The Shadow Hero

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The Shadow Hero - Book Trailer

In the comics boom of the 1940s, a legend was born: the Green Turtle. But this mysterious masked crusader was hiding something more than your run-of-the-mill secret identity . . . The Green Turtle was the first Asian American superhero. The original Green Turtle comic only had a short run, but now Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew revived the character, creating an origin story for a forgotten hero.

Praise for The Shadow Hero

"What America needs is for people to shed the expectation of translation and immerse themselves in other worlds . . . America has to start somewhere, and I’d recommend The Shadow Hero."
—New York Times

"Gene Luen Yang uses his Chinese heritage to create engaging comics that are deeply personal yet rooted in centuries of stories, fictional and true." —LA Times

"Yang and Liew reinvent this character in a brilliant homage that finally allows the Green Turtle to get his long overdue face time." —BCCB, STARRED REVIEW on The Shadow Hero

"There's plenty of humor in this lively, entertaining adventure story . . . At its heart, though, this book is a subtle comment on China's changing cultural landscape and growing multiculturalism in America. A lovingly tongue-in-cheek homage." —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

"The insight into Chinese mafia and 1940s American superhero comic book culture is wonderful." —VOYA

"Award-winning author Yang and artist Liew tackle a lesser-known aspect of history, breathing new life into the Green Turtle, a 1940s comic book hero . . . A creative take on the superhero genre." —School Library Journal

“Abundant humor, strong characters and cracking good action.” —The Horn Book

“A golden-age comic superhero returns with a brand new Asian-American origin story . . . An entertaining and intelligent response to classic superhero stories.” —Kirkus Reviews

"Racism, romance, humor, and identity all play important roles in Yang and Liew's evocation of… More…

"What America needs is for people to shed the expectation of translation and immerse themselves in other worlds . . . America has to start somewhere, and I’d recommend The Shadow Hero."
—New York Times

"Gene Luen Yang uses his Chinese heritage to create engaging comics that are deeply personal yet rooted in centuries of stories, fictional and true." —LA Times

"Yang and Liew reinvent this character in a brilliant homage that finally allows the Green Turtle to get his long overdue face time." —BCCB, STARRED REVIEW on The Shadow Hero

"There's plenty of humor in this lively, entertaining adventure story . . . At its heart, though, this book is a subtle comment on China's changing cultural landscape and growing multiculturalism in America. A lovingly tongue-in-cheek homage." —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

"The insight into Chinese mafia and 1940s American superhero comic book culture is wonderful." —VOYA

"Award-winning author Yang and artist Liew tackle a lesser-known aspect of history, breathing new life into the Green Turtle, a 1940s comic book hero . . . A creative take on the superhero genre." —School Library Journal

“Abundant humor, strong characters and cracking good action.” —The Horn Book

“A golden-age comic superhero returns with a brand new Asian-American origin story . . . An entertaining and intelligent response to classic superhero stories.” —Kirkus Reviews

"Racism, romance, humor, and identity all play important roles in Yang and Liew's evocation of Hank's life in pre-WWII San Francisco as they create an origin story that blends classic comics conventions with a distinctly Chinese perspective.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

“Masterful.” —Dave Eggers on Boxers & Saints

“Remarkable.” —The New York Times on Boxers & Saints

“At once humorous and heartbreaking.” —The LA Times on Boxers & Saints

“Epic.” —The Washington Post on Boxers & Saints

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Reviews from Goodreads

written by Gene Luen Yang; illustrated by Sonny Liew

Gene Luen Yang's first book with First Second, American Born Chinese, is now in print in over ten languages and was a National Book Award finalist and winner of the Printz Award. Yang's other works include the popular comics adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, DC’s New Super-Man series, Boxers & Saints, and the Secret Coders series. He is the first graphic novelist to be named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

Sonny Liew is a Malaysian-born comic artist and illustrator based in Singapore. He is the author of The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, a New York Times bestseller and the first graphic novel to win the Singapore Literature Prize. His other comics include titles for Marvel, DC, and Image. He spearheaded Liquid City, a comics anthology series featuring creators from Southeast Asia.