John Ridley, who won an Oscar for directing 12 Years a Slave, will be the writer of Marvel’s new ongoing Black Panther series, with Juann Cabal (who the company has been promoting as a member of its "Stormbreaker" new artist group, see "Marvel Unveils 2020 Stormbreakers") providing the art, the company announced. The current Black Panther series, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, will end with issue #25, to be released on May 26 (see “Preview: ‘Black Panther’ #25 Covers”).

In an interview with the New York Times, Ridley described the new series as “a hybrid espionage-superhero thriller, but at its core, it’s a love story.” That includes friendship as well as romantic love, he said. Ridley has written numerous comics for DC and Marvel, including Wolverine: Black, White and Blood #3 (see "Academy Award Winner John Ridley to Write a Wolverine Comic").

The first issue of the new series will feature a cover by Alex Ross.

The property will be getting new juice in the run-up to the next movie; Marvel recently announced that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to the original Black Panther movie, will be released on July 8, 2022 (see "Marvel Movie Sizzle Reel Reveals New Titles, Dates, Footage").