Received a cool update about the upcoming second edition of Secret Identities, the Asian American comics anthology. Shattered, coming in fall 2012, will go beyond the first book's focus on superheroes, expanding to some edgier themes and genres.It's one thing to create a collection of conventional stories about Asian American superheroes, but it's an entirely different challenge altogether to create something interesting from the other side, drawing from a "darker range of hues."
Joining editors Jeff Yang, Parry Shen, Keith Chow and Jerry Ma will be an eclectic and impressive lineup of Asian American comics creators such as Gene Yang, Sonny Liew, Larry Hama, Cliff Chiang, Bernard Chang, Sean Chen, Greg Pak and more. Here's a rundown of the creators and stories of Shattered:
TABLE OF CONTENTSThat's a pretty awesome lineup. As a big fan of the first volume, I can't wait to read this one. For further information and updates about Shattered, go to the Secret Identities website here.
PROLOGUE - The Sacrifice by Jeff Yang | art by Jerry Ma
A pair of ancient heroes make the ultimate sacrifice in an attempt to save the world - and a terrible burden is passed on to a new generation of keepers.
CHAPTER ONE: The Brute
INTRO - Driving Steel: The Breaking by Jeff Yang | art by Krishna M. Sadasivam
A young John Henry, the steel-driving man of legend, arrives at a quiet mountain mining camp with his friend and mentor Jimson Fo - a Chinese immigrant of strange background and abilities. Together, they stumble upon a secret at the heart of the sleepy town, and inadvertently unleash a plague of darkness that is doomed to curse the town's inhabitants, and transform all those they subsequently meet. With art by PC Weenies illsutrator Krishna Sadasivam!
Burn: The Rising by Jerry and Jimmy Ma | art by Jerry Ma
In China at the turn of the 20th century, the Western powers have seemingly broken the will of the people and turned their leaders into puppets. That is, until a true hero rallies the masses against their oppressors — and sacrifices himself to galvanize their resolve. But even as his example steels to people to revolt, a greater battle begins, whose stakes are infinite: An end to reality as we know it.
Master Hare and Master Tortoise by Howard Wong | art by Jamie Noguchi
Master Hare believes he's the greatest fighter in all the land, and he has the victories to prove it. Will his streak of martial triumphs continue after he encounters the aged and whimsical Master Tortoise?
Mass Destruction by Gary Allen Jackson | art by Cesar Castillo, Jr.
The new dictator of North Korea has announced a stunning new project that upends the global balance of power - a super-soldier program that he says will field an invincible army of metahuman warriors within months. An all-star team of American heroes is sent to eliminate the program, and quickly begin to wonder whether they're the solution - or part of the problem.
Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang | art by Sonny Liew
The award-winning teamup from Volume One - National Book Award nominated Gene Yang (American Born Chinese) and Eisner-nominated Sonny Liew (Wonderland) returns with a special side-story to their forthcoming graphic novel, featuring a 1940s-era Asian American hero and the Tiger Mom who's the real power behind the cape!
Fashion Never Dyes by Jamie Ford | art by A.L. Baroza
Part one of a triptych of EC Comics parodies, by the New York Times bestselling author of The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet!
Solitary by Michael Kang and Edmund Lee | art by Glenn Urieta
The director and co-screenwriter of the gritty gangland epic West 32nd return to the scene of the crime(s), with a story about a naïve young Korean American thug's accidental path to the penitentiary.
CHAPTER TWO: The Temptress
INTRO - Bai Bai, Bai-Tsai by Jeff Yang | art by Martin Hsu
Unpleasant things often happen to child stars when they grow out of innocence - and animated child stars are no exception. With art by acclaimed Nickelodeon character designer Martin Hsu!
The Regrets We Talk About by Fred Chao | art by Fred Chao
Johnny Hiro creator Fred Chao brings an awesomely awkward slice-of-life look at flirtation gone wrong and smooth moves that never got made.
The Date by Amy Chu | art by Larry Hama
A man. A woman. A holiday evening together. Love isn't always what it seems - or what you expect. With art by comics legend Larry Hama, creator of G.I. Joe!
Queen of Pirates by Natalie Kim Burns | art by Robin Ha
Cheng Shih was one of the greatest pirates in history - the lady whose exploits terrorized the South China Sea. But before she became Asia's most notorious female buccaneer, she had to learn to listen to her heart.
Heroes Without a Country: Tokyo Rose by Daniel Jai Lee | art by Dafu Yu
This new story of the Sunset Squad - the superhuman task force of Japanese American soldiers who secretly took on the darkest and most dangerous assignments of World War II - tells the story of the undercover operative known as Tokyo Rose... a femme fatale with an unusual secret.
CHAPTER THREE: The Brain
INTRO - Hide and Sikh by Parry Shen | art by Jeremy Arambulo
This new story of the Hibakusha - superhuman descendants of the victims of the tragic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - looks at how the terrible legacy of the atom comes between a pair of young pals - turning childhood best friends into bitter adult enemies.
The Power of Petunia by Joy Osmanski | art by Yasmin Liang
From Korean American actress Joy Osmanski (Better Off Ted; Grey's Anatomy) comes this story of how an intrepid young girl's dreams bring a family broken by loss together once more
Drones and Droids by Paul Wei | art by Chi-Yun Lau
A cubedwelling engineer is passed over for an expected promotion, and decides to use his powers of invention to eliminate not just his rival, but all of his workplace problems.
Camden's Revenge by Christine Keiko Agena | art by Louie Chin
Actress Keiko Agena (Gilmore Girls) delivers the story of a geek-turned-popular girl's hilarious quest for scientific vengeance against her former tormenters
Los Robos by Greg Pak | art by Takeshi Miyazawa
The team that brought you Marvel Comics' incredible miniseries Mastermind Excello tells the story of a young boy who finds himself accidentally accepted into a top-secret training program for giant robot pilots!
A Cut Above by Jamie Ford | art by A.L. Baroza
Part two of the EC Comics triptych!
CHAPTER FOUR: The Alien
INTRO - Peril: Razing Arizona by Keith Chow | art by Jef Castro
Mason Wong, the hero seeking to retrieve his unjustly imprisoned dad's inventions before they fall into the wrong hands, returns - to learn the shocking truth behind the true source of the technology's incredible power
Metatron by Stuart Ng | art by Stuart Ng
What if you could change the world solely by imagining it? Would you turn back time? Prevent disaster? Preserve love? On the brink of death, a starfighter pilot is faced with a terrible choice.
Arnav by Neil Babra | art by Neil Babra
Indie comics prodigy Neil Babra tells a weird and wonderful fable about the plight of the new immigrant — seen through a fantastical lens.
Miss Moti, Shattered by Kripa Joshi | art by Kripa Joshi
Kripa Joshi's beloved character Miss Moti returns in this silent look at homeland security and the painful realities of racial profiling.
Showtime by Bernard Chang | art by Bernard Chang
This action-packed story of a super-powered one-on-one ball brawl DC Comics superstar artist Bernard Chang (Supergirl) proves to us what we already know: Asian men can bring it to the hoop.
Personal Monsters by Traci Honda | art by Traci Honda
In this funny and heartwarming tale, Traci Honda shows how sometimes the things we're most afraid of about ourselves are the things we ultimately end up loving the most.
The Stranger by Johann Choi | art by Johann Choi
In this twisted look at xenophobia, Johann Choi shows that the path to understanding, like the path to love, sometimes goes through the stomach
Weightless by Tanuj Chopra | art by Alice Meichi Li
Critically lauded filmmaker Tanuj Chopra (Punching at the Sun) tells the story of a distant land, full of residents known for their unusual culture, exotic beauty and capability for hard work at low wages: The moon.
Clean Getaway by Jamie Ford | art by A.L. Baroza
The finale of Jamie Ford's three-part EC Comics satire!
A Dream of Flying by Veronica Wong and Reinhardt Suarez | art by Christine Norrie
YA authors Wong and Suarez tell the story of a young boy's infatuation with a gorgeous, high-flying superheroine - and his friendship with the heroine's jealous younger sister, who's grown up in her shadow.
CHAPTER FIVE: The Manipulator
INTRO - Hibakusha: Secrets by Parry Shen | art by Sean Chen
The Hibakusha's main team has escaped to Tokyo, fleeing the clutches of the secret U.S. government program that trained them - and held them captive. But there may be even more horrifying motives behind their new friends' seeming goodwill. With art by Marvel's Sean Chen (Nova; Iron Man)!
Push by Jenn Fang | art by Ace Continuado
A brilliant and hard-toiling grad student, gifted with terrible powers of destruction, lays an intricate plot to get revenge against the privileged super-jock who's always overshadowed him.
The Merciful by Ren Hsieh | art by Bryan Lee
We all know the story of Ming the Merciless, conqueror of worlds, goateed icon of galactic cruelty. Or... do we?
Occupy Ethnic Foods! by Tak Toyoshima | art by Tak Toyoshima
The comic artist behind the syndicated Secret Asian Man strip brings us the gut-busting story of what happens when the ethnic foods decide to escape their ghetto enclave once and for all.
Qi Lai! by Roger Ma | art by Dheeraj Verma
The author of the Zombie Combat Manual - the best-selling, must-own guidebook to fighting off hordes of the evil undead - brings this eerie and ironic story of a Buddhist temple facing an onslaught of the walking dead in rural China, and the way it reveals the true inhumans among us.
FINALE - The Sealing by Jeff Yang, Keith Chow, Parry Shen and Jerry Ma | art by Bernard Chang
The grand conclusion to the story arc that frames and connects the five chapters of Shattered: The heroes of the introductory story gather to take on the diabolical power behind the crises they've each individually faced.