Lupita Nyong'o is officially a nerd.

A few months before she starts work on Marvel’s Black Panther, the Oscar winner is trolling comic book stores, looking to catch up on storylines from the long-running superhero series.

“I’m geeked out,” the actress told Postmedia Network during an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Asked if she has a stack of comics that she’s reading, she laughs, “Yes I am. I’m trying to school myself and get prepared.”

Chadwick Boseman made his debut as Black Panther in this year’s Captain America: Civil War. His solo film, which hits theatres in 2018, will be part of Phase Three of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly at TIFF, Boseman called the character a “super anti-hero.”

“This is another one of those movies that I feel very passionate about and excited about and I’m looking forward to learning all the stunts and the physical skills I need to play Nakia and be a member of the Dora Milaje (the bodyguards of the Black Panther),” Nyong'o said .

“It’s going to be fun... we haven’t started filming yet. The crew and cast are really exciting. I get to work with Danai Gurira and I just did her play on Broadway. That’s a friendship I’m looking forward to strengthening and deepening. Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan are two actors I really admire that I’m looking forward to working with. And Ryan Coogler, he’s a cool director and I’ve had my eye on him ever since Fruitvale Station and I think he has something special in store for all of us.”

Black Panther opens Feb. 16, 2018.

Nyong'o's upcoming Disney film Queen of Katwe opens in limited release Sept. 23.

Twitter: @markhdaniell

MDaniell@postmedia.com