The Panther's Rage is one of the first truly great Marvel story-arcs, but it's also one of the publisher's most overlooked.
Written in the pages of Jungle Action from 1973 onwards, Don McGregor and Rich Buckler's comic was revolutionary for its time, weaving a dark and intricate tale of conspiracy and deception that, much like Dennis O'Neil's seventies Batman series, heralded the beginning of the end of the Bronze Age of comics.
It was miles ahead of the other comics Marvel were then publishing, but its salience lies in both its influence off the page and in its expansion of Wakandan mythology. Killmonger (portrayed by Michael B. Jordan in the new film), was first introduced in the comic, and McGregor et al. did much to highlight the actual citizens of Wakanda themselves, exploring the nation's history while analysing the struggles of T'Challa's supporting cast, including his then spouse, who had only just arrived in his home country.
It's absorbing, atmospheric and a great experience from start to finish. It's also damn near the best Panther tale of all time, and one every comic book reader should have on their shelves.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
