Acclaimed Haitian-American writer Roxane Gay was recruited by Marvel to become one of the first Black women to lead a Marvel comic series. She co-wrote the comic “World of Wakanda,” a spinoff from the popular Black Panther series written by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Gay was joined by poet and University of Pittsburgh professor Yona Harvey to tell the story of Ayo and Aneka, two former members of the Dora Milaje, the fierce all-female special forces unit that protected the Black Panther. The series explored their relationship as lovers who left the Dora Milaje yet remained devoted to Wakanda.
Groundbreaking Opportunity To Showcase Black Women And Queer Relationships
In an interview with the New York Times, Gay expressed her enthusiasm for the rare chance to bring Black women and queer characters to the forefront of the Marvel universe:
“The opportunity to write black women and queer black women into the Marvel universe, there’s no saying no to that,” she said. “It’s the most bizarre thing I’ve ever done, and I mean that in the best possible way.”
Gay explained on Twitter that while it “doesn’t make sense” that she was the first Black woman lead writer for Marvel in 2016, she was determined not to be the last.
The Acclaimed Author Brought Literary Star Power
While this marked Roxane Gay’s first foray into comics, she brought tremendous acclaim as a novelist, essayist, poet and cultural critic. Her 2014 essay collection “Bad Feminist” became a massive bestseller and helped cement her reputation as one of the most insightful voices on feminism today.
Gay also published the acclaimed novel “An Untamed State” in 2014, which was adapted into a film that she co-wrote. Her memoir “Hunger” and short story collection “Difficult Women” have also earned rave reviews.
As a Haitian-American writer exploring issues of race, gender and violence through various literary forms, Gay had precisely the background to tackle a comic about the Dora Milaje of Wakanda.
Series Debut In November 2016
As Gay promised the New York Times that “World of Wakanda” would feature “all kinds of action” as well as further develop the intimate relationship between Ayo and Aneka, it unfolded in that manner.
Gay brought both literary eloquence and a deeply insightful cultural voice that was poised to resonate with comic book fans eager for more diversity. The series debuted in November 2016.
