Like it or not, more and more it is obvious that geek is in vogue and that will not change anytime soon. That being said the plethora of shows and films continues to grow with the announcement of a release date for an upcoming weekly animated series starring one of the Avengers’ big guns, the Black Panther.
Episode 1 of the series, titled Black Panther: Who Is The Black Panther?, will be available for download starting June 23, 2010. The 12-episode series from Marvel Knights Animation is based on the graphic novel of the same title written by Reginald Hudlin with art by the power house of talent John Romita Jr.
One of the more interesting bits of news regarding this animated series is that it will be released through iTunes, Xbox LIVE, Microsoft Zune, and PlayStation® Network. So it is becoming more and more evident that the internet is a viable medium for comic animation and motion comics. Of course this leads to the question of how well can this sell without the proper advertisement and pushing it to non comic fans. Of course comic fans will probably see ads in their comics or will read websites that release this news, but will main stream audiences even hear about this at all? Can this lead to a bigger adaptation on the big screen?
Now what is really great to here and gets me excited for the series is what the creators had to say about the project.
Hudlin:
“Audiences get caught up on many levels – seeing John Romita Jr’s art come to life; the quality of the voice work by an award winning cast; the boldness of the politics, the music and humor. But see it for yourself!”
Romita Jr.:
“The reaction by any person, upon viewing footage of a black panther, is universal: Awe. There is no more elegant a creature on the face of the planet. The creation of the character by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, in a turbulent political time, maintained that quality. Reggie Hudlin’s updated version follows that and adds an amazing, cinematic flair to it. In my opinion, reading, and now viewing, the Black Panther series is much akin to witnessing a panther in person. Enjoy the elegance of the story, the elegance of the actors, their voices, their words, and….the imagery.”
If you want to watch the intro to the series, which until now has only been available to television viewers in Australia, check out our previous story about the series from January [read Video: The Black Panther Animated Series Intro]. Black Panther: Who Is The Black Panther? has the voice cast of Djimon Hounsou as Black Panther; Jill Scott as Storm, Kerry Washington as Princess Shuri; Alfre Woodard voicing both Dondi Reese and Queen Mother; and Carl Lumbly as Uncle S’Yan, with Stan Lee in a special role.
[Source: Marvel]
I remember seeing this at Comic-con in 2008 during a Marvel panel. It’s interesting that it has taken this long for it to air in the US.
Comment by Demonstrable — June 19, 2010 @ 5:32 pm