(Panini Books)

Herts Advertiser: Black Panther PreludeBlack Panther Prelude (Image: Archant)

Have you ever wondered what Marvel's movie heroes get up to between films? This new series of trade paperbacks not only answers many of those questions, but also offers a selection of highlights from the characters' rich comics history.

The Infinity War Prelude reveals how Tony Stark discovered Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes was responsible for his parents' deaths, why Captain America is not wielding his famous shield in the movie, the circumstances behind the escape of those Avengers incarcerated after Civil War, and the back-stories of the individual Infinity Stones.

It's accompanied by some classic Thanos stories, namely the first issue of Infinity (2013) and the following year's annual starring the Mad Titan and revealing how his future self set him on the path to universal chaos.

Meanwhile, we discover new details of T'Challa's formative years as the Black Panther, long before the assassination of his father, at the point superheroes were just emerging following Tony Stark's debut as Iron Man.

When two Wakandan citizens are kidnapped by mercenaries, the Panther and Okoye of the Dora Milaje must free their countrymen without alerting the wider world of their existence, and that of their hidden nation.

The back-up stories featured here include the debut of Killmonger in the acclaimed 1973 story Panther's Rage, considered by many to be the first superhero graphic novel saga, plus stories from the 1998, 2005 and 2016 Black Panther series written and illustrated by the likes of Christopher Priest, Reginald Hudlin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, John Romita Jr and Brian Stelfreeze.

As a companion line to the Marvel Platinum: Definitive series, which offers a collection of Marvel Universe comic stories inspired by the movies, this range is a neat way of collecting the largely digital-first preludes alongside a snapshot of issues offering an introduction to the characters' comic interpretations.