Diverse Universe

The Effects of Heroes to Ones Without them

Diverse niverse U Su m m er 2021

Women in Comics

LGBTQ+ Creators and Characters

Can All the Asian Americans Please Stand Up

Art on front page courtesy Gene Ha, Ethan Young, Azul Crescent, Eliana Falcon, Shannon Wright, James Figueiredo, Center art courtesy of Jay Valentin

1: M eet t h e Team t h e Wri t ers 2: Let t ers Fro m rse o f Div erse Un iv e Hero es 3: Th e Eff ect s o f t Th em t o On es Wit h o u

7: Wo m en Co m ic Creat o rs

m ics Th ro u gh 11: Wo m en in Co t h e Decad es 13: Fin d in g Yo u

s

rself In Co m ics

aw s 17: Tex as LGBT L s 18: Asi an Hero e

si an 19: Can al l t h e A St an d Up Am er ican s Pl ease

Meet the Team

Jay Valentin: (They/them and He/him) 14 and dreaming of owning a Dance Dance Revolution machine, a casual gamer, pretty snazzy artist, and a cool singer B). I have always wanted to sing for an anime opening, animate my own show, and create a webtoon.

Writing is one of my secret passions, but I guess it?s not so secret huh?

Seng Maji (she/her) Greetings fellow peers. I?m Seng, the laziest, swaggiest writer in this magazine. I?m 14 Burmese, Libra, I rant a lot about nothing so someone please tell me to shut up. I play volleyball, dance, and play violin like a stereotypical Asian ._.. I watch anime and unpopular opinion but HXH>

Asia Morshed (She/Her) Hi! I?m Asia, I am a Bengali-Filipino (or as my mother calls it, ?Filibang?). Some of the things that I like to do is sing (though I cannot sing whatsoever), draw, which I am actually decent at, if I do say so myself, be around people (friends, family, random people, really anyone) and read. I also do watch anime, but I always have to rewind it because I am always focused on the art. Thats with other animated things as well.

Maria Aviles (Any pronouns) Hey, I really like drawing, singing, and hanging out with my friends. I?m a god at Dance Central and Just Dance >:) I?m kinda quiet at first but once I get a little more comfortable I?m really loud. I?m bad at picking up social cues ;-; and I hope you enjoy our selection.

Naruto. Unlike the other authors, I however cannot draw for nothing, but I am cracked at Valorant (What I mean is I?m actually trash)not that it has any coloration I just wanted to include that.:)

1

Meet t he Team

Profile art courtesy of Maria Aviles

Letter From the Writers of Diverse Universe Hello Readers!

We are the writers of Diverse Universe! Our topic was diversity in comic books, which gave us room to write about different things that we could personally relate to. We had a pleasure writing, creating graphics, and interviewing people to make this magazine. We practically put our soul into all of our work in this magazine and it was worth the end product!

Each of us all wrote about something a little bit different, though they were under the same topic.

These are called feature stories. We all interviewed 1-3 people for them. The four feature stories we have are: LGBTQ+ online comic creators and their experiences, women and diversity on comic books? .

We went through multiple topic and idea changes when we were creating this. When we are first brainstorming, we thought, diversity in body types, races and religions, and LGBTQ+. This was a bit too specific though, so we ended up with diversity in comic books. Next, we had to choose a color scheme.

We were thinking about possibly going with rainbow. After a lot of back and forth on whether or not to do it, we decided to go with it. The title was not too difficult, because it was one of the first ones we came up with. Everyone liked it quite a bit. So, Diverse Universe it was.

We are mostly proud of the entire theme. It?s like our child. But if we had to choose something, it would likely be the visuals of our magazine. In the beginning, we were a bit slow and distracted. But we soon pulled it together, and actually got stuff done. We were still able to laugh a lot though!

Our goal when making this was to help others, specifically teens and young adults find their identities.

Though you do not have to know it right now. It will change and shift. We just hope that this helps a little bit. It?s okay to be unique. We sure are!

We hope this was just as informative to you as it was to us, and thank you so much for reading our magazine.

