In preparation for SHATTERED‘s (volume 2 of Secret Identities) big day on November 6th, when the book will be available in book stores and comic book stores around the nation, the editors of the anthology have organized a blog carnival from some of the book’s contributors. Here’s what’s been published so far:
- Adam Warrock: Shattered — Secret Identities & some news updates: “There’s definitely a need for multicultural perspectives in all artforms, but there’s no question that comics lack the kind of diversity for all races and ethnicities. And in a medium that’s so often read by younger kids, there’s a need to seeing all kinds of people being able to anchor stories, to be heroes, and to be strong role models for children growing up.”
- Koji Steven (8Asians): Why Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology (Secret Identities) is Important: “I’m glad my son has been born at a time when books like this can come out. As Asian Americans it is important that we support these kinds of projects. And when I say support, I mean buy it, like it, post it, and tell your friends about it. And I’m not just saying that because I’m in it (I don’t make any money off the book sales).”
- Angry Girl Comics (who pinch-hitted for me today when I lost power due to the hurricane):
- Reappropriate: Secret Identities, Shattered: My Relationship with Comic Books and the Genesis of PUSH: “I can basically summarize my experience participating in this book with the following sentiment: I am deeply honoured and thankful to have had the opportunity to be involved. There are so many Asian American stories that have already been told through the Secret Identities anthologies, and yet, I think there are still so many that are still waiting to be told.”
- Angry Asian Man: my very own superhero in SHATTERED: “I had the great privilege of contributing a short piece for Shattered’s character gallery, with the visuals supplied by the artist/editor Jerry Ma. My character:Angry Asian Man, of course. I actually have to thank Jerry, who had been bugging me since the first anthology to contribute a character. So I relented and went with the obvious, drawing a few traits from my own life and throwing a wink at what I do here. The trick was to create a compelling superhero out of a dude who basically sits in front of a computer all day. Yup, that’s me.”
- A.L. Baroza: Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology:
- NerdyGal: SHATTERED: Working with Larry Hama on “The Date”: “Larry started talking about something that sparked an idea in my mind. His parents had been incarcerated in the infamous Japanese American internment camps in California during World War II. I knew SHATTERED would be distributed to schools and public libraries and that this subject should be in the Anthology somehow. It was perfect. I quickly rewrote the story and emailed Larry to thank him for the inspiration. His response was pretty short and immediate: Who’s drawing it? My heart stopped a little reading that. I’m not sure of the last time anyone has seen Larry pencil a story. I immediately sent him the script and held my breath. His next email said he thought he might me able to do it in collaboration with Craig. Craig has inked quite a bit including Runaways for Marvel. And with Janice Chiang on board to do the lettering, it worked out perfectly. Craig ended up doing the pencils for my original story which became the title story for my own first short story anthology Girls Night Out through Alpha Girl Comics. And Larry was the easiest guy ever to work with – even offering to redo any panels if I wanted.”
- Bao Phi: Asian American Comic Book Anthology “SHATTERED” In Stores this Week: “The good news: fine fellows Keith Chow and Jerry Ma contacted me and asked me to submit a character concept for their new Asian American comic book superhero anthology, Shattered. Even better: they paired me up with G.B. Tran, the artist and author of a book I deeply love and respect, Vietnamerica. Imagine you’re me: a spoken word poet raised in the hood who grew up addicted to Chris Claremont’s run of X-men, grew up wanting to see more substantial Asian American characters in comics, then I get to be included in an anthology – *and* my concept is illustrated by G.B. Tran? It’s a dream come true.”
- Secret Asian Man: Shattered: Behind the Scenes by Tak Toyoshima: “My story, Occupy the Ethnic Food Aisle, is the touching story of a jar of Ah-So Chinese barbeque sauce struggling with its segregation from the rest of the “normal” food in the supermarket. As it questions why it can’t be shelved next to other sauces and condiments like ketchup and mustard, it is challenged by the manipulative and opportunistic Nissin Cup-o-Noodles who holds a secret to Ah-So’s past that … well, you’ll just have to pick up a copy of Shattered to find out.”
- Natalie Kim: Chinese female pirate story I wrote is OFFICIALLY PUBLISHED: “Most stories presented to girls are not very good ones. There are no stories of matriarchal societies, Athena or the Amazon Warrior Women. They have been replaced by Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Cinderella. The results can be silently devastating. The above mentioned fairy tales are banned in our house. I decided that the stories I want to present to my four year old daughter are the ones that will lift her up. The stories and archetypes that remind her that she can do whatever she sets her mind to, not what society dictates her to. She can be a leader, she can be fierce, she can be independent.”
- Kai Mai (on the Secret Identities blog): Tempest: “Her name is Tempest—and no, the moniker has nothing to do with Hurricane Sandy. The name, rather, is a nod to the storm that occurred the night she was kidnapped from her bedroom as a child. She’s a 13-year-old assassin, trained and raised by a covert organization that shaped her into a merciless killer. She’s also the character I created, with artist Eric Kim, for Shattered,the Secret Identities comics anthology that dropped November 6.”
- Yellow Zen Master: Walking with Master Hare — Behind the Scenes with Shattered: “I was absolutely elated when I read through the preview copy of Shattered that we creators were sent. This anthology is exactly what I had been looking for. Rather than spending time trying to shame the White Man for years of oppression, this collection concentrates on telling good stories that feature Asian leads. This is a comic I would be proud to share with absolutely everyone I know. It’s a much more subtle statement than the first collection. It’s not trying to shame you for ignoring the plight of Asians in America. It’s telling good stories that are universal in relate-ability and proving that you can do so while featuring minority leads. It’s a powerful statement and one of the reasons I think this is such an important work.
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