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Thursday, May 16, 2019

On the Coffee Table: The Shadow Hero

Title: The Shadow Hero
Author: Gene Luen Yang
Artist: Sonny Liew
Image result for shadow hero
via Amazon
American Yang and Malaysian Liew created The Shadow Hero as an homage to the Green Turtle, a Golden Age comic book superhero.  The Green Turtle was an unusual hero for that or any era in that his alias was Asian-American.  Yang provides an origin story for the character, one that digs deep into the seedy underworld of a fictional American Chinatown.

The story's a lot of fun and the artwork engaging.  Liew's work reminds me of Rob Guillory's Chew illustrations.  Guillory is the younger artist so, if anything, the influence probably went the other way.  The volume includes historical information about the 1940s series as well as a nine-page, reprinted original story.
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6 comments:

  1. Andrew LeonMay 16, 2019 at 10:57 AM

    Reminds me of The Shadow...

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    Replies
    1. The Armchair SquidMay 17, 2019 at 8:39 PM

      I can see that. Not quite as dark in atmosphere but it's similar.

      Delete
  2. Tanza ErlambangMay 17, 2019 at 2:55 PM

    the cover looks enticing...

    ReplyDelete
  3. sageMay 19, 2019 at 5:52 AM

    I never got into comics much, except for Mad Magazine. Like the tie back to the 40s and the heyday of such stories within the genre.

    www.thepulpitandthepen.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Armchair SquidMay 23, 2019 at 11:40 AM

      Comic books have been a middle age discovery for me. My buddy Mock got me into them though, as with many good things, I have my wife to thank for this particular find.

      Delete