At long last, I can announce the book I’ve been referring to for the past year as “redacted” and “secret IP project”: Black Panther: The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, my novelization of the comic run of the same name (written by Ta-Nehisi Coates; art by Daniel Acuna) is coming to shelves April 29th, 2025.

Below is the captivating, brilliantly designed cover.

MARVEL: BLACK PANTHER — THE INTERGALACTIC EMPIRE OF WAKANDA
By Suyi Davies Okungbowa | Publishing on April 29, 2025
ISBN: 978-0593723494 | Hardcover | 320 pages | $30.00

Long-time followers of the Black Panther comic run and lovers of sci-fi epics may recognize this story arc, but for those new to the game, here’s a primer:

Lost to time, space, and legend, Wakanda's rightful king must answer the call of rebellion…

On Earth, Wakanda is a beacon of prosperity and a bastion of freedom. But across the expanse of space, thousands of lightyears away, lies another Wakanda. One that has grown to hold five galaxies in its iron grip. One that steals the memories of those it enslaves. One that has abandoned the values of its forbearers and seeks only the glory and power of Empire.

Lost amongst unfamiliar stars, a man finds himself trapped in an imperial mining camp—one of the countless Nameless violated by the Empire. He knows not how he got there, who he is, or even his name. Only a haunting vision of a woman who he must have known once, imploring him to "Come back to me." The only thing he does know, in his bones, is that he must fight the oppression that binds him and the others around him.

It is that will to fight that leads him to the Maroons, a band of rebels, determined to shatter the Empire and restore the memories of the Nameless. Quickly, the man proves his worth with an unparalleled skill for battle, and the Maroons bestow on the man a title of hope, promise, and responsibility: T'Challa.

As T'Challa's reputation amongst the rebels and ordinary citizens spreads, whispers of hope begin to swirl. Could this be the true T'Challa of old, the Avenger? The one Who Puts the Knife Where it Belongs? As all eyes turn to him, T'Challa must decide if he will embrace a future of responsibility as their savior or pursue the mystery of his true past.

An unforgettable story brought to life in a fresh and compelling way, blending the best of all worlds—the superhero-as-genre, high-stakes cosmic adventure, inspired by Afrocentric Futurisms, all set against a backdrop of war, colonization, and the fight for freedom. As the initial Coates run was, I hope that the novel ends up as thought-provoking as it is action-packed.

Coda

I’ve respected the work of Ta-Nehisi Coates as a documenter of the American condition—and in tandem, the hegemonic conditions that stretch tentacles to reach all over the world—through his fiction, essays, journalism, speeches, etc. As an Afrodescendant sharing histories with Afrodescendants all over the globe, I considered it a mandate to receive this work—this image of the Black Panther, and all its attendant complexities and complications—from the hands of someone who has done so much work to engaging with these concerns in various forms.

I’d already prepared this announcement to go out before I chanced upon Ta-Nehisi’s latest interview with CBS Mornings for his new book The Message, wherein he does more of what he’s always done—speak truth to power—despite the network’s cynical ambush by setting him up with an indignant, apologist co-host. His poise and insistence on centering the conversation on moral wrong, moral truth, reminded me of much of the questions I encountered in his Black Panther run. I could see where those questions came from; how, despite the complexities, an insistence on the sanctity of human life and rights shines through.

I could only hope to be so bold and so plain, and my hope is that this novelization pays homage to that.