Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda by Linda D. Addison, Maurice Broaddus, Christopher Chambers, Milton J. Davis, Tananarive Due, et al.
A Review By: SY
T'Challa faces the gods of his parents. Vampires stalk Shuri and a Dora Milaje in voodoo-laced New Orleans. Erik Killmonger grapples with racism, Russian spies, and his own origins. Here are eighteen brand-new tales of Wakanda, its people, and its legacy. The first mainstream superhero of African descent, the Black Panther has attracted fans of all races and colors who see in the King of Wakanda reflections of themselves. Storytellers from across the African Diaspora—some already literary legends, others rising stars—have created for this collection original works inspired by the world of the Panther. With guest stars including Storm, Monica Rambeau, Namor, and Jericho Drumm, these are stories of yesterday and today, of science and magic, of faith and love. These are the tales of a king and his country. These are the legends whispered in the jungle, myths of the unconquered men and women and the land they love. These are the Tales of Wakanda. This collection features stories by Linda D. Addison, Maurice Broaddus, Christopher Chambers, Milton J. Davis, Tananarive Due, Nikki Giovanni, Harlan James, Danian Jerry, Kyoko M., L.L. McKinney, Temi Oh, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Glenn Parris, Alex Simmons, Sheree Renée Thomas, Cadwell Turnbull, and Troy L. Wiggins.
Review Notes:
Audio Book Publication Year: 2021
An installment in a Series? No
Narrator (s): J.D. Jackson, Joy Sunday
T’Challa faces the gods of his parents. Vampires stalk Shuri and a Dora Milaje in voodoo-laced New Orleans. Erik Killmonger grapples with racism, Russian spies, and his own origins. Eighteen brand-new tales of Wakanda, its people, and its legacy.
"Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda" is a collection of independent but connected stories to Marvel's popular comic book franchise. Each of the installments provides an interesting twist or creative expansion combining the reality we’ve come to know of the story and the magic of what our minds can imagine. The plots continue to fuse together science with modern-day and futuristic life, while re-introducing familiar characters and launching new foes to the Wakandan empire. Joy Sunday and J.D. Jackson alternate voicing the authors’ contributions to the anthology. This was my first time with Ms. Sunday’s narration - while she is not quite as gifted with creating distinctive voices for multiple characters as some of her peers, her voice is melodic and her performances shined with the characters’ emotional moments and the sibling banter between T’Challa and his sister. J.D. Jackson flexes his acting chops to bring authenticity to the African-tinged accents and high drama in the action-filled scenes. Fans of the franchise will have fun listening to this one and will be pleased to hear that the political and social commentary, along with the glimpses of love, that have become central to the storyline are consistently present throughout the vignettes.
Reading Recommendation? Yes!
Rating: 4 (It's lit!)
Content Warnings? None
