Black Panther Fans Line Up For Special Oakland Comic Book Issue
OAKLAND (KPIX 5) -- Black Panther fans lined up for hours in the East Bay Wednesday morning to get a copy of the exclusive Oakland edition cover of the popular superhero's new comic.
The line wrapped around the building at Oakland's Cape and Cowl Comics on Clay Street. The store owner ordered 3,000 copies, of which 2,500 were pre-ordered. That meant there were only 500 inside the store available for purchase when it opened.
The city of Oakland was making its mark in the comic world with a special variant edition of Marvel's new Black Panther issue number one.
The exclusive version features a "Welcome to Oakland" sign and the iconic Port of Oakland cranes.
The issues were only available at Cape and Cowel Comics where store owner Eitan Manhoff worked with Marvel to bring the cover to life.
"And they said here's ten hoops for you to jump through. And I said, 'Ok, sure. I'll do that, as long as it can be Oakland-themed cover,'" said Manhoff.
The nod to The Town comes on the heels of the blockbuster 'Black Panther' movie directed by Oakland's own Ryan Coogler.
"With the movie coming out and my generation being so young, it gives me a chance to get into the comic book scene," said fan Jordan Austria.
"I've been in the Town for 45 years, 11 months," said Oakland resident Vello Scott. "It's a good movie with a black superhero, you know what I'm saying? It's all about the representation."
And though Oakland plays a role in the movie by appearing in the climactic scene, it's not part of this issue.
"This book, on the inside, doesn't actually have anything to do with Oakland. It's in space. It's all about Wakanda and Black Panther," explained Manhoff
In space or in Oakland, for $4.99, some fans are getting to take home a piece of Wakanda forever. Still, for others, it's off to find the highest bidder.
"I am sure we will see a few copies of eBay tonight. We'll see what happens with that," said Manhoff.
