Road to Wakanda will come through Indianapolis

So, the road to Wakanda goes through Indianapolis?

Indianapolis resident Maurice Broaddus is writing one of the latest dives into Black Panther, the champion and king of Wakanda, Marvel Comic’s technologically-advanced African nation.

It’s part of Marvel’s Declassified series of stand-alone stories that kicks off with Iron Man in November.

Black Panther book

Broaddus’ book, “Black Panther: T’Challa Declassified,'' uses the character’s own words, in addition to notes, interviews, journal entries and state department and S.H.I.E.L.D. files,  Marvel said when announcing the project, calling it a “must-read for Marvel and Black Panther fans of all ages.”

That fan base spans a breadth of ages. The superhero was introduced in the comics in 1966 and is the titular character of a 2018 blockbuster movie.

But Broaddus’ readership is pretty broad, as well, as his work includes the urban fantasy trilogy The Knights of Breton Court; the steampunk novel Pimp My Airship; and the young adult novel The Usual Suspects. In 2020, AMC Networks announced it was adapting his 2020 novella “Sorcerers,”  about a hip-hop-inspired sorcerer, into a show.

Author Maurice Broaddus has Purdue, Indianapolis ties

Broaddus, 52, was born in London, but grew up in Indianapolis, the setting of much of his work.

The community organizer attended Purdue University, majoring in biology; and spent 20 years working as an environmental toxicologist before finding his way to teaching at Oaks Academy and then becoming its librarian.

This will be his second official Marvel Black Panther project. He'd already contributed a short story for inclusion in the “Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda” anthology that came out in 2022, the same year that “Sweep of Stars” the first novel in his Afrofuturist space trilogy Astra Black, pitched as “The Expanse” meets Black Panther.

He's also written for various Marvel role-playing games.

“So I was already on their radar,” he said.

'We're entering Wakanda'

An introductory video conference that showed him surrounded by Black Panther paraphernalia might have helped seal the deal, he said. Both his home office and his space at Oaks Academy, are loaded with Black Panther artwork and collectibles.

“Whenever the students come into my room, they’re always like, ‘We’re entering Wakanda.’ That’s been the running joke for the last couple of years,” he said.  “It’s only fitting that when the Marvel people saw the room, they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re the real deal.'’’

“I’m not playing around.”

Broaddus has been a lifelong Black Panther fan, but his appreciation of the character surged with the 1990s run written by Christopher Priest. The one that introduced many elements picked up in the movie, including the Dora Milaje security team and ally and CIA agent Everett Ross.

“I have almost all of his appearances all the way back to the beginning. So the challenge was how do I tell a new story that still rings familiar if you know a bit about Black Panther,” he said. “We think about Black Panther as a king. We think about Black Panther as a superhero, but I wanted to find out who is the man underneath all of that. What is his story? What is his motivation? Why does he take on this mantle and what does that look like for him as a man?”

Tapped for the job in December, Broaddus is in the midst of edits. “Black Panther: T’Challa Declassified,” goes on sale in January 2024.

“There’s a cultural wellspring that Wakanda and Black Panther taps into this idea of Afrofuturism; this whole idea Black people creating the future that we want to see and we want to be a part of," he said. "I'm a kid who grew up reading comic books; so the fact I get to write any superhero, much less my favorite superhero, that's a dream come true."

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter:@cherylvjackson.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis author is writing a Black Panther book for Marvel