A couple of key Black Panther titles have been canceled by Marvel Comics. As reported by Comicbook.com, both Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda, as well as Empyre: Invasion of Wakanda, have been given the ax. The latter was canceled before it even had the chance to hit shelves. Writer Jim Zub took to Twitter to confirm the news.

Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda launched in September 2019. It will end its run with issue #8. As for Empyre: Invasion of Wakanda, it was meant to crossover with the main Empyre event. Marvel did not provide a reason for the cancelations. 

“I assumed Invasion of Wakanda would be our swansong,” Zub said. “So I built an ending into it to answer the big question I posed at the start of the series: How can T’Challa balance the many responsibilities heaped upon him all at once? How can he be all things to all people? Representative for Earth on the Congress of Worlds. King of Wakanda. Chairman of the Avengers. Head of the Agents of Wakanda. Plus being T’Challa the man. The answer is simple, but also crucial. He can’t do it alone. He needs his trusted friends and family close to live this life. And that’s true for all of us. I wouldn’t be where I am without the people I care about and who care for me. Keep your loved ones close and always tell them how much they mean to you.”

“Getting the chance to create wild and weird 2 issue ‘missions’ that delved into unexpected parts of the Marvel Universe was a blast,” Zub said. “I know it’s not in vogue to talk about series ending because publishers don’t want to bring it up and freelancers don’t want to look like anything less than stunningly successful all the time. It’s okay to admit things aren’t what you hoped they’d be. Reality matters.”

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the comic book industry particularly hard. It has resulted in books from most of the big publishers to be scrapped or put on hold. As Zub states, the situation at hand seemingly affected these titles. 

“In 8 issues we tackled Sentry, Stargod and a moon monster, the Livewires, and Fin Fang Foom while Fat Cobra boasted big and busted balls. It was unapologetically ridiculous comic superheroics and we did our damnedest to give readers bang for their buck. Thank you for reading,” Zub said. 

Here is the Synopsis for Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda #8. 

“SECRETS OF THE SPACE DRAGONS! Fin Fang Foom is one of the mightiest creatures in the Marvel Universe and now he?s no longer alone! Can Broo and the other Agents of Wakanda unravel the mystery of this bizarre new ?Legion of Foom? before their rampage destroys Avengers Mountain?” 

Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda #8 is available now. 

So what do you think? Are you bummed these books were canceled? Would you have red the Empyre crossover? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!