Marvel Comics has taken another step toward strengthening the racial diversity of its catalogue with the announcement that Ta-Nehisi Coates will author the "Black Panther" comic series.

The New York Times reports the 39-year-old best-selling author and Atlantic correspondent is slated to pen the new series, launching this spring.

The year-long storyline will be titled "A Nation Under Our Feet" and will tackle socially relevant themes such as terrorism and revolution. The title is inspired by the 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Steven Hahn, which chronicles the birth of black nationalism in the aftermath of slavery.

Coates is well known for his sharply political writings, most notably "The Case for Reparations," in which he examines the ever-present racial gap in American society. He is also celebrated for his nonfiction book "Between the World and Me," which drew favorable comparisons to James Baldwin's work.

What may be less known is Coates' extreme love for superhero comics. In an interview with The Times, Coates lamented the absence of comic enthusiasts at the Atlantic.

"It was mostly through pop culture, through hip-hop, through Dungeons & Dragons and comic books that I acquired much of my vocabulary," said Coates.

Coates was introduced to the comic world in the 1980s, when he discovered strong POC characters such as Storm of the X-men and James Rhodes of Iron Man.

"It meant something to see people who looked like me in comic books," he told The Times. "It was this beautiful place that I felt pop culture should look like."

Marvel Comics is increasing efforts to diversify its storylines. The company recently announced its new series "The Totally Awesome Hulk," which will feature a Korean-American scientist in the title role. Recent series have also seen the introduction of characters such as Miles Morales, a black-Latino teen who takes up the helm of Spider-Man, and the new Ms. Marvel, a Muslim girl from New Jersey.

The "Black Panther" series will center on masked hero T'Challa, an African chief from the fictional nation of Wakanda. It will be illustrated by African-American artist Brian Stelfreeze.