Marvel celebrates AAPI Heritage Month with anthology comic featuring Asian and AAPI talent

May 25, 2022

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Asian superheroes such as Ms. Marvel and Shang-Chi are taking center stage in a special Marvel anthology to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month this May.

“Marvel’s Voices: Identity #1 2022,” a follow-up to last year’s “Marvel’s Voices: Identity” anthology, is set in the Marvel Universe and features four new stories written by AAPI and Asian talent.

In “Secrets,” by writer Pornsak Pichetshote, artist Creees Lee and colorist Bryan Valenza, Shang-Chi and Jimmy Woo collaborate on an important mission.

“It was a complete honor being asked to contribute to Marvel’s Voices: Identity #1 2022, and I was surprised by how immediately I knew the story I wanted to tell,” Pichetshote told Marvel. “Jimmy Woo and Shang-Chi are two of Marvel’s highest profile, non-superpowered Asian heroes, and I was instantly drawn to the things they had in common as well as the surprising things that set them apart.”

In “Fool Me Twice,” by writer Sabir Pirzada, artist Eric Koda and colorist Brian Reber, Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel team up and discover just how similar they are.

“For me, it’s an honor to draw these characters,” Koda was quoted as saying. “In a way, they’re outsiders in this universe and, dang, can I relate to that!”

In “The Primeval Paradox,” by writer Jeremy Holt, artist Kei Zama and colorist Irma Kniivila, Mantis is given a starring role.

“Usually, I don’t have the opportunity to draw stories filled with nature, so I enjoyed drawing it with my favorite character Mantis,” Zama shared. “And collaborating with Jeremy, who is a non-binary Asian creator like me, was a very cool experience.”

Meanwhile, Wong gets a solo adventure in the final story, “While You Were Out,” by writer Emily Kim, artist Rickie Yagawa and colorist Sebastian Cheng.

According to Kim, Wong is a fan favorite, but not much is known about him.

“Everyone thinks of themselves as the main characters of their lives and I wanted to explore that idea with a character who has always been known as a ‘sidekick,’” she noted. “I also realized that feeling like a sidekick is closely tied to Asian American themes, so everything came together in a really special way for this one-shot. I also really enjoyed being able to work with such a great team on this.”

The anthology, which is set to release on May 25, features cover art by Lee and Romulo Fajardo Jr., with variant covers by Jeehyung Lee, Stan Sakai, Emi Fuji and Wooh Nayoung.

In addition to the action-packed stories, the anthology also includes an exclusive interview with comic book letterer Janice Chiang, as well as an introduction by Marvel Games Senior Manager of Creative Development Isabel Hsu.

Featured Image via Marvel

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