-Asia, Jay, Maria, and Seng

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Let t er From t he Writ ers

The Effects of Her oes to Ones W ithout Them

By Jay Valentin

The effect to young teens w ho ar e not able to have r ole m odels or her oes like them

"

3

The Effect s of Heroes t o Ones Wit hout Them

A study done by Lesley Univer sity show s that 5 0% of all teens get a negative r eaction fr om their par ents w hen they com e out to them . It also states that 68% of teens have exper ienced fam ily r ejection after com ing out to their fam ily.

?I think w e live in a w or ld w her e m any par ents face having a LGBT child as a str uggle they, the par ents, have to face..."

-Jam es Figueir edo, com ic illustr ator

W

hether they be in stor ies or in r eal

life people all have or w ish to be one, her oes show how people can be good in the face of evil and to fight for w hat w e believe in, but som etim es ther e ar en't her oes like us.

Som etim es ther e m ight be a diam ond in the r ough but it's not too often. W hen w e do have her oes though, it inspir es us to becom e gr eat, and m akes us feel like w e can be a her o our selves.These her oes can help other s in need, but w hat happens w hen they don't live in a hom e w her e they can be a her o or even have LGBTQ her oes.

Th e I m por t an ce of LGBT r epr esen t at i on i n m edi a Com ic books that have an LGBT cast can help LGBT teens by m aking them feel r epr esented, included, and that they ar e people too. Finding a her o that is LGBT can be har d for som e teens.

Her os give som eone a r ole m odel and som eone to look up to. Jam es Figueir edo, an illustr ator , gr aphic designer , and com ic book ar tist fr om Br azil w ho identifies as par t of the LGBT, believes that ever yone deser ves a her o. ?It w as an extr em ely im por tant thing w hen talking about the m edia and that though pr ogr ession w ith r epr esentation has com e," Figueir edo said. "that w e should alw ays w ant better r epr esentation,?

Th e Fact s Fr om a study by The W illiam s Institute in 2020, 1,994,00 (w hich is 9.5% of 13-17 youth ages) of youth in the United States ar e estim ated to identify as LGBT. The num ber s ar e big but not by a lot com par ed to the total population in the United States in 2019 w hich is 328.2 m illion. W ith those num ber s som e m ight w onder w hat LGBT youth face 2w ith unaccepting par ents.

The Effect s of Heroes t o Ones Wit hout Them

Im ages Cur tosy of Jam es Figueir do

He said that r epr esentation w as extr em ely im por tant w hen it com es to m edia. He appr eciates the pr ogr ess that has happened in m edia concer ning r epr esentation , but that it can alw ays be im pr oved.

?I think r epr esentation is a ver y ver y im por tant subject and that, in gener al, m ass m edia is by default slow to catch up to society,? Figueir edo said.?Of cour se ther e?s pr ogr ess. Repr esentation and diver sity on TV and m ovies and com ics ar e better today than they w er e w hen I w as in my teens. But it can alw ays be better , and w e, as the audience, should alw ays dem and better.?

Figueir do said that looking for a r ole m odel w hen you ar e differ ent fr om the status quo in you society, it can be har d. He also said that they can have alm ost any r ole they w ant.

?We all look for r ole m odels. W hen you'r e str aight and w hite, said Figueir edo. ?Ther e's no shor tage of that gr ow ing up. Str aight kids can see them selves playing all kinds of r oles, fr om scientists to super -her oes to fashion m odels.

People like them ar e ever yw her e, fr om ads on billboar ds to m ovies in theater s. And, of cour se, in com ics too.?

?I think w e live in a w or ld w her e m any par ents face having a LGBT child as a str uggle they, the par ents, have to face, as if it w as about them ,? Figueir edo said. ?They disr egar d the fact that they ar e supposed to be the car egiver s and pr otector s of the child and act like having a gay son is som e sor t of ?get out of par enting fr ee?car d.?

W hen talking about unsuppor tive par ents Figueir edo had felt passionate about the topic.

He had said that they should still be a par ent to their child r egar dless of them being LGBT.

?If a child is having som e sor t of pr oblem , like facing difficulties at school or dealing w ith som e health issue, it's expected of the par ents to help their kids,? F said. ?If they them selves feel anxious or over w helm ed, they?r e not supposed to take it out on the child or r ely on the child for em otional suppor t. They?r e supposed to act like par ents fir st and help their child.?

