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The Shadow Hero


Summary: This is the origin of The Green Turtle, a 1940s comic book hero, who was initially created by Chu Hing. The Blazing Comics series only lasted 5 issues and his origin was never revealed until now. Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew come together in this graphic novel to create his story and to further explain the character.  Chu Hing was an Asian American cartoonist who invented the Green Turtle for Rewl (Rural Home) Publications Inc. The rumor was that he created the Green Turtle to be a Chinese superhero, but his publishers disapproved of that notion. As a way to get back at his publisher, Chu never draws the Green Turtle's face and is always hidden from the readers. Was this because the Green Turtle was Chinese and if so why does he have pink skin? With a little bit of research and a hint of their own imagination, Gene and Sonny pay homage to the Green Turtle by helping to answer some of these questions and to bring Chu Hing's Shadow Hero back to life. The title itself is a small gesture not only to the Green Turtle's super power, but to the possibility of Hing's practice of shadowing his hero's true ethnicity. 

Reference: Yang, Gene Luen; Sonny Liew (2014). The Shadow Hero. First Second Publications, New York, NY.

Impressions: Alright, I'm putting my cards on the table - I am a Gene Luen Yang fan, so this review may be biased.  I've enjoyed reading American Born Chinese, Level-Up, Boxers & Saints, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and now his latest graphic novel, The Shadow Hero. What adds to my giddiness with The Shadow Hero is that his story draws from the era of Golden Age of Comics, the 1940s. I developed a strong interest in these Golden Age comic book heroes from the Jess Nevin contributions in Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Criminal series, which by the way if you haven't read them, I highly recommend you do. (FYI: you're going to have to find the single issues comic for his contributions because they aren't in any of the trade paperbacks.)  It's only natural then that learning about Chu Hing and his 1940s character, the Green Turtle, was quite fascinating. The idea that the Green Turtle may be comic's first Chinese superhero is intriguing. It's a shame that they weren't able to find out more information about Hing and his work history with the Green Turtle. I was able to get some more information about Hing from the blog Chinese American Eyes, (http://chimericaneyes.blogspot.com/2014/01/about-artist-chu-f-hing.html), which was insightful. 

With regards to the graphic novel, I enjoyed the creativity of the origin and the characters. His mother is a very unique and very comical character who is integral to Hank and his becoming the Green Turtle. The use of Chinese culture in explaining the Turtle's powers and shadow (the council of spirits) is educational and inventive. The writing style and illustrations do a great job in complimenting the story; they don't detract from it at all. One example of their inventiveness was the explanation of Hank's skin turning pink. This characteristic is based on the true life rumor of the comic book publisher demanding the hero have a pink color hoping to thwart any ideas of Hing wanting to make the Green Turtle a Chinese superhero. The story is fast paced and fun, as are many of Gene's works, which is why I enjoy his work.

The Shadow Hero is a well-written comic and a welcomed edition into anyone's living room.

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