by Leon Overee
Marvel Comics is set to celebrate Asian superheroes and creators with the release of the second edition of its “Voices: Identity” one-shot. The radical series aims to highlight the contributions of specific marginalized communities to the Marvel Universe.
This year's edition marks the second time that Marvel is celebrating the Asian presence in comics, which coincides with the United States' observation of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May 2022.
The debut of the first “Identity” anthology series was led by Asian artists like current Shang-Chi story writer, Gene Luan Yang, who, together with colourists Marcus To and Sunny Gho, presented an alternate tale of the Master of Kung-Fu encountering a villainous version of himself.
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Other superheroes of Asian descent like Ms. Marvel (American-Muslim), Jubilee (daughter of Chinese immigrants) and Silk (Korean-American) were also featured on the debut issue of the forward-thinking anthology series, with contributions by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) creatives like Christina Strain, Whilce Portacio, and Jay David Ramo amongst others.
For 2022, fans can look forward to some of these brand-new stories that will feature in the second reiteration of the Asian-centric compilation:
- An earth-shattering collaboration between Ms.Marvel and Shang-Chi by writer Sabir Pirzada alongside illustrator Eric Koda
- Shang-Chi features on yet another partnership, with the charismatic Jimmy Woo, on a whim and fancy
- The spotlight shines on the mysterious clairvoyant Mantis of the Guardians of the Galaxy fame
Aside from its “Identity” one-shots, Marvel Comics also celebrates other lesser-represented groups, in its “Voices” series. Native Americans (Voices: Indigenous Voices), African-Americans (Voices: Legacy) and the LGBTQ communities (Voices: Pride) all had similar releases throughout the year, paving way for more alternative voices to be seen and heard in the main canon of the Marvel Comic Universe.