He said that if having to deal w ith the pr oblem s w ith r aising a child the par ent is expected to help their child. He also said that their childr en shouldn't have to act as a ther apist tow ar ds them if they ar e dealing w ith str ess.

Th e Good, t h e Bad, t h e Un su ppor t i ve Having a child can be quite a lot but lear ning that they ar e LGBT is tr oubling for som e. Som e par ents take it w ell, som e don?t know w hat to do, and som e m ay over r eact. Fr om the study ear lier stating that 50% of LGBT youth com e out get a negative r eaction, this can be tr oubling for both par ties.

5

The Effect s of Heroes t o Ones Wit hout Them Wit hout

Hom el essn ess W hen a child of the LGBT com m unity str uggles w ith an unsuppor tive envir onm ent at hom e, it leads to the child pr em atur ely or instinctively leaving the hom e due to a lack of suppor t and acceptance.

This is especially bad for young teens w ho ar e still m atur ing and need to go to school. About 1.6 m illion of the United States population ar e hom eless and 40% of hom eless youth identify as LGBT. Ther e ar e or ganizations that fight against LGBT teen hom elessness but it is still a pr oblem .

Per son al Ex per i en ce Figueir edo w ent thr ough str uggles to gain a per spective on his r ole as a m em ber of the LGBT com m unity. He said Br azil's cultur al nor m s and habits ar e differ ent fr om those in the US.

M y par ents w er e ver y suppor tive, even as they str uggled w ith their ow n pr ejudices about having a gay child. I w as never under the thr eat of violence at hom e or at r isk of being thr ow n out on the str eets. So that allow ed m e to gr ow up r eally confident and ow n up to my sexuality ver y ear ly on, in my late teens.?

He said hom ophobia can be easier to deal w ith w hen you ar e able to m atur e ar ound your sexuality and that he still knew he w as the m inor ity in the situation, and that it w as still difficult for LGBT people in Br azil. ?W hen you have that it?s a lot easier to deal w ith hom ophobia w hen it eventually appear s, at school or at w or k,? said Figueir edo. ?But I know I?m in the m inor ity her e. Life is ver y difficult for m ost of LGBT people in this countr y, especially if they?r e tr ans.?

It w as ver y tr aditional, had a str ong r eligious population, and it w as not ver y accepting of LGBT people, he said.

He w as lucky for his par ents and living conditions and that fr om it he w as able to flour ish in his late teens. ?I?m fr om Br azil, w hich is a ver y tr aditional Latin countr y, w ith a r eally str ong r eligious population,?

Figueir edo said. ?Gr ow ing up LGBT her e is alw ays a challenge,? said f. ?...That said, in my ow n per sonal exper ience I got ver y lucky.

The Effect s of Heroes t o Ones Wit hout Them Wit hout Im ages Cour tesy of Jam es Figueir edo

6

Women Comic Creat ors Reflecting on characters, inspiration and creation processes with writers and artists.

By Asia Morshed

A r t i st cap t u r es t h e l ov e b et w een a m o t h er an d h er ch i l d . C o u r t esy o f Sh an n o n W r i gh t

7 Women Comic Creat ors

A r t i st ex p r esses t h e m an y f o r m s o f l ov e t h r o u gh t h ei r ar t . C o u r t esy o f Sh an n o n W r i gh t

M any people have r ead at least one gr aphic novel or com ic book, but nam ing a few fem ale cr eator s, it's sur pr isingly difficult.

Ther e ar e so m any gr eat and diver se fem ale w r iter s w ho ar e not acknow ledged enough because the com ic book industr y is dom inated

by M ar vel and DC. Shannon Wr ight, an illustr ator , and car toonist talked about her char acter s and exper iences as a fem ale illustr ator. She cr eated m ultiple stor ies, including ?Tw ins,? ?M om my M edicine,? ?I?m Gonna Push Thr ough? and m or e.

Ever y ar tist has a cr eation pr ocess w hen com ing up w ith char acter s and their stor ies.

