Black Panther Corners the Crew

In the upcoming BLACK PANTHER & THE CREW, which debuts this April, readers will have a lot of excitement to look forward to. T’Challa working with Storm! Those two teaming up with an awesome group of heroes to take on street-level threats! A different kind of story for fans of all of these great characters.

Writer Yona Harvey lets us know what we can expect.

Marvel.com: In this story, we’ll get to see Black Panther and Storm teaming up with Luke Cage, Misty Knight, and Manifold. Did you enjoy writing a story with characters who don’t often get to team up?

Yona Harvey: I can never feel too sure how people will react to the story, but I’ve enjoyed the freedom of writing with characters we don’t often see teamed up. There’s less of a precedent for how the characters “should” behave in each other’s company. So this gave me a bit of wiggle room in terms of having a little fun with, say, dialogue, action, or even humor.

Marvel.com: T’Challa and Ororo, of course, have a lot of history. Did you get to explore their relationship, or did it factor in to the way the story played out?

Yona Harvey: Their relationship definitely factored into the story. I don’t consider it the dominant thread, but I did get to touch on it a little.

Marvel.com: It sounds like the death of an activist in Harlem will function as the catalyst for big things to come in the Marvel Universe. Can you tease anything about what we can expect?

Yona Harvey: Hmm. Without giving too much away, you can expect to get some insights about characters or entities that have had more impact on the MU than previously thought.

Marvel.com: As a poet, how does the process of writing comics compare to that of writing poetry?

Yona Harvey: Oh, my goodness. The process of writing comics feels so much more difficult! But I love a challenge. And it’s hella fun.

Marvel.com: Can you tell us a little about your experience working with artist Butch Guice and co-writer Ta-Nehisi Coates?

Yona Harvey: They’re both so talented and intelligent about what they do. They set the bar very high. So far, I haven’t worked as much with Butch as I have with Ta-Nehisi, but I certainly look forward to it. Working with Ta-Nehisi feels like having the best of both worlds. I learn a lot by reading his work for BLACK PANTHER, of course. But he’s also someone [whose] opinion I trust completely. He makes it easy to ask questions—especially if I feel stuck about some character or issue in the MU. He has this way of encouraging me while also giving essential, critical feedback. And we also have these great exchanges about comics in general. Even while we just casually talk, he gives me these great tutorials about comics.

Marvel.com: Would you like to tease or mention anything else?

Yona Harvey: Get prepared for some incredible artwork and exciting adventures. I hope readers will enjoy this story!

Yona Harvey, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Butch Guice launch BLACK PANTHER & THE CREW into action this April!