Jack Kirby's Grandson Reveals The Legendary Artist's First Sketch Of BLACK PANTHER

Jack Kirby's Grandson Reveals The Legendary Artist's First Sketch Of BLACK PANTHER Jack Kirby's Grandson Reveals The Legendary Artist's First Sketch Of BLACK PANTHER

Earlier this week, Black Panther became the first superhero movie in history to earn a "Best Picture" nomination at the Oscars and Jeremy Kirby has now shared his grandfather's first sketch of the hero.

By JoshWilding - Jan 24, 2019 02:01 AM EST
Filed Under: Black Panther
Black Panther made his comic book debut in the pages of 1966's Fantastic Four #52 but T'Challa could have had a very different appearance.

As you can see below, legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby's first take on the hero was a lot more colourful and if you're wondering why there's a "T" on his suit, it's because Kirby's original concept named him "Coal Tiger."

That was ultimately scrapped and he obviously became known as Black Panther instead, but the cape was carried over into the final design (it's easy to forget that the King of Wakanda used to wear one of those on a regular basis).

The Black Panther movie picked up an impressive seven Oscar nominations earlier this week, including "Best Picture" which is a first for a superhero movie (not even The Dark Knight managed to land a spot in that category back in 2009). It's a shame that neither Stan Lee or Jack Kirby
are here to see that, but you just know they're smiling down at that news. 

What are your thoughts on this early Black Panther design? Share your thoughts in the usual place.


BLACK PANTHER Director Ryan Coogler's Vampire Movie Begins Production - But The Title Is Kept Hidden
Related:

BLACK PANTHER Director Ryan Coogler's Vampire Movie Begins Production - But The Title Is Kept Hidden

Marvel's EYES OF WAKANDA Animated Series From Ryan Coogler Will Be Sacred Timeline Canon To The MCU
Recommended For You:

Marvel's EYES OF WAKANDA Animated Series From Ryan Coogler Will Be "Sacred Timeline" Canon To The MCU

DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2
RegularPoochie
RegularPoochie - 1/24/2019, 3:38 AM
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 1/24/2019, 4:11 AM
Kirby is a legitimate legend. The guy one one of the first and most prolific to get this exquisite corpus known as "comic books" going, and inspired so many to follow by touching so many generations of young lives.

Today, we benefit from the unbelievable harvest of creatives like Feige and his crew but it was Kirby and his generation that first sowed the seed.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 1/24/2019, 4:26 AM
OT

Mr Sunday is funny as [frick]

Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 1/24/2019, 5:22 AM
@BlackBeltJones - There was a moment that lasted about five minutes when I thought "I'm kind of interested in seeing what Glass is about, and why some people hate it", and then I watched the Bob Chipman review and all interest faded. The (mild?) spoilers in that video have only made me more certain about it.

It is genuinely frustrating to see the same "normals are afraid of what makes us special" theme get flogged so often in the genre. And it seems like it's more of a movie thing than a comic one (with one big X-ception). Unbreakable wasn't perfect, but it was at least novel seeing a super-story with a bare minimal amount of super in it, and the real moral questions of what someone's real-world obligations are under those circumstances. A lens on the genre that seemed eager to deconstruct, but ultimately couldn't do it. Neat stuff.

But (as much as I enjoy seeing McAvoy demonstrate why he's one of the ballsiest and talented performers working right now) it looks like the franchise didn't really have much more innovation to add to that first film.
LaserKing
LaserKing - 1/24/2019, 4:27 AM
First time seeing this. Very cool.
genenyc
genenyc - 1/24/2019, 6:36 AM
@LaserKing - Yes, I've been reading comics since the 70's and never saw this sketch before
LongMayHeReign
LongMayHeReign - 1/24/2019, 7:19 AM
@LaserKing - @genenyc

According to a couple people on here everyone has seen it so disregard this as anything special I guess. Sorry guys.
LaserKing
LaserKing - 1/24/2019, 2:03 PM
@LongMayHeReign - Darn it! Now according to a couple people on here I should also feel inferior as well :o)
aflynn
aflynn - 1/24/2019, 4:49 AM
Best Picture
aflynn
aflynn - 1/24/2019, 5:24 AM
Best Pitcher

LongMayHeReign
LongMayHeReign - 1/24/2019, 7:21 AM
@TheOscarPanther - SO TRUE!!!

Chaos200
Chaos200 - 1/24/2019, 5:35 AM
"He wanted to make a small contribution to equality and give readers a hero who looked like them. "

In reality he probably said something like "hey Stan, wouldn't an African superhero be really cool?" which is just as good if not a better reason for Panther existing.
Ha1frican
Ha1frican - 1/24/2019, 5:35 AM
This is not a reveal this has been out forever.
1 2
View Recorder