Som e star t w ith dr aw ing up a

r andom char acter , and just w ing it. Other s think up the basic details or have basic details to star t w ith. And som e, w r ite the stor y and then visually cr eate their char acter s. Wr ight said it is differ ent for each I alw ays individual.

descr iptions like their skin tone, their build and ethnicity and fr om ther e, I just built on that.?

Eliana Falcón, another pow er ful fem ale cr eator , is the w r iter and illustr ator of

"

tr y to give them som ething of myself w hen w r iting a char acter ... and som ething I w ould never see myself doing or being.

-Eliana Flacón, Independent Cr eator

?I cam e up w ith those char acter s because Var ian Johnson (the w r iter and co-cr eator of ?Tw ins?) gave m e sim ple descr iptions of the cast,? Wr ight said ?and I just expanded on them ? he m entioned char acter

the w ebcom ic ?Cosm ic Fish?.

She shar ed about her childhood self, along w ith her char acter cr eation pr ocess Women Comic Creat ors

8

A l i n e u p o f ch ar act er s f r o m Sh an n o n W r i gh t s gr ap h i c n ov el "T W I N S". C o u r t esy Sh an n o n W r i gh t

?I think my pr ocess w as like m ost ar tists, star ting off w ith self-inser ts or things heavily inspir ed by the m edia I consum ed,? Falcón said, ?then

basic stor y concepts and sit people dow n to nar r ate w hat w as happening,? Falcón said, ?It slow ly evolved fr om ther e until I finally decided to lear n to dr aw pr oper ly ar ound age 22.?

" Ar t w as my w ay to escape, expr ess myself, enter tain myself and so m uch m or e ar ound 6 or 7 I star ted m aking char acter s based off of the pets w e had at the far m I gr ew up on and gave them per sonalities and stor ies.?

It is never too late to becom e an ar tist, though m any ar tists star t off young. Both inter view ees said that ar t and w r iting w as a par t of their childhood, specifically, ar t. ?I am told that even befor e I could w r ite, I'd sketch out

9

Women Comic Creat ors

Wr ight also said that ar t w as a big par t of her childhood.

Though she had other hobbies, ar t w as a lar ge par t of her childhood. ?M or e so ar t than w r iting as a child,? Wr ight said. ?Ar t w as my w ay to escape, expr ess myself, enter tain myself and so m uch m or e. I played a lot of spor ts as a kid, I w as super involved in ever ything, but ar t w as one of my m ain hobbies for sur e.?

Cr eating char acter s can be a tedious but fun pr ocess.

Putting per sonal tr aits into char acter s alw ays m akes them m or e per sonal. It can m ake the char acter s m or e r elatable to the audience.

?I w ear glasses, I had br aces in high school, I like fashion, I have my m om ents w her e I?m super extr over ted and m om ents w her e I?m ver y intr over ted,? Wr ight said. ?So I im plem ented those tr aits to differ ent char acter s in TW INS.?

Falcon also said ?I alw ays tr y to give them som ething of myself w hen w r iting a char acter , m inim um one negative tr ait, one positive tr ait, and som ething I w ould never see myself doing or being,?

Falcón said. ?W hether or not the char acter im pr oves or w or sens as a per son highly depends on these tr aits and the stor y.?

W hen cr eating char acter s, ther e also needs to be other tr aits. Accor ding to Falcón, ther e is so m uch fr eedom w hen cr eating a char acter. It can be anything. They can be as unique and w eir d as

desir ed. W hether it's an eight ar m ed snake per son, or a r egular school gir l. ?I used to r eally love tr ying to com e up w ith the w eir dest yet m ost agr eeable designs I could m anage? Falcón said.

str essful to w r ite for other s.

som eone,? Wr ight said.

M any w r iter s w r ite for

?Fr om ther e, you?r e alr eady

them selves, under the belief

setting your self up for

that if w hat they w r ite is

unr ealistic expectations,

som ething they w ould r ead

som ething I alr eady get fr om

and invest them selves in,

myself, so I don?t need m or e.

then ther e w ill be people w ho

Now I just tr y to m ake stor ies

also enjoy it.

