They Call Us Bruce - Episode 71: We Call Us Simu Liu's Shang-Chi Audition

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

On this episode, we debrief the big announcement out of Comic-Con: Simu Liu is Shang-Chi, Marvel's Master of Kung Fu! We also pour one out for the recent death of the live-action Akira remake (again).

This is What Marvel Executive Jeph Loeb Wore to the Iron Fist Panel at San Diego Comic-Con

By Jenn Fang. Cross-Posted from Reappropriate.



Marvel is quickly making a name for itself as the comic book company of unadulterated racial insensitivity and Orientalism.

While comic book fans from around the world gather in San Diego this weekend at the annual San Diego Comic-Con, attendees to the Marvel's Iron Fist panel bore witness to a breath-takingly boorish stunt by Marvel Television head, Jeph Loeb. To kick off the panel, Loeb appeared to introduce the second season of the Netflix television show. In apparent reference to criticism of the show's first season, Loeb came on stage dressed as Daniel-San from The Karate Kid -- complete with karate gi and headband -- and joked that he had trained with Mr. Miyagi in preparation for hostile fans at the panel. Shortly thereafter, actor Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing) -- who may or may not have been in on some sort of pre-scripted act with Loeb -- demanded that Loeb remove the outfit, and Loeb obliged.

There is nothing that excuses the racial insensitivity of this pointless and ugly stunt.

Rally for Rose Tico at San Diego Comic-Con

By Keith Chow. Cross-Posted from The Nerds of Color



It goes without saying that we are huge fans of Rose Tico and Kelly Marie Tran here at The Nerds of Color. Unfortunately, there’s a significant portion of Star Wars fandom that doesn't agree. Even worse, they’ve taken their disdain for a fictional character and used it to harass the actress so much that she had to delete her Instagram.

Online harassment in the Star Wars community -- and fandom, writ large -- is nothing new. Recently, Phantom Menace actor Ahmed Best revealed he contemplated suicide as a result of the fan backlash to his portrayal of Jar Jar Binks. Just the other day, a cadre of angry fanboys cried foul and singled out StarWars.com personality Andi Gutierrez over a mug she owns. But as Rose Tico famously said at the end of The Last Jedi:

Sikh Captain America wants you to GET OFF YOUR ASS AND VOTE

Vishavjit Singh shares an important message at New York Comic Con.



Earlier this month, hordes of fanfolks -- in both cosplay and civilian garb -- converged at New York Comic Con in celebration of all degrees and persuasions of geeky fandom. But Sikh Captain America was also at NYCC with an important mission and message: to remind people to GET OFF YOUR ASS AND VOTE.

Sikh Captain America is cartoonist Vishavjit Singh, the artist behind Sikhtoons, who is always redefining what it truly means to be a patriot. He was on the convention floor taking photos with attendees and rocking this simple, direct and to-the-point sign. Consider it a superheroic kick in the butt to get folks out to the polls.

Here are some photos of Vish, various cosplayers, and a very important message:

More Bald Tilda (and Wong!) in the new 'Dr. Strange' trailer

Director Scott Derrickson says he feels "tremendous empathy" for Asian American audiences.



Over the weekend, as part of its barrage of content reveals at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel dropped the second trailer for Doctor Strange. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Dr. Stephen Strange, who journeys to Mystical Asia to learn Mystical Asian Stuff, and eventually fights evil with Mystical Asian Stuff.

The first teaser trailer gave us a glimpse of Tilda Swinton in all her baldness as the Sorcerer Supreme's mentor, The Ancient One, who has been traditionally depicted in the comic books as an old-ass mystical Asian man. Whatever you want to call it -- whitewashing, racebending, yellowface -- that shit looks pretty wack.

Well, there's more bald wackness where that came from in the latest trailer:

We still have no idea who Negan killed on 'The Walking Dead'

But here's a trailer and some images to agonize over.



Over the weekend at the geek fan mecca known as San Diego Comic Con, the cast and crew of The Walking Dead gathered for a panel at Hall H in which nobody was able to say a damn thing about the upcoming season.

When we last left AMC's hit zombie drama, one of our beloved survivors was getting beaten to death by the villainous Negan in a moment that fans had been anticipating and dreading for some time. The season ended on the cruelest of cliffhangers, with most of the core characters -- including Glenn, played by Steven Yeun -- on the possible receiving end of Negan's barbed wire-covered baseball bat.

Yes, there is a strong possibility that it's Glenn, if the show chooses to remain faithful to The Walking Dead comic book's most infamous moment. If you're like me, you're praying to the TV deities that this fate would befall someone, anyone else besides our favorite Asian American zombie apocalypse survivor. But the show's panelists remained tight-lipped, talking about the show in broad strokes out of fear of giving away anything.

They did unveil the Season 7 Comic-Con trailer, which reminds everybody that our heroes are in a pretty bad situation, before revealing some non-Negan-related footage from season seven.

These Action Figures Recreate The Walking Dead Comic Book's Most Terrible Moment

Negan & Glenn 2-Pack Action Figure Set will be available at 2016 San Diego Comic Con.



Even as an action figure enthusiast and a fan of The Walking Dead, here are a pair of a figures that I'm not so sure I want to add to my collection. If you're heading to this year's San Diego Comic Con, you might be able to get your hands on this Negan & Glenn 2-Pack Action Figure