Racism, Black Identity and Historical Trauma - an Analysis of Marvel’s Comic Book Series “The Panther v. The Klan”

Abstract

Black Panther is a character created by the Marvel Comics publishing house in 1966, widely recognized as the first black superhero of mainstream American pop culture. This thesis examines the revolutionary significance of Black Panther to American society through an analysis of his first stories, with a particular focus on the storyline of “The Panther v. The Klan” (1976). The object of the research of this paper is to demonstrate the deeper message and relevant socio-political issues of the 1970s, also reflected in the present day, in selected comic strips from Don McGregor’s “Jungle Action” series. The purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of Black Panther for American pop culture in the context of racism, black identity, and historical trauma. To achieve it, the following paper subjects primary sources, in this case, four comic book issues, as well as other available cultural texts, to critical analysis consistent with the methodology in qualitative terms. The study demonstrated the timelessness of the subject matter analyzed and confirmed the role of the Black Panther as a political symbol.