Marvel's Black Panther comics reboot is already more popular than the publisher expected (and it hasn't even come out yet)

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A good hero knows when to ask for help, and ahead of Marvel's upcoming reboot of T'Challa in Ultimate Black Panther #1, the publisher is calling for help from its printers. One week ahead of the book's release, Marvel has signalled to retailers that its print run wasn't enough and that the publisher is beginning to take orders on a second printing to be rushed to stores.

While the print run for Ultimate Black Panther #1's first printing won't be revealed by the publisher (a trend for superhero comic publishers), the decision to greenlight a second printing a week before the product is even out - especially for a notoriously financially conservative publisher like Marvel - signals the demand for the book is far exceeding what the company thought it would be when the print run was initially set in December 2023.

Ultimate Black Panther is the latest in a series of high-profile reboots Marvel Comics is doing of its most popular franchises. This one, by writer Bryan Edward Hill and artist Stefano Caselli, re-imagines not just T'Challa but the various Marvel threads that weave its way through the continent of Africa, including the X-Men hero Storm and the Egyptian hero Moon Knight.

Ultimate Black Panther #1 goes on sale February 7, with a second printing (and the second issue) due out March 13. The first four issues are already planned to be collected in an Ultimate Black Panther Vol. 1 softcover coming out October 1.

Here's the best Black Panther comics you can find.