The Case for Coates as a Comic Book Writer -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II

A brief take on Ta-Nehisi Coates’s move into Marvel Comics, highlighting how his Black Panther run bridges African American literary continuums and comic storytelling while expanding the scope of Black artistic production across forms. 

Written by Howard Rambsy II
Read by Kassandra Timm

Transcript

We’ve read and discussed his blog posts. We read and discussed his long-form journalism. And his award-winning memoir Between the World and Me. And his novel selected for Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club. 

We should also make time for his work in comics.

You’re listening to Remarkable Receptions — a podcast about African American artistic production, the circulation of ideas, and more.

When Ta-Nehisi Coates entered the world of Marvel Comics, the moment marked a notable development in African American artistic production. Here was a best-selling journalist and memoirist moving into comic book storytelling, a shift that expanded both his creative range and the possibilities for Black representation in mainstream comics. His debut in April 2016 with Black Panther quickly drew widespread attention and became one of the most discussed comic releases of the year.

Coates’s Black Panther run proved especially significant because it positioned comic storytelling alongside an African American literary continuum. His narrative foregrounds a Black protagonist navigating power, identity, and responsibility, and thus links to topics explored in novels and autobiographies by African American writers. T’Challa’s introspection and development echo literary figures who struggle toward self-definition and cultural understanding.

For decades, African American literary studies has focused primarily on novels, poems, and essays. Yet comics by Black creators explore similar themes: cultural heritage, social justice, identity, community dynamics, kinship networks, Black cultural references and aesthetics. Expanding the scope of African American literary studies to include comics offers new opportunities for analyzing Black creativity across forms.

Coates’s stature amplified these possibilities. During the same period that he was writing dozens of comic issues, he remained a widely discussed public intellectual, known for essays, memoir, and fiction. His crossover presence brought additional visibility to comics and attracted readers who might not otherwise engage with the medium. In this sense, he served as a bridge figure connecting African American literary audiences with comic book storytelling.

His success on Black Panther led to a Marvel contract with Coates to also write Captain America. He concluded his run on Black Panther in May 2021 after writing fifty issues, a rare extended tenure for an African American writer at a major comic book company.

Coates’s work in comics represents an important expansion of African American artistic production. Making time to consider his work in comics means recognizing that some of the most compelling developments in contemporary African American artistic production appear in panels, speech bubbles, and vividly imagined worlds.

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This episode, written by Howard Rambsy, is adapted from his book Writing Black Panther: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Representation Struggles. The episode was edited by Elizabeth Cali and read by me, Kassandra Timm.

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