apartheid. It's handled in a relatively blunt fashion which fails to go deep into the evils of the system, but the willingness for the comic to tackle such a (then) timely topic makes Black Panther Volume 2 a fascinating relic and important work in understanding how T'Challa has evolved.
Doomwar
One of the biggest events to feature the Black Panther as a lead character, Doomwar sees a conquered Wakanda plundered of its vibranium by Doctor Doom as Storm awaits execution. Only by teaming up with the X-Men and Fantastic Four can T'Challa and Shuri regain control of their country.
According to AmazingMrSaturn, Doomwar delivers because it covers "all the angst and friction that had built up in Wakanda since coming out to the world in a way that makes total sense today." It's an event with a natural genesis, and the conflict between Doom and T'Challa is riveting, considering their roles as monarchs — albeit one who rules through fear while the other through sacrifice.
The Man Without Fear
Redditor detourne writes "The Man Without Fear run was interesting," given that it builds off of T'Challa's sacrifice in Doomwar which put him at odd with his country. Now having lost favor with his people, T'Challa takes a leave of absence as leader and becomes protector of Hell's Kitchen following Daredevil's breakdown in Shadowland.
Though Man Without Fear is built upon the foundation of two other major Marvel comic events, the story itself is very easy to follow and offers a different glimpse into who T'Challa is as a person. He forces himself to live as a commoner to connect with the people he's protecting, and this choice results in some true gut punching sequences that make the King of Wakanda an even more sympathetic character.
See Wakanda and Die
While many Black Panther stories span several issues of a comic book and never truly resolve so much as they bleed into a new chapter, Jason Aaron's See Wakanda and Die is a nice exception. The story acts as a three issue tie in to Secret Invasion, and was described by WearTheFourFeathers as "***damn incredible. One of my all-time favorites."
See Wakanda and Die is one of the few Black Panther comics where the character faces off against an extraterrestrial force (in this case, the Skrulls) and gives T'Challa a new challenge to deal with. Most leaders would bow down before such an imposing force, but in the comic, T'Challa proves why he is a compelling and worthy king by standing up to the threat.
Rise of the Black Panther
A six-issue miniseries that was released to coincide with 2018's Black Panther, Rise of the Black Panther is a book that Worthiness deemed "real interesting" at the time of its publication. The comic focuses on T'Challa's rise to the throne following his father's death and sees the young king navigate through the strife that comes with his ascendance as the world learns about his wondrous nation.
Despite being one of several comics dedicated to Black Panther's origin, Rise of the Black Panther stands above its brethren thanks to the focus on family. The story's crux centers on T'Challa's self-doubt as he takes on the mantle of both king and Black Panther, yet his interactions with his mother are just as crucial to understanding the character as is his confrontations with the man who murdered T'Chaka.
A Nation Under Our Feet
According to AdrenIsTheDarkLord, "the first arc of the Ta-Nehisi Coates/Brian Steelfreeze run, [A Nation Under Our Feet] was phenomenal. Some of Marvel's best work in years." The comic focuses on T'Challa's efforts to hold Wakanda together following the arrival of a superhuman terrorist group, and sees the monarch team up with Storm and Luke Cage to put down the threat.
Though some have critiqued A Nation Under Our Feet as being inaccessible for new readers, many have praised the story as one of Black Panther's best comic arcs. It questions the usual power structures that most Black Panther books champion and forces T'Challa to reckon with the fact that he has been an absent leader during some of his country's most difficult times.
Panther's Rage
Jungle Action was the first ongoing comic series to be dedicated to Black Panther, and it's first story arc, "Panther's Rage" is frequently cited as one of the finest comics to feature the character. The story follows T'Challa as he attempts to secure the throne of Wakanda following a revolution that is instigated by Killmonger, one of Black Panther's most powerful villains.
The reason CrazyFinnishdude and others think "Panther's Rage" is great stems from the story's scope. Black Panther had never been involved in any major stories prior to becoming the star of Jungle Action, yet in the pages of the comic, he was given an operatic tale full of death and ion which treated the character as a hero on par with Spider-Man.
Enemy of the State
Christopher Priest's run on Black Panther is generally considered among the character's finest thanks to such sizzling stories, like The Client and Killmonger's Rage. The most heralded among his run for Redditor marcohtx, however, is "Enemy of the State 1 & 2," a story which sees the Black Panther stave off a coup d'etat with the help of the Dora Milaje.
While Enemy of the State is one of several storylines which focus on Black Panther attempting to hold on to the thrown, the story stands out for its bold choice in condemning global spy agencies in destabilizing countries. It's a creative decision that adds weight to the story' events and could potentially play out in Wakanda Forever.
