The Shadow Hero: Review


Gene Luen Yang, generally known for his long form graphic novels, takes a stab at something a bit more discrete and serialized with his new six-issue project The Shadow Hero. And so far it’s as good as anything he’s ever done.

Here’s the official word from First Second Books:

With American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang changed the landscape of conversation about the Asian-American and immigrant experience in modern America. Now, with The Shadow Hero, Yang is tackling the Asian American story in the context of that most American of art forms: the super hero comic. This is the story of a young Chinese-American man who honors his Chinese heritage by donning a cape and fighting crime.

Those familiar with Gene Luen Yang’s work will instantly recognizeScreen shot 2014-02-24 at 6.45.41 AM that The Shadow Hero is a departure from the work he’s produced in the past. First, it’s formatted as a six-issue miniseries — a minor leap for a creator who generally produces meaty paperbacks or multi-volume sets (as he did with his recent and beautifully executed Boxers and Saints). Secondly, and maybe more importantly for a creator best known for crafting historical fiction and coming-of-age tales, Yang has shifted towards superhero fare. This inaugural issue of Shadow Hero is primarily an origin story for a forgotten superhero; we get setting, characters, and motivation. But maybe more importantly, we get an understanding of our emerging hero, a boy named Hank, vis-à-vis his immigrant family. In this sense, The Shadow Hero promises to be very reminiscent of Yang’s previous works: the themes of family, loyalty, and cultural identity will be front and center. And except for the fact the superhero element gets introduced a bit late, issue #1 is a great read. Don’t get me wrong, I love origin stories that involve radio-active spiders but there’s something great about getting a hero whose origin is steeped in cultural assimilation, too.

The art, by Sonny Liew, offers a gorgeous complement to Gene Yang’s script. Vibrant lines, and stylistically nimble characters make this issue a total treasure.

If you’re interested in reading The Shadow Hero be aware that each individual issue will only be released digitally. First Second will release an old-school trade in July 2014.

OUR RATING
9.5
+ Compelling Origin Story + Beautiful Art - Takes a while to see a dude in a cape

S#!T Talking Central