Black Panther #4

Jul 1977 · Marvel · 0.30 USD

📊 ~72,302 copies sold its debut month

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“Friends or Foes”

★ 1st appearance — Carnivore

About this Issue

Black Panther #4 (July 1977) is the issue in which Jack Kirby expands the cast of his solo T'Challa run most dramatically, delivering the first appearances of three members of the Collectors — Count Zorba, Colonel Pigman, and Silas Mourner — in a single chapter, while simultaneously bringing T'Challa into Narobia and formally introducing him to the full Collectors organization as a group. The story pivots the King Solomon's Frogs arc toward new territory: with the Brass Frogs destroyed, Kirby pivots T'Challa's adventure away from the time-machine MacGuffin and toward an entirely new quest — the legendary Samurai City — establishing the anthology-style serial structure that defines the run. As part of Kirby's mid-1970s return to Marvel and his reunion with the character he co-created alongside Stan Lee, the issue illustrates how Kirby recast T'Challa as a globe-trotting adventurer in the pulp-explorer mold, a storytelling choice that remains a distinctive and debated chapter in the character's publishing history.

In "Friends or Foes," Black Panther and his companions barely escape the collapsing ruins of King Solomon's Tomb, only to find themselves in the kingdom of Narobia. There, the Panther is drawn into a new mystery as he meets more of the enigmatic Collectors, who seek his help in locating a forgotten city of samurai. Written and illustrated by Jack Kirby, with inks by Mike Royer and colors by Irene Vartanoff, this 1977 Marvel classic features a cover by Kirby and Frank Giacoia, blending ancient intrigue with the Panther’s signature blend of diplomacy and danger.

writer, artist Jack Kirby · inker, letterer Mike Royer · colorist Irene Vartanoff · cover Jack Kirby, Frank Giacoia

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $8

CGC 9.8 · 94 in census $174

CGC 9.6 · 104 in census $59*

CGC 9.4 · 60 in census $59

CGC 9.2 · 44 in census $59

CGC 9.0 · 17 in census $29*

CGC 8.5 · 20 in census $29

Show all 16 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 11 in census $24

CGC 7.5 · 14 in census $24*

CGC 7.0 · 9 in census $24*

CGC 6.5 · 7 in census $24*

CGC 6.0 · 2 in census $24*

CGC 5.5 · 2 in census $24*

CGC 5.0 · 2 in census $24

CGC 4.5 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 none in existence

CGC 3.5 · 2 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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History

Jack Kirby launched the Black Panther solo title in late 1976 — the first ongoing series ever to star the character — as part of his broader return to Marvel after his celebrated but commercially troubled Fourth World tenure at DC. Kirby served as writer, penciler, and co-editor on the series, with Mike Royer inking and lettering the interiors, Frank Giacoia inking the cover of issue #4, Irene Vartanoff as colorist, and Archie Goodwin credited as co-editor (described in contemporary sources as a consulting editorial role meant to interface between Kirby's autonomous working method and Marvel's editorial office). Notably, Kirby began this series by wholly disregarding the ongoing Don McGregor storyline from Jungle Action, choosing instead to build a self-contained adventure universe populated with new characters like the Collectors, which gave the run its own distinctive flavor separate from the rest of the Marvel line.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Count Zorba (Andreas Zorba), a member of the Collectors, who would later resurface in Iron Man (Vol. 3) #21 as the villain Carnivore.
First appearance of Colonel Nigel Pigman, another member of the Collectors society.
First appearance of Silas Mourner, the third new Collector introduced in this issue.
The story, titled 'Friends or Foes,' is written, penciled, and co-edited by Jack Kirby; interiors are inked by Mike Royer, with Frank Giacoia inking the cover.
The issue concludes the King Solomon's Tomb/Brass Frogs storyline begun in issue #1: the Brass Frogs are destroyed, King Solomon's Tomb collapses, and T'Challa, Abner Little, and Princess Zanda escape to Narobia — setting up the next quest arc involving the Samurai City.
Princess Zanda, the ruler of the fictional African nation of Narobia and an established Collector since Black Panther #1, formally introduces T'Challa to the full Collectors membership in her royal palace; although her first appearance was in #1, her role as the group's de facto leader crystallizes in this issue.
The issue was reprinted internationally, including in the UK's Marvel Super Adventure #7 (1981), the Italian I Fantastici Quattro #231 (1980), the French L'Inattendu #15 (1979), and the Greek Μαύρος Πάνθηρας #4 (1978).
The entire Kirby run, including this issue, has been collected in the Black Panther by Jack Kirby Vol. 1 trade paperback (2005) and the Black Panther Epic Collection: Revenge of the Black Panther (2019).