Jungle Action #6
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeJungle Action #6 is the opening chapter of 'Panther's Rage,' the first Black Panther solo story and a Bronze Age landmark credited by comics historians as arguably the first self-contained, multi-issue superhero narrative conceived as a complete novel. The issue introduces Erik Killmonger — T'Challa's most enduring nemesis — whose moral complexity and deep personal grievance against Wakanda set a new standard for villain characterization in mainstream superhero comics. Writer Don McGregor's decision to anchor the story entirely in Wakanda, exploring its culture, politics, and people as a fully realized world, broke sharply from the tokenism that had defined the character's Avengers appearances and laid the thematic and structural groundwork that every subsequent Black Panther creator — from Christopher Priest to Ryan Coogler — would draw upon.
In "Panther's Rage," the Black Panther returns to Wakanda to find one of his mountain villages rising in rebellion, led by a defiant figure claiming the name Erik Killmonger. Written by Don McGregor and illustrated by Rich Buckler, with inks by Klaus Janson and colors by Glynis Wein, this pivotal 1973 issue sets the stage for a clash of ideals at Warrior Falls, where the Panther faces his most formidable challenger yet. The cover by Rich Buckler and Frank Giacoia captures the intensity of the moment, a 20-cent comic that marks a turning point in the character's story.
In "Panther's Rage," the Black Panther returns to Wakanda only to find a mountain village rising in rebellion, its leader a man claiming the name Erik Killmonger. The two clash at Warrior Falls, where the Panther is overpowered and sent tumbling from the cliff's edge.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series grew directly out of a creative intervention: Don McGregor, then working as a Marvel proofreader, flagged to the editorial staff that the relaunched Jungle Action title — a low-cost shelf-space grab built on Atlas-era reprints of white jungle-hero stories — was culturally incongruous, and was subsequently assigned to write original material for it, with Africa as the sole editorial constraint. Roy Thomas served as editor-in-chief, and the issue was pencilled by Rich Buckler with inks by Klaus Janson — one of Janson's earliest professional credits — colored by Glynis Wein, and lettered by Tom Orzechowski. The thirteen-page Black Panther lead story shared space in the issue with a six-page reprint from Lorna, the Jungle Girl #6 (1954), a vestige of the title's pulp-anthology origins that would persist for the arc's first two installments.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Erik Killmonger (born N'Jadaka), T'Challa's primary antagonist throughout the 'Panther's Rage' arc and one of Marvel's most consequential villains; created by writer Don McGregor and penciller Rich Buckler.
- First appearances of Killmonger's lieutenants Tayete and Kazibe, and introduction of Preyy, Killmonger's trained leopard.
- Cameo/preview appearance of Venomm (Horatio Walters), whose first full appearance and name reveal would follow in Jungle Action #7.
- Marks the first Black Panther solo story — Part 1 of the 13-part 'Panther's Rage' arc (Jungle Action #6–18, 1973–1975), which critic Jason Sacks called 'Marvel's first graphic novel.'
- The issue's lead story, titled 'The Man Called Kill-Monger!', ends on a cliffhanger: Killmonger defeats an exhausted T'Challa at Warrior Falls and throws him over the waterfall.
- Includes a map of Wakanda — one of the earliest detailed cartographic depictions of the fictional nation in Marvel Comics.
- Back-up story is a reprint of 'Double Danger' from Lorna, the Jungle Girl #6 (March 1954), scripted by Don Rico with art by Werner Roth; characters Lorna, Greg Knight, and Mikki appear in this backup segment.
- The issue has been reprinted in numerous collected editions, including Marvel Masterworks: The Black Panther (2010), Essential Black Panther (2012), Black Panther Epic Collection: Panther's Rage (2016), Marvel Tales: Black Panther (2019), and the Black Panther: The Early Years Omnibus (2022); a Mark Jewelers advertisement insert variant also exists.
Cast · 11 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Lorna the Jungle Girl #6 (1954)
Reprinted in The Comic Reader #97 (1973), Aventure dans la Jungle #6 (1973), Jungle Action #8 (1974), L'Inattendu #1 (1975), Planet of the Apes #58 (1975), Mundi Comics Super Héroes Presenta #34 (1975), Planet of the Apes #59 (1975), Jungle Beast #[nn] (1980), Superaventuras Marvel #2 (1982), Marvel Masterworks: The Black Panther #1 (2010), Marvel Firsts: The 1970s #2 (2012), Essential Black Panther #1 (2012), Black Panther Epic Collection #1 (2016), Black Panther #[2] (2017), Marvel's Black Panther Prelude #[nn] (2018), Marvel. Официальная коллекция комиксов #120 (2018), Marvel Tales: Black Panther #[nn] (2019), Black Panther: The Early Years Omnibus #1 (2022)
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