The Black Comic Lords checked in with Dr. Eve L Ewing and asked her a number of questions in advance of the release of book #2 of her Black Panther run.
To avoid being spoilery, she answered a few of our safer questions below.
[BCL] Given the controversy of the prior writer’s run, what made you decide to not do an immediate “fix”?
[EE] I am lucky as a writer to write across many genres, and when I write my books and many other projects, I write alone and I make all the decisions alone. But comics are a team sport, and canon is part of the game! With a character like T’Challa, whom many writers have had their hands on over several generations, there will always be decisions that I agreed with or that fit with my taste and others that are maybe not the route I would have taken. But regardless, with any character (unless it’s someone I’m inventing from scratch) my view is that my job is to pick up the ball and run– not to throw it away and say we’re playing a different game.
[BCL] The opening line on the introduction page indicates that “T’Challa will always be the Black Panther…”. Was this intentional to assuage the concerns of the “Cult Of Bast” [Black Panther comics stans] who feared Marvel was getting rid of T’Challa?
[EE] I don’t write that copy, Marvel editorial staff does, so I can’t speak to it!
[BCL] There have been a number of technical upgrades to T’Challa’s uniform over the years. Is his latest uniform still made of vibranium, or is he back to his “cotton t-shirt” version?
[EE] Still vibranium!
[BCL] What powers or abilities does Beisa have? Is there any cultural significance to her costume?
[EE] Beisa is an expert burglar, tactician, con artist/swindler, observer of people, all-around slippery character, and gymnast who is also an excellent fighter. She takes her super cool look from the beisa, an East African oryx. Shoutout to Chris Allen on the amazing design.
[BCL] What do you most want Black Panther fans to get from your run?
[EE] What I hope readers will get from my run is a new look at some parts of Wakanda we haven’t previously seen, and a view of T’Challa’s interior life. With all my characters, I want them to grow as people in the time we get to spend together. So I hope that T’Challa will stretch and grow. But I also want this to just be fun, a good time, and an accessible and interesting run that new fans and old can sink their teeth into.
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Black Panther #2 hits shelves this week and Black Panther #3 is still available for pre-order, so place that order now!
Want to hear more from Dr. Ewing? Check out our long form January interview with her!