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Comic Books and Superheroes Reflecting Asian American Identity
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: ASIAN AMERICANS IN COMICS
HEADLINE: Comic Books and Superheroes Reflecting Asian American Identity
TEASER: Comic book author Pornsak Pichetshote has created a genre called ‘Chinatown Noir’
PUBLISHED AT: 08/14/2023, 10:46a
BYLINE: Genia Dulot
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: San Diego, California
VIDEOGRAPHER: Genia Dulot
VIDEO EDITOR:
ASSIGNING EDITOR: Stearns
SCRIPT EDITORS: Mia Bush,
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, MARVEL STUDIOS/DISNEY/REUTERS
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO _X_
TRT: 2:38
VID APPROVED BY: Megan Duzor
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO:))
[[The word "manga" is used to describe a wide variety of comic books and graphic novels originally produced in Japan. It has long been associated with Asian culture. But new generations of Asian Americans are identifying more with American comic books. Genia Dulot has the report.]]
((NARRATOR))
American cosplayer Ken Luong of Chinese and Vietnamese descent is portraying Inuashsa, a half demon from a Japanese manga series, at Comic-Con 2023 in San Diego.
((Ken Luong, Cosplayer))
“I definitely take a lot of pride in it, being able to cosplay as a character that also has Asian origins, and you know, there’s not a lot of representation in a lot of other comics, other than anime.”
((NARRATOR))
The representation of Asians, especially women, in American comic books and on the screen for many years has been filled with stereotypes, says Chinese American comic book letterer Janice Chiang.
((Janice Chiang, Comic Book Letterer))
“As a woman, you’re exotic, and pretty much people can do what they want to you, ’cause you were submissive, and you didn’t protest.”
((NARRATOR))
But she says things are changing. Chiang has worked on comic books like “The Transformers,” “Conan the Barbarian,” “Iron Man” and “The Avengers.”
She’s showcasing her latest work, “Monkey Prince,” for DC Comics. Chiang says it was created by an all-Chinese American team and infuses classical Chinese mythology into a modern superhero genre.
Jessica Tseang, an international comics historian, ((Mandatory CG: MARVEL STUDIOS/DISNEY/REUTERS)) says Marvel’s Asian superhero Shang-Chi, who made his movie debut in 2021, marked an important shift. ((end courtesy MARVEL STUDIOS/DISNEY/REUTERS))
((Jessica Tseang, International Comics Historian))
“Shang-Chi, he spoke perfect English. There was no accent, he didn’t have to speak with an accent. A lot of times Asians are still seen as foreigners here, even though we are born and raised here. So that movie really hit a mark for a lot of us.”
((NARRATOR))
Pornsak Pichetshote, is a Thai American comic book writer who authored “The Good Asian.” In 2022, it received the Eisner Award, regarded as the most prestigious honor in comic book industry.
Pichetshote says he has been exploring an Asian American approach to traditional American comics.
((Pornsak Pichetshote, “The Good Asian” Author))
“’The Good Asian,’ is in the genre I made up called Chinatown Noir, it follows a Chinese American detective. It’s really about the first generation of Americans, who grew up within the immigration band, the Chinese. It is about that community, and their sense of self, and sense of identity, and sense of being an American.”
((NARRATOR))
Pichetshote says he plans to adapt the novel for television, realizing that the immigrant experience and search for the cultural identity is relatable for a much wider American audience.
((Genia Dulot, for VOA News, San Diego))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
