Comic Book Writer Confirms Okoye and Dora Milaje Spin Off!
When I tell you that the love for all things "Black Panther" is absolutely real out here, IT'S REAL! So real, in fact, that the female warriors of Wakanda, the Dora Milaje, are getting a "spin-off" comic battling along side Spider-Man!
Via Vogue:
"In Wakanda Forever: The Amazing Spider-Man, the Dora Milaje are finally getting their own arc, with Okoye, Ayo, and Aneka headed to New York to investigate a threat to national security, and connecting with Peter Parker in the process. Written by acclaimed sci-fi and fantasy author Nnedi Okorafor, with illustrations by Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque and Terry Dodson, the three-part comic will shed new light on the heroes who have become fan favorites. If the film whet viewers’ appetite for more adventures featuring the near invincible trio, the new series promises to deliver all that and then some.
“Typically when you see them, they’re with T’Challa, representing and protecting him,” Okorafor told Vogue. “Now you’re going to see the Dora Miljae for the first time as an independent entity; they’re not under the shadow of the throne.”Okorafor has already won Hugo and Nebula awards for her game-changing fiction, which explores themes of Afro-futurism and fantastical mythology inspired by Nigerian folklore, but she’s found stepping into the world of comics no less gratifying. “It’s been amazing, and I’ve learned so much along the way,” says Okorafor, whose first book for Marvel, Black Panther: Long Live the King,debuted last year. Presenting a vision of the African continent through the sci-fi lens felt completely natural. “I like to write the future; the Africa I feel can be and the Africa that will be, that has always been my vision,” she says. “With Wakanda, a place set in the present but with a futuristic outlook, it wasn’t a hard transition—it made a lot of sense.”
"Showcasing the complexity of the lead Dora Milaje—presenting them not just as elite warriors with the ability to take down super-villains but as people, with problems, insecurities, and internal struggles—also made perfect sense to the author, whose focus is always on the humanity within her superheroes. “I’m always interested in a challenge, so writing a narrative where it doesn’t feel heavy-handed but I can develop the characters through little subtle things [creates] my favorite moments,” says Okorafor. “You feel that you can relate to these characters, and feel they are real, not just iconic, but also human.”Translating an editorial vision into dynamic drawings involves constant collaboration with her team of illustrators, which Okorafor says is a welcome break for a writer. “Writing prose is a very solitary practice. Your editor comes in later on, but otherwise it’s typically solitary. Working with an illustrator is [completely] different,” she explains. “The final project is the result of the first really elaborate collaboration. It’s like a dance of multiple skills that produce these wonderful works.”
I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a comic book fan BUT I'm getting ready to be! As of this very moment, "Black Panther" has already brought in over a billion dollars to the box office worldwide and has swept opening week since it premiered. This film has definitely been a money maker and folks are jumping on the bandwagon to cash in!
