[troutman]

I select in the Male Hero category, the King of Wakanda, T'Challa, THE BLACK PANTHER:

http://www.marvel.com/universe/Black_panther

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_(comics)

The Black Panther (T'Challa) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comicsuniverse. He is the first modern Blacksuperhero.[citation needed] Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966). Although there have been numerous men who have used the Black Panther identity during the history of the Marvel Universe, this article refers solely to the modern-day Black Panther, also known by his birth name, T'Challa.

Dwayne McDuffie on the 1970s "Black Panther" series: "This overlooked and underrated classic is arguably the most tightly written multi-part superhero epic ever. If you can get your hands on it (and where's that trade paperback collection, Marvel?), sit down and read the whole thing. It's damn-near flawless, every issue, every scene, a functional, necessary part of the whole. Okay, now go back and read any individual issue. You'll find seamlessly integrated words and pictures; clearly introduced characters and situations; a concise (sometimes even transparent) recap; beautifully developed character relationships; at least one cool new villain; a stunning action set piece to test our hero's skills and resolve; and a story that is always moving forward towards a definite and satisfying conclusion. That's what we should all be delivering, every single month. Don McGregor and company did it in only 17 story pages per issue".[63]

Journalist Joe Gross praised Christopher Priest for his characterization of the Black Panther, stating, that the writer "turned an underused icon into the locus of a complicated high adventure by taking the Black Panther to his logical conclusion. T'Challa (the title character) is the enigmatic ruler of a technologically advanced, slightly xenophobic African nation, so he acts like it". Gross applauded the title's "endless wit, sharp characterization, narrative sophistication and explosive splash panels".[28]

http://www.comicboards.com/blackpanther/

The Black Panther was my favorite hero growing up in the 1970s. Volume 2 in the 1990s by Christopher Priest is considered a landmark series.

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpos...&postcount=560

He is the current King of Wakanda, a technologically advanced African nation. He has been a member of the Avengers. T'Challa is currently in a coma - a new Black Panther (female) may take his place. Is it his wife Storm? His action figure is on my desk at work. Fans are critical of the new writer Reg Hudlin for breaking with continuity.

http://www.griffenaerie.com/blackpanther/home.html

http://www.marveldirectory.com/indiv...ackpanther.htm




History: T'Challa is the son of T'Chaka, late king of the African nation Wakanda. When lawless ivory hunter Ulysses Klaw murdered T'Chaka in an attempt to possess the country's rare Vibranium deposit, a grief-stricken T'Challa swore vengeance and succeeded in thwarting the butcher's raid. In the process, the young prince destroyed Klaw's hand.

Educated at the finest schools in Europe and America, T'Challa returned to his homeland bearing a degree in physics and ready to assume the mantle of leadership. To do so required he pass two tests: defeat six of Wakanda's greatest warriors in unarmed combat, and obtain the secret heart-shaped herb that grants the country's chieftains their powers. Successfully carrying out the dual challenge, T'Challa donned the ceremonial garb of the Black Panther, totem of the Wakandan people.