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Comic book shop raises $1,500 so Seattle kids can see 'Black Panther'

A Seattle comics book shop raised hundreds of dollars to send 130 Seattle students to see the highly-anticipated "Black Panther" movie.

With inspiration drawn from a New York man who crowd funded $30,000 to send Harlem kids to see the movie, Comics Dungeon in Wallingford started the initiative in mid-January to do something similar for a Seattle community.

The shop works with a non-profit that helps bring comics and graphic novels into education and libraries. They found one teacher at Denny Middle School using the medium in his Proyecto Saber Program, which is for students of color to develop their cultural identity, interpersonal skills, and college readiness.

Denny Middle School has one of the highest free & reduced lunch participation rates in Seattle.

Scott and Lainie Thomlin wrote in a blog post on Jan. 14: "We hope to raise enough funds in the next two weeks to send the 150 students from Mr. Albanes' classes to see Black Panther ... Please support our goal and send deserving middle schoolers, that would normally not be able to see a block buster in the theatre, to see this important movie."

In one month, they have nearly $1,500 and are hoping to raise another $1,000 so that even more kids can attend. People who want to donate can do so here until the end of February.

Shows are selling out across Seattle for the superhero movie that some critics are calling a “defining moment.”

Even before reviews were tallied, “Black Panther” was being celebrated for the predominantly black cast.  Released in the middle of Black History Month, the latest installment in Marvel's superhero franchise is now about much more than just comics.

“Black Panther” takes place in the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Chadwick Boseman, who stars as T'Challa, is the country's new ruler.

"I knew the comic book from the beginning had the possibility of being [about these] Afro-futurist sociopolitical issues that you could bring up in it," said Boseman in a video clip promoting the film. "That's why you want to do it."

Some say the trailer for the movie makes them think about the African-American struggle for equality. KIRO 7 News spoke with The Shop Hair Design studio on Rainier Avenue.

"It makes you do research,” said owner Ennis Ticeson. “You look into "Black Panther" [and] you're going to look into more of, you know, African history. The African story."

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