Secret identities : the Asian American superhero anthology

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Title:

Secret identities : the Asian American superhero anthology

ISBN:

9781595583987

Publication Information:

New York : New Press, ; [Jackson, Tenn.] : Distributed by Perseus Distribution 2009.

Physical Description:

194 p. : chiefly ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm.

Contents:

Preface: In the beginning / Jeff Yang, Jef Castro -- Prologue / Jeff Yang, Jef Castro -- Driving steel / Jeff Yang, Benton Jew -- S.A.M. meets Larry Hama / Tak Toyoshima -- Section one: war and remembrance / Parry Shen, Alexander Tarampi -- 9066 / Jonathan Tsuei, Jerry Ma -- Heroes without a country / Daniel Jai Lee, Vince Sunico -- Gaman / Jamie Ford, Alexander Tarampi -- The hibakusha / Parry Shen, Glenn Urieta -- Re-directing comics: Greg Pak / Keith Chow, A.L. Baroza -- The citizen / Greg Pak, Bernard Chang -- Sidekicks: Gene Yang & Michael Kang / Keith Chow, A.L. Baroza -- The Blue Scorpion and Chung / Gene Yang, Sonny Liew -- James / Michael Kang, Erwin Haya -- Section two: when worlds collide / Keith Chow, Chi-Yun Lau -- Now there's something: Greg LaRocque / Keith Chow, Alexander Shen -- Trinity / Greg LaRocque -- No exit / Naeem Mohaiemen, Glenn Urieta -- S.O.S. / Tanuj Chopra, Alex Joon Kim -- The wallpasser / Clarence Coo, Jerry Ma -- Section three: girl power / Kripa Joshi -- You are what you eat / Lynn Chen. Paul Wei -- Sampler / Jimmy Aquino, Erwin Haya -- Learn to share / Keiko Agena, Ming Doyle -- A day at CostumeCo / Jeff Yang, A.L. Baroza -- Supergrrrls / Hellen Jo --

Section four: many masks / Jason Sperber, Chi-Yun Lau -- Agent Orange / Dustin Tri Nguyen, Dustin Nguyen --- Gaze / Sung Kang, Billy Tan, Walden Wong, Sean Ellery -- Flight / Ian Kim, Jeff Yang -- Shine / Leonardo Nam, Anthony Tan, Ruben De Vela -- Jia / Kelly Hu, Mark Allen, Cliff Chiang -- Cataclysm / Yul Kwon, Deodato Pangandoyon -- Go / Kazu Kibuishi -- Parallel Penny / Anthony Wu -- Section five: ordinary heroes / Raymond Sohn -- Just ordinary / Nick Huang, Alexander Shen -- Twilight / Ted Chung, Anuj Shrestha -- David Kim / John Kuramoto, Christine Norrie -- Meet Joe / Koji Steven Sakai, John Franzese -- On the third day / Johann Choi -- Long / Martin Hsu -- Justified / Ken Wong, Tiffanie Hwang -- Section six: from headline to hero -- Parry Shen, Jeremy Arambulo -- 16 miles / Parry Shen, Sarah Sapang -- Taking back Troy / Jeff Yang, Francis Tsai -- Peril / Keith Chow, Jef Castro -- Epilogue / Jeff Yang, Jef Castro.

Subject Term:

Comic books, strips, etc. -- United States.

Asian Americans -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Superheroes -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Added Author:

Yang, Jeff.

Holds:

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Lake Elmo Library	GRAPHIC SEC	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

There's this guy we know--quiet, unassuming, with black hair and thick glasses. He's doing his best to fit in, in a world far away from the land of his birth. He knows he's different and that his differences make him alien, an outsider--but they also make him special. Yet he finds himself unable to reveal his true self to the world. . . .

For many Asian Americans, this chronicle sounds familiar because many of us have lived it. But it also happens to be the tale of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, better known as Superman. And the parallels between those stories help explain why Asian Americans have become such a driving force in the contemporary comics renaissance as artists, writers, and fans.

