The Shadow Hero

Written by Gene Luen Yang
Art by Sonny Liew

I've long been a fan of Gene Luen Yang, Sonny Liew, and the characters of the Golden Age of comics, so The Shadow Hero, a graphic novel that reinvents the mostly forgotten character The Green Turtle was right up my alley.

The Turtle experienced a very short publishing run in 1944, as a comics artist named Chu Hing tried to give America its first Asian hero, although he was coloured as if he were Caucasian, and his face was never shown.  The title didn't last past a handful of issues, but I suppose he made enough of an impression that Yang and Liew decided to revitalize him.

This is the story of Hank, the American-born son of two Chinese immigrants living in the fictional Pacific city San Incendio.  Unknown to everyone, before coming to America, Hank's father agreed to be the host to the Tortoise Spirit, which lived in his shadow.

After a run-in with some bank robbers and the Anchor of Justice, the local superhero, Hank's mother decides that she wants him to become a hero, which she views as better than becoming a meek grocer, like his father.  He's forced into months of training, but his first foray as a hero is a disaster.  Later, he discovers that his father is being mistreated by the local Tong, and that leads Hank on a series of adventures that will establish him as a true hero.

Yang's writing, from his own cartoons like American Born Chinese and Boxers & Saints, through to his work on DC's New Super-Man is always tight, and his love for his characters and his purpose in writing this book is clear.  He both avoids and embraces some of the racial stereotyping so inherent in the Golden Age, and provides us with a lot of depth.

Sonny Liew, who has most recently worked on Doctor Fate at DC, is a very talented artist (I loved his Malinky Robot comic).  There's a real chemistry between him and Yang in this book.

I would be very happy to see or read more of the Green Turtle's adventures.

Malinky Robot: Collected Stories & Other Bits

by Sonny Liew

I was a little surprised to see how many of the stories collected in this book I've read before, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of Sonny Liew's unusual comic.  Malinky Robot is about Atari and Oliver, two kids (actually, I'm not too sure what Oliver is; he looks a little like a wool-less sheep) who hang out in the city of San'ya, a post-urban sprawl of slums.

The two kids have some pretty simple adventures, involving stolen bicycles, a rare Stinky Fish, and the joy of found money (a large denominational bill, no less).  They don't go to school (although their friend Misha does), and they are well known to a group of older men like Mr. Bon Bon the construction worker or Mr. Nabisco, who builds robots.

Liew's work captures a sense of childhood, but also the unending possibilities of the urban experience.  Some of the stories don't even involve them - there is one nice story that focuses on the loyalties of Mr. Nabisco's domestic robot.  Anything goes in Liew's world.  I particularly like the way he utilizes a variety of homages to week-end comics strips to fill us in on Mr. Bon Bon's sad past.

Liew is a very talented artist and his work conveys a number of emotions.  It is my hope that we will be seeing more of Atari and his friends soon.

Malinky Robot 1 & 2

by Sonny Liew

I first came across Sonny Liew's work in Liquid City, the Image anthology of Asian comics, and his Malinky Robot story was my favourite in the book. I found it quite charming, and resolved to track down the comics in the series that had been published (in 2002 and 2005). I got them both this week off Ebay, and I'm pleased with the purchase.

Malinky Robot is about two young kids living in a run-down Japanese city (I think). Atari is the scarred leader of the duo, always coming up with big plans or dreams. I don't know what Oliver is - he looks a little like a stuffed trunkless elephant. They hang out in the rough areas of town, don't go to school, and are watched over by Mr. Bon Bon, a friendly construction worker.

The first issue of the series, 'Stinky Fish Blues' is the exact same story published in Liquid City. The only difference is that this earlier publication is not coloured, and is harder to follow than the lushly coloured later printing. It's still a cute story, although I was hoping for a little more content. This issue was self-published with a Xeric grant.

The second comic was published by Slave Labor Graphics, and is at least partially coloured. It is smaller than a regular comic, being about the size of Jason Lute's Berlin or Chester Brown's Louis Riel comics. In this issue, the two kids 'borrow' a pair of bicycles to travel to a suburb or other town and visit their friend Misha who has recently moved there. The middle of the comic is filled with two other stories, ostensibly told and illustrated by Misha and Atari, about Mr. Bon Bon. Between them are a series of comic strips modeled on a Sunday comics section, by Oliver.

There's not much story to hold onto in this comic. Nothing really happens, but it continues to be pretty cute and charming.

Liquid City Volume 1

Edited by Sonny Liew

This is a pretty interesting anthology, in that it features work from a number of Southeast Asian comics creators. In his introduction, editor and contributor Sonny Liew mentions how these creators are influenced by European, Japanese, and North American comics, and this is evident throughout the book.

All genres are represented here, from science fiction, autobiography, fantasy, horror, magical realist, to the mythological. It's an eclectic mix, yet it seems to work as a whole much better than Popgun did.

I particularly enjoyed Leong Wan Kok's take on Kafka's Metamorphosis, Troy Chin's autobiographical piece, Gerry Alanguilan's zombie-esque story, kenfoo's two pieces of weird anthropomorphism ("Slap you, bird! Your name is Bird!"), Otto Fong's Monkey God story, and Lefty's samurai/pirate tale. Kah Hong Teng's story 'Regrets' was a beautiful piece of work, but I'm not sure I picked up on all its subtleties.

My two favourite pieces in the book are both drawn by Sonny Liew. His "Malinky Robot" story is a charming tale of two kids (although one looks like a pig), who are able to find a living Stinky Fish, and try to profit off of it. The other story, written by Mike Carey, is an indictment of colonialism.

This is a good anthology, and I hope there are more volumes on the way.