Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology (Paperback)

~ Jeff Yang (Editor), (Editor), Keith Chow (Editor), Jerry Ma (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.)
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From Booklist

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. --Ray Olson

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Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: New Press; 1st edition (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159558398X
• ISBN-13: 978-1595583987
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #77,870 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have you ever wondered what it's like to see your stories depicted in a graphic novel?, April 15, 2009

By	Manuel B. Zuniga, Jr. (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Words are really inadequate to describe the import of this work. Revolutionary, historic, groundbreaking? The feeling I had when it was delivered was like holding an advance copy of Takaki's work, "Strangers From a Different Shore". I was holding something that hadn't been seen before. After reading it, I was speechless, because for the first time in this genre, I saw myself reflected unapologetically in the stories and artwork contained in the pages of this book. I never thought I'd live to see the day where I had the opportunity to read about APA superheroes and eventually, share them with my children. An excellent job by everyone involved in this project, and a "must own" for the personal libraries of anyone interested in Asian-American studies, modern mythology and folklore/oral histories. After picking some copies up for your friends and family, ask your local library to carry it. Smart, witty, and visually stunning, I hope this title is only the vanguard and herald of more to come.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars mixed bag, September 25, 2009

A Kid's Review

i'm asian and it was so-so. a few were decent but some that tried too hard to be cool just turned kinda dumb and so cheesy at times. the editors of this book seemed kinda self serving especially in the preface.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have!!!, July 8, 2009

By	Fearless "Fearless" (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Get yourself a copy!! I Highly recommend it. I really enjoyed almost ALL of the stories that were told here. Most of the stories were told by actual incidents using superhero characters. The stories are all told through the views from Asian Americans perspective. The stories have very strong messages. I wished they actually produced these characters in actual comic books, because Asian Americans doesn't have any cool superheroes all they get are the stereotypical characters such as a martial arts master, ninja, samurais etc, nothing further. It is as if they are restricted of ever becoming a superhero. This book shows that Asian Americans can be and need superheroes too.