Yet there's one place where Asians are still underrepresented in comics: between the four-color covers themselves. That's why, in Secret Identities , top Asian American writers, artists, and comics professionals have come together to create twenty-six original stories centered around Asian American superheroes--stories set in a shadow history of our country, exploring ordinary Asian American life from a decidedly extraordinary perspective. Entertaining, enlightening, and more than a little provocative, Secret Identities blends action, satire, and thoughtful commentary into a groundbreaking anthology about a community too often overlooked by the cultural mainstream.

Author Notes

Jeff Yang founded the pioneering Asian American periodical A. Magazine , writes the "Tao Jones" column for the Wall Street Journal , and is a regular contributor on NPR. With Keith Chow, Jerry Ma, and Parry Shen, he is a co-author of Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology and a co-editor of Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology , both published by The New Press. He is also the author of Once Upon a Time in China and a co-author (with Jackie Chan) of I Am Jackie Chan and (with Dina Gan and Terry Hong) of Eastern Standard Time . He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Parry Shen, best known for his lead role in the movie Better Luck Tomorrow , has appeared in numerous television shows, including Criminal Minds and General Hospital . He has spoken at more than one hundred universities, sharing his experiences as an Asian American in the media with college students across the country. He has been profiled on Entertainment Tonight and Extra , as well as in Rolling Stone , People , and the Wall Street Journal . With Keith Chow, Jerry Ma, and Jeff Yang, he is a co-author of Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology and a co-editor of Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology , both published by The New Press. He resides in Southern California with his wife, Kim, and daughters Avery and Kori.

Keith Chow, an educator and comics journalist, is a co-author (with Jeff Yang, Parry Shen, and Jerry Ma) of Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology and a co-editor (also with Shen, Yang, and Ma) of Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology , both published by The New Press. He lives in Towson, Maryland.

Jerry Ma is the founder of the indie comics studio Epic Proportions. With Keith Chow, Parry Shen, and Jeff Yang, he is a co-author of Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology and a co-editor of Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology , both published by The New Press. Ma lives in New York City.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

This anthology about Asian superheroes drawn exclusively by Asian comic artists is a noble concept, but the submissions very greatly in tone, concept, length and overall quality. The book is broken down into sections by theme-historical concepts, one-page hero pitches, a section on "girl power" and another focusing on "ordinary heroes" (some of whom happen to have supernatural powers). Many works in the book, such as "The Hibakusha"-Japanese children born after Hiroshima who gain superpowers-take themselves very seriously. The highlight is "The Blue Scorpion & Chung" by Yang (American Born Chinese) and Sonny Liew. In a thinly veiled parody of the Green Hornet, the Blue Scorpion's chauffeur is a talented Korean man doing most of the work for his alcoholic employer. The 12-page short effectively confronts race with just the right amount of humor and cynicism, while simultaneously telling a satisfying story. The fake comic cover "The Y-Men" says everything many of the short stories are trying to, but does so with more effective humor in just one page. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

The editors of this highly alternative (to standard stereotypes, that is) comics collection define Asian American to include not just Chinese and Japanese but all the other heritages from India on east, representatives of which have been sidekicks at best and villains more often in American superhero comics. The first illustrated page establishes the predominant satiric tone. It's the cover of a comic book, The Y-Men, featuring The Lamest Stupor-Zeroes of All! to wit, Four Eyes; oriental vamp Madame X; Riceman, slinging globs of pork-fried pain ; Kamikaze; and Coolie, whose sweaty feet . . . are express tickets to Hell! A standout longer contribution is Gene Yang and Sonny Liew's The Blue Scorpion and Chung, in which the latter is the long-suffering driver-sidekick for a foul-mouthed, drunken, white-caped crime fighter. Uniformly energetic, the art ranges from mainstream-comics bravura to manga-influenced sassiness to alt-comics mannerism, and the kinds of superpowers on view are equally varied. Narrative coherence goes AWOL now and then, but the satire usually amuses and sometimes strikes deeper, to the heart.--Olson, Ray Copyright 2009 Booklist

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

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