I like and enjoy and w ant to r ead and if an audience likes

?I alm ost

it too, that?s an added plus."

exclusively w r ite for myself under the belief that if I like it, if it's

El i an a Fal cón ' s ch ar acter i s sh ow n i n t h i s ar t p i ece to be si tti n g on a h i l l on a su n n y d ay. A r t by El i an a Fal con Wr ight, also enjoys giving her char acter s unique tr aits, such as per sonalities, or physical featur es. ?I r eally enjoy giving char acter s their ow n unique styles and per sonalities,?

Wr ight said. ?W hether it?s in how they dr ess, how they w ear their hair , or how they car r y them selves in a stor y, it m akes cr eating char acter s that m uch m or e fun and inter esting.?

som ething I w ould buy and com e back to again and again? Falcón said?then ther e w ill be people w ho w ill also enjoy it.?

Wr ight also w r ites for her self, keeping the m indset that if her audience likes w hat she w r ites, it is a bonus, but she m ainly tr ies to m ake stor ies she enjoys.

?I w r ite for myself because I As a w r iter , som e m ay w ant

found w henever you tr y to

to tr y and w r ite for a specific

w r ite for specific audiences,

audience, though that can be

you?r e bound to disappoint Women Comic Creat ors

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Wom en i n Com i cs Thr ough t he Deca des 1910

Fact s: Though it was predominantly male dominated, there were a few women here and there such as Dora McLarens and Edwina Dumm.

1950

Fact s: Mostly Marvel comics publishing comics during the 1950s.

1990

Fact s: Many female comic creators coming into the comic making. Colored women finally coming back into the comic industry.

11 Women in Comics Trough t he Decades

1920

Fact s: Very similar to the 1910s, there were very few women creating comics.

1960

Fact s: Marvel Comics is the main comic publisher, but Eartha Kitt, a black American singer and actress preforms as cat woman.

2000

Fact s: Women from other minorities start coming into the comic book industry. Such as Sana Amanat - Ms. Marvel , and Jo Chen Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight.

1930

Fact s: Jackie Ormes, a American Cartoonist, and a woman of color creates Torchy Brown. This is the first record of an Colored Woman writing a comic.

1970

Fact s: Trina Robbins wins and Inkpot Award in 1977, and also publishes the first comic to feature a Lesbian.

2010

Fact s: The amount of women in the comic book industry, specifically women from minorities continues to grow.

1940

Fact s: Not many visible women of color in the hero and comic book industry, but Jackie Ormes is still relatively popular. Machiko Hasegawa, was one of the first female manga artists.

1980

Fact s: Marvel Comics continues to be the biggest publisher in the comic book industry. Not many memorable female comic creators.

2020

Fact s: The comic book industry is probably the most diverse it has been. So many different women are now part of it: Coleen Coover (LGBTQ+) or, Trudi Ann Hemans (Colored woman)

Women in Comics Trough t he Decades

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Fin din g You r self in Com ics Webt oon Cr eat or Sh ar es Tr an s exper ien ce t h r ou gh Ar t

by M ar ia Aviles

13 Finding Yourself in Comics

For Azul Cr escent m aking com ics w as som ething she alw ays enjoyed. Pr efer r ing to use her ar t as a w ay to tell stor ies instead of w or ds. As a kid Cr escent w as aw ed by com ics and w ould m ake her ow n. As m uch as she w as dr aw n to com ics, they didn?t expect it to be som ething they?d be know n for.

?I?ve alw ays been dr aw n to dr aw ing com ics r ather than illustr ations. And since I w as young, I w as dr aw n to com ics r ather than the w r itten m edium for stor ies too? I dr ew little com ics as a kid, but I didn?t r eally think I'd be a com ic ar tist.?

- Azul Cr escent, ar tist ?It?s just my desir e to tell stor ies,? Cr escent said. ?I?ve alw ays been dr aw n to dr aw ing com ics r ather than illustr ations. And since I w as young, I w as dr aw n to com ics r ather than the w r itten m edium for stor ies too? I dr ew little com ics as a kid, but I didn?t r eally think I'd be a com ic ar tist.?

Gr ow ing older , she w anted to shar e som e of their w or ks. Of cour se the fir st isn?t alw ays the best. Instead of giving up, Cr escent decided to use it as a stepping stone. Lear ning fr om it, they continued m aking com ics. ?M y fir st ever ?published com ic w as

Finding Yourself in Comics 14

hor r endous. I w ould not be able to look at the ar t in the com ic r ight now. I just w anted to tell a stor y, even though my ar t w asn?t on par. I?m glad I did though, since I w ouldn?t be w her e I am r ight now.?

Using w ebtoons, an online com ic app, she published her com ics.

Specifically ?I w ant to be a cute anim e gir l?, a slice of life com ic follow ing a

ideal scenar io?

collection of jokes.?

Soon, their com ic gained attention m uch to their sur pr ise. She didn?t expect to have gotten a lar ger audience.

Now that she had people r eading, Cr escent began to pay m or e attention to how the stor y w as going to go. W hile w r iting m or e chapter s, Cr escent intr oduced new char acter s into the com ic. W hen m aking the char acter s, she had to be car eful on how said per son w ill inter act w ith pr e-existing char acter s and how they w ill affect the stor y.

?I think its quite im por tant to have LGBT r epr esentation ... r epr esentation can nor m alize and m ake LGBT people m or e accepted.?

Som e of her char acter s ar e apar t of the LGBTQ com m unity, including the m ain char acter.

Cr escent's com ic show s healthy LGBTQ r epr esentation w hich can helps people r elate.

- Azul Crescent, Webtoon creator tr ansitioning lead w ho?s lear ning m or e about them selves. In her w or k they use som e of their ow n exper iences, as w ell as inspir ation fr om other people and ones of an ideal w or ld. ?Som e, yes, som e fr om my im agination, and fr om other people?s accounts. It?s not a self-inser t as m uch as it is an

W hen she fir st star ted, Cr escent only m eant it as a one off thing.

They saw a com ic one of their fr iends m ade and w as inspir ed to continue. ?I dr ew the fir st page as like a one-off thing, and then I r ead a tr ans com ic by one of my fr iends and I w as like ?I w anna dr aw som ething like that? and I r em em ber ed I dr ew that one page, and I dr ew a few pages m or e, and it just w ent fr om ther e.? ?It w as pr etty m uch unexpected for m e, cause I just star ted the ser ies on a w him . So I had to think about the ser ies har der than I fir st star ted it, as a

16 15 Finding Yourself in Comics

?I think its quite im por tant to have LGBT r epr esentation, for a couple r easons," Cr escent said.

"Just having str aight couples in m edia can get ver y stale, and r epr esentation can nor m alize and m ake LGBT people m or e accepted in society as a w hole.?

Th e ar t ist dr ew h er self w it h a n ew st yle. Cou r t esy of Azu l Cr escen t .

Finding Yourself in Comics 16

Texas LGBT Prot ect ion Laws

14% of t he LGBT populat ion in Texas is Fully prot ect ed and 8% is part ially prot ect ed, while 78% is not prot ect ed.

5 cit ies and 3 m unicipalit ies prohibit discrim inat ion based on sexual orient at ion and gender ident it y in public, privat e em ploym ent , and housing.

16 17 Texas LGBT Prot ect ion Laws

Asian Her oes According to Marvel, the first Asian hero to be in a comic book was Jimmy Woo. He made his first appearance in the miniseries, Yellow Claw in October of 1956. He officially joined the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D in 1959.

Green Turtle first appeared in Blazing Comics, which was published by Rural Home Publications in 1944. In the original comic Green Turtle helped the Chinese against the Japanese invaders in World War II. The creator, Chu F. Hing wanted the Green Turtle to be an Asian superhero. However, his editors rejected the idea, as the U.S was deep in ww2 and the fear of ?yellow peril? was alive throughout the country.

Shang-Chi, first appeared in Special Marvel Edition #15, in December, 1979. During the 50s and 60s the arrival of Chinese culture in the U.S brought popularity to the Martial Arts, which was introduced to American films by actor Bruce Lee. Inspired by Bruce Lee, Shang-Chi was created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin.

Juliblee, a mutant born with superhuman abilities, first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men #244 in May 1989. Jubilee is a long-time member of the X-Men and founding member of Generation X. She recently lost her mutant powers on M-day, However, she regains her pyrotechnic abilities and was turned back into a mutant

Kamala Khan made her first Cassandra Cain was first introduced in As Cassandra: Batman #567 in July, 1999 as Batgirl. Cain was trained from birth as a killing machine, she found a new life as the fourth bat girl, and soon became a cherished part of the Batman family.

17

appearance in Captain Marvel #14, in August of 2013. Khan, the alter ego of Ms. Marvel is the first on-screen superhero. Her super powers include superhuman speed, strength, healing abilities, and shapeshifting.

Asian Heroes

17 16 18

Canall theAsian Americanspleasestandup Creatorsworktoimproverepresentationincomicbooks bySengMaji

The Good Asian tells the story of Southeast Asian immigration to the United States in the early 20th century. Graphic novels like this one shed new light on part of Asian American history. Courtesy of Pornsak Pichestsote

19

Can All The Asian Americans Please St and Up

Everyone wants to feel included. In movies and books, most people seem to favor a character that is similar to them in some way.

Asian Americans have traditionally had difficulty finding characters that look like them.

This is because Asians have been underrepresented in the film and comic industry for decades.

get me wrong, I get very excited watching and reading all that stuff too. But I wanted there to be an alternative. Plus, I wanted to see characters that acknowledged Asian-Americans?unique history, one that is different from Asian history / mythology.?

Although there are a lot of the same type of Asian characters in comics, there are also many authors who do an acceptable job of

Comic book Illustrator and writer Gene Ha said

having variety in their characters, and I have

Asian characters in media often fill

hope for Asian characters outside of their

stereotypical roles. If the character is male

stereotype.

then he is a smart, undesirable nerd. If the character is a woman then she is quiet, submissive, and is either oversexualized or is unattractive.

?I knew things were changing when I saw Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle,? Mr. Ha said. ?It was exciting to see Asian-American characters get to be goofy stoners. Not that I

?Growing up, Asian-American men were

want more stoners, but now we could be

mostly dateless nerds. Asian-American women

quirky in popular culture.? With the

were either nerds or fetishized sex bombs,?

population of Asian Americans being so low

Mr. Ha said.

compared to other minority groups, It?s

Although not all stereotypes are insulting,

already challenging to feel seen and

they can still be harmful to impressionable,

welcomed. Everyone wants to feel like we are

young teenagers who might think that it is the

understood; finding someone that looks the

only way they will be seen in the eyes of

way we do, makes us feel included and

society as an Asian. There are so many

connected. Sometimes not having to stand out

personality traits, and different ways Asian

is most comforting.

look, yet somehow they are all organized into

?I like to imagine a future where there?s a

the same category. Comic book writer,

place for everyone,? Mr. Ha said.

Pornsak Pichetsote explains what he wishes to see more of in comics. ?The Good Asian represents what I want to see more of in Asian characters in comics and film,? Mr. Pichetsote said. ?My protagonist Edison Hark came from the desire to see more male Asian protagonists that were strong, sexy, and flawed ? and it felt rare that Asian men on screen get a chance to do that. Or if they do, those characters are always involved with mysticism or the martial arts. And don?t

Th e n eed f or n ew h er oes By the end of a book, there is something learned, no matter the genre. A good book with diverse characters will teach you compassion and give you a new understanding and perspective on what it?s like for people of different races. Books rich in culture make minorities feel seen and understood, Mr. Ha explained.

Can All The Asian Americans Please St and Up 20

?Great art makes every day feel magical, and the

cookie dialog.?

magical feel every day,? Mr. Ha said. ?It changes

Mr. Pichetsote

how we see the world, what we think is possible,

agreed, adding

and lets us view the world from new

creators should

perspectives. For comics readers and authors,

put more effort

new diverse voices open up new worlds for

into increasing

storytelling.

representation.

The U.S is rich in culture and diversity, yet it lacks

- GeneHa, comicbook ?It?s always creator disappointing and depressing to see authors not putting in the work.? Mr. Pichetsote said.

the same diversity in our movies, and books. ?I think realism in all stories and entertainment is important,? Mr. Pichetshote said. ?And the fact is, America is a place where historically our stories have not reflected how diverse our country actually is. And recently there?s been a movement to make it more accurate, to make our stories more relevant to the world that?s consuming them. Stories that accurately reflect the world around them have always been a priority for storytellers. We?re just only relatively recently realizing the different ways the stories of the past were inaccurate.?

Not w h o w e ar e

" I l i k e to i magi ne a f uture w h ere th ere?s a pl ace f or ev eryone.?

More and more, comics and other media are showing Asian Americans in roles outside the stereotypes. ?It?s a revelation to see Asian characters get to be fully fleshed out people, with normal desires and weaknesses and dialog instead of stiffly formal wizards, monks, and samurai,? Mr. Ha said.

Since there is such a variety of culture in Asia, it can be difficult to properly exhibit culture adequately. Inaccurately showcasing Asian culture or any culture

Along with misrepresentation, another common

can be seen as insensitive, and cultural

problem with portraying Asian characters is

appropriation, even if it is done

correctly representing their culture.

mistakenly. Many authors deal with this

?It?s dispiriting to see your culture and people gotten wrong, or even mocked, in popular culture,? Mr. Ha said. ?Especially if there?s no better alternative portrayal. When I was young I dreaded seeing Asian characters in comics. They were usually a stereotype turned into a

exact struggle when creating diverse characters, even Mr. Ha admits to having a hard time representing a culture that he is unfamiliar with. He faced this problem when writing about Doctor Strange?s ally Wong.

superpower. Often martial arts or other ancient

?In a Wong story I created with writer

mystic wisdom combined with stiff fortune

Zander Cannon we included an Ojibwe

21 Can All The Asian Americans Please St and Up

spellcaster,? Mr. Ha said. ?We did the first

?It was incredibly rewarding, and she was excited to help create an Ojibwe hero for Ojibwe children to read and love,? Mr. Ha said.

Every author and artist should research and be knowledgeable of the people and culture they base their stories, books, and illustrations on. ?Researching and listening don?t guarantee the story will work, but we owe it to our readers to try,? Mr. Ha said.

Although representing a culture in exact precision can be extremely challenging, it is important to at least try. ?Sometimes try as you might, you can?t get all the information you need in the time allotted. I very much sympathize with that situation and admire all the writers who persevere for accuracy regardless. ? Mr. Pichetshote said.

The statics Alongside representation of Asian characters in comics, there is also a The Good Asian tells the story of Southeast Asian immigration to the United States in the early 20th century.

Graphic novels like this one shed new light on part of Asian American history. Courtesy of Pornsak Pichestsote

lack of Asian comic creators.?America is dominated by predominantly white

draft without consulting anyone Ojibwe. Then

men,? Mr. Pichetshote said, ?so it?s a fact of life

we tracked down an Ojibwe leader and

I?ve learned to live with, but at the same time, I

activist, Dr. Dorene Wiese, for her feedback.

do spend time thinking about what small part

She advised me to include things I was afraid

I can play to give different voices the

might be dated or stereotypical, like putting a

opportunity to be heard regardless.?

feather in our Ojibwe spellcaster ?s hair. More importantly, she told us things not to do. And she opened our eyes to cultural and costume vistas we didn?t even imagine existed.?

Putting in that extra effort meant better representation.

?The problem with stories told by predominantly white men is you get a lopsided picture of what the world ? or at the very least America ? is really like,? Mr. Pichetshote said.

Can All The Asian Americans Please St and Up

22

Thanks!

Hi it's the Writers again!

Thank you for reading and we really hope you learned something!

We would like to thank our teacher, Mr. Garcia, for working with us on this. It was a struggle sometimes between slight procrastination, finding interviewees, and having to refocus because we got distracted by doing art. (which we're not going to lie, happened a lot, but we regret nothing) He supported, and helped us through all of it. We would not have been able to get this done without him.

Anyways, throughout this magazine, you probably saw art pieces that were not by our interviewees. Those are pieces by our team members during class. On the inside front cover, our bio photos, and the next page you will find art by Jay Valentin, and Markus Aviles. Those were fun things to put in the magazine, and it gave it a little piece of us.

We hope you had happy reading!

-Jay, Maria, Asia, and Seng

Back inside cover art courtesy of Jay Valentin

DU