The Dora Milaje are getting their own team-up comic, with Wakanda Forever: Amazing Spider-Man pairing the royal guard with the wall crawler. It’s an understatement to say Black Panther has been a financial hit, as the film is currently breaking records left and right. It’s passed most every superhero and Star Wars film at the box office, and may soon eclipse the entirety of the MCU at home. And for fans who can’t get enough of Wakanda, there’s plenty more to experience.
The entire third act of Avengers: Infinity War is in Wakanda, as the once-isolated nation will serve as the final battlefield for Thanos and his forces. T’Challa, Shuri, Okoye, and M’Baku will all be back, along with the rest of the Dora Milaje. We haven’t spent much time with the other members of the guard, but expect them to take on an expanded role in the years to come. After all, that’s exactly what’s been happening in the comics.
Vogue has revealed that Marvel will release a new miniseries focused on the Dora Milaje, specifically Okoye, Aneka, and Ayo. Titled Wakanda Forever, the book will be written by award-winning sci-fi author Nnedi Okorafor with illustrations by Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque. The covers, meanwhile, will be tackled by Terry Dodson. The first book will feature a team-up with Spider-Man, while the next two issues will involve the X-Men and Avengers. Below, you can check out the first cover along with sketches of the characters by Alburquerque.
This won’t be Okorafor’s first time tackling Wakanda. Best known for the novel Who Fears Death (which George R.R. Martin is turning into a TV show), Okorafor has also written for the digital series Black Panther: Long Live the King. She even tackled a story for Edge of Venomverse involving an alternate take on the Black Panther who’s a young girl who hosts a Symbiote. For the author, tackling the Dora Milaje outside of their time with T’Challa was a unique draw.
Wakanda has gone through a lot of changes in the comics, with both Aneka and Ayo leading a revolt of the Dora Milaje and becoming the Midnight Angels. They’ve come to an agreement with T’Challa, but there’s no telling where things will be from here on out. Of course, with Black Panther heading to space, it seems they were always destined to be on their own.
“Typically when you see them, they’re with T’Challa, representing and protecting him. 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.”
Though Aneka didn’t make it into Black Panther and Ayo was only in the background, Danai Gurira’s Okoye has become a breakout. She’ll have a key role in Avengers: Infinity War, with Okoye not trusting the Avengers when they come to Wakanda. The comic spotlight is also a great way to capitalize on the character’s success, especially given she’s been largely absent from Black Panther comics over the years. And pairing the Dora Milaje with some of Marvel’s biggest names just proves how essential the women have become to the comic book universe.
MORE: Avengers: Infinity War Set Visit Interview With Danai Gurira
Wakanda Forever: Amazing Spider-Man is expected to arrive this summer with the rest of Marvel’s fresh start.
Source: Vogue
