The Shadow Hero

Gene Luen Yang

Jul 2014 · Sold by First Second

About this ebook

In the comics boom of the 1940s, a legend was born: the Green Turtle. He solved crimes and fought injustice just like the other comics characters. But this mysterious masked crusader was hiding something more than your run-of-the-mill secret identity... The Green Turtle was the first Asian American super hero.
The comic had a short run before lapsing into obscurity, but the acclaimed author of American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang, has finally revived this character in Shadow Hero, a new graphic novel that creates an origin story for the Green Turtle.
With artwork by Sonny Liew, this gorgeous, funny comics adventure for teens is a new spin on the long, rich tradition of American comics lore.

Ratings and reviews

Not only is this a well-written story with fantastic artwork, it also subtly analyzes the minority experience in an entertaining, thought-provoking way without becoming peachy or alienating to non-minorities. Furthermore, I think it's important to finally have a non-white, unwhitewashed character as a protagonist in an American narrative. It's too easy to see "white" as the default for story leads, and it's wonderful to see that mindset challenged. This book redefines what "American" encompasses.

This is a superhero story with humor and heart as well as crime fighting. With just that, it would be worth reading. What puts it over the top is the real 1940s character and backstory that inspired this story. I would love to read a sequel. The art is a cartoony but clear style that fits the story, and conveys a lot of character. I will be looking for other works by them.

It takes a funny attentive reader who can deal with dark spots on America's history but overall takes a bout a few hours to read

About the author

Gene Luen Yang's first book with First Second, American Born Chinese, is now in print in over ten languages and was a National Book Award finalist and winner of the Printz Award. Yang's other works include the popular comics adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the New York Times Best-Selling graphic novel diptych Boxers & Saints. The Shadow Hero, the story of the first Asian-American superhero, is his most recent graphic novel.

Sonny Liew is a Malaysian-born comic artist and illustrator based in Singapore. He is best known for his work on Vertigo's My Faith in Frankie together with Mike Carey and Marc Hempel, and Marvel's adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. The Shadow Hero, a graphic novel written by Gene Luen Yang, is his most recent work.