Cover: John Buscema & George Klein

The Avengers #62

Mar 1969 · Marvel · 0.12 USD

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“The Monarch and the Man-Ape!”

★ 1st appearance — W'Kabi★ 1st appearance — M'Baku★ 1st appearance — Man-Ape

About this Issue

The Avengers #62 is the debut issue of M'Baku, the Man-Ape — one of the Black Panther's most enduring adversaries — as well as the first appearance of W'Kabi, who would go on to become a cornerstone supporting character in T'Challa's solo mythology beginning with the Jungle Action series. The issue is also one of the most Wakanda-centric stories in the title's Silver Age run, the first time the team traveled to T'Challa's homeland and encountered its internal politics, religious tensions between the Panther God and the White Gorilla Cult, and its hidden technological splendor. Both M'Baku and W'Kabi later received significant roles in Ryan Coogler's 2018 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther, cementing this issue's place as a direct narrative ancestor of one of the MCU's most culturally resonant films.

In "The Monarch and the Man-Ape!", the Black Panther and his fellow Avengers return to Wakanda only to be captured by M'Baku, who plots to eliminate the king. With the team divided and the fate of the Black Panther hanging in the balance, old alliances and hidden loyalties are tested in a tense clash of tradition and duty. Written by Roy Thomas and brought to life with dynamic art by John Buscema and George Klein, the issue features a cover by John Buscema and George Klein.

writer Roy Thomas · artist John Buscema · inker George Klein · letterer Artie Simek · cover John Buscema, George Klein

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (VG) $23

CGC 9.8 · 4 in census $4,095

CGC 9.6 · 21 in census $1,733

CGC 9.4 · 64 in census $550

CGC 9.2 · 68 in census $318

CGC 9.0 · 78 in census $164

CGC 8.5 · 110 in census $129

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CGC 8.0 · 106 in census $129

CGC 7.5 · 113 in census $129

CGC 7.0 · 108 in census $95*

CGC 6.5 · 93 in census $95

CGC 6.0 · 83 in census $59*

CGC 5.5 · 69 in census $52

CGC 5.0 · 53 in census $52*

CGC 4.5 · 42 in census $52

CGC 4.0 · 29 in census $34*

CGC 3.5 · 23 in census $29

CGC 3.0 · 10 in census $25*

CGC 2.5 · 6 in census $22*

CGC 2.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 1.5 none in existence

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 · 2 in census $20*

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

More listings for this title

NM $3.15 NM- $3.99 NM $4.5 NM $5.19 NM $5.99 VF/NM $17.99 GD $24.99 VG $25.92

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History

The issue was written by Roy Thomas and penciled by John Buscema, with inks by George Klein and letters by Artie Simek, under editor-in-chief Stan Lee — the same core creative team that had been building Wakanda's mythology across the preceding issues. It picks up directly from the events of Avengers #61, in which the team (Black Panther, Hawkeye, Vision, and associate Black Knight with his winged horse Aragorn) had just helped Doctor Strange repel Surtur and Ymir, leaving them stranded near Antarctica before T'Challa flies them to Wakanda. Thomas used the Wakanda setting as an opportunity to introduce a Wakandan power struggle rooted in religious and cultural conflict, reflecting the broader Marvel editorial push during this period to give Black Panther a richer supporting cast and a more fully realized home nation.

Trivia · 7 facts

First appearance of M'Baku / Man-Ape (created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema), T'Challa's greatest Wakandan rival, who derives superhuman strength from the forbidden White Gorilla Cult.
First appearance of W'Kabi, a Wakandan military leader and supporter of T'Challa, who would become a staple supporting character in the subsequent Black Panther solo series in Jungle Action.
First appearance of the Jabari Tribe and the White Gorilla Cult as organizations within Wakandan society.
Script: Roy Thomas; Pencils: John Buscema; Inks: George Klein; Letters: Artie Simek; Editor: Stan Lee.
M'Baku appears to die in his first appearance — crushed by a collapsing Panther God statue he himself was trying to topple — but was later revealed to have survived.
The story was reprinted in Jungle Action (Marvel, 1972 series) #5 (July 1973), in Marvel Super Action #23 (September 1980), and in black-and-white in Essential Avengers Vol. 3.
Winston Duke portrayed an MCU adaptation of M'Baku in Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), greatly elevating the character's pop-culture profile.