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Sep. 30th, 2020
Shang-Chi #1
Sep. 30th, 2020 12:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cyberghostface
"I have to confess that even though I was a huge Marvel fan when I was a kid, I was not a Shang-Chi fan. I'm a Chinese American, and I went through a period where I was embarrassed by my own cultural heritage. I didn't want to be the Asian kid at the local comics shop buying the Asian hero comic, you know? It would've felt like I was highlighting everything that made me different from my peers. So, I didn't really have a big heart attachment to Shang-Chi coming into this project.
But there is this ongoing discussion about representation in our super hero comic books. Shang-Chi's been around for a very long time. He might be our most prominent Asian American super hero at this point. He was first created in the '70s, but I do think he's often been treated as an 'other' type of character, meaning his appeal lied in the difference between him and the reader.
In our miniseries, we want to flip it a bit. We want to bring the reader closer to the character. We want the reader to see the world from his perspective, to understand Shang-Chi's desires, flaws, and fears. We want Shang-Chi to be three-dimensional." -- Gene Luen Yang
( Scans under the cut... )
laughing_tree
He started off as this Spidey-esque figure, this version of the high school kid learning their powers, but over the years he's grown into someone with a lot more depth and range. What fascinates me about him in this context is that he doesn't really have a home on Earth any more -- he can't function there -- but he doesn't really have a home in space either, especially since the latest incarnation of the Nova Corps ended. -- Al Ewing
( Read more... )
Two-Face in Harleen
Sep. 30th, 2020 10:12 pmjanegrayI recently finished reading Harleen by Stjepan Šejić, and since it's been a while since I've read a story that gives a prominent role to Harvey, I figured I'd share the love.
Mind you, I'm not exactly happy with his portrayal here. I hate when they have him flip the coin again to try and get the result he wants. I think that completely misses the point of the tragic figure who needs the coin to make his decisions for him. Imo, it's as if a writer had Dr. Quinzel become a criminal not because the Joker manipulated her, but because she had a passion for mallets.
Still. He has a prominent role. That's more than modern comics have given him in a very long time.
( Plus he looks good with this art! )
Mind you, I'm not exactly happy with his portrayal here. I hate when they have him flip the coin again to try and get the result he wants. I think that completely misses the point of the tragic figure who needs the coin to make his decisions for him. Imo, it's as if a writer had Dr. Quinzel become a criminal not because the Joker manipulated her, but because she had a passion for mallets.
Still. He has a prominent role. That's more than modern comics have given him in a very long time.
( Plus he looks good with this art! )