CHADWICK REMEMBERED

Luis explains why cinematic King T’Challa was so important

The technological prowess of Iron Man, the fighting skills of Captain America, the noble heritage of Thor—Black Panther is a perfect mix of the founding members of the Avengers. Unfortunately, he has never really been treated as such.

This all changed in the Marvel cinematic universe when Chadwick Boseman brilliantly played King T’Challa. With a humble, understated grace, Boseman stole the scene every time he appeared on screen. Elegant and powerful, Boseman shined. He single-handedly changed the trajectory of a character who debuted more than 50 years earlier. Often an afterthought in the comics, T’Challa was now a star on screen. Black Panther quickly became Marvel’s highest-grossing solo film (over $700 million domestically far outpaces second place Captain Marvel at $426 million domestically).

Prior to Black Panther, the Marvel cinematic universe was not known for its diversity. The only significant characters of color were supporting players Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) and James Rhodes (Don Cheadle). That all changed significantly when Ryan Coogler—previously of Creed and Fruitvale Station—was hired to put together Black Panther. The movie turned into a celebration of African culture that was never before so accessible on film. The emotional anchor of the film was the awe-inspiring performances of Boseman and Michael B. Jordan. Two sides of the same coin, T’Challa and Erick Killmonger played off each other perfectly.

This filmed proved once and for all that diversity matters in every genre. For even more evidence of this look at Marvel’s upcoming slate of releases, Black Panther 2, Blade, The Eternals, and Shang-Chi, all centered around non-white leads.

With last week’s tragic and sudden passing of Chadwick, the Marvel cinematic universe will never be the same. He blessed us all with a careerdefining turn as the regal king of Wakanda. Robert Downey Jr. recently said, “Black Panther is hands down, it is the crowning achievement of the Marvel universe... It was the one where people got to vote with their ticket sales and say we require this overdue diversity.” He also remembered Chadwick as “humble, hardworking, and always having a smile on his face.”

Rest well, King. Wakanda forever.

Bill Sienkiewicz

ARTISTIC TRIBUTES

With the shocking and sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman at the age of 43 to a very private battle with colon cancer, the comic art community came out to pay tribute to the fallen star who inspired so many.

The great Bill Sienkiewicz painted the work of art on the left. “Such an incredible loss of an inspiring human being and gifted artist,” Sienkiewicz wrote. “This was one of the most diffi cult portraits I’ve ever done.”

I found the likeness on Rob Liefeld’s sketch below to be spot on. Liefeld is not generally known for his accurate likenesses, so I was blown away. —LV

Rob Liefeld

Visit Nikkolas.art to order prints

Nikkolas Smith

PAINTING PROCESS

I don’t know if I’d seen many of Nikkolas Smith’s viral pieces before his Chadwick Boseman. I randomly fl ipped to CBS This Morning and caught their interview of Smith in a story about protest art. “As an illustrator of color, Nikkolas is focused on creating captivating art that can spark important conversations in today’s world and inspire meaningful change,” according to nikkolas.com. He painted Martin Luther King Jr. in a hoodie after Trayvon Martin was murdered and has been working through headlines on a regular basis. Smith was a concept artist and theme park designer for Disney, so his style is friendly compared to the grotesque stories that inspired some pieces. Check out nikkolas.art for a better way to survey the range of his recent work. —MV

Movie poster for Stranger Fruit, a film by Jason Pollock that includes more illustrations about the way the media and police portrayed Michael Brown's death

Nikkolas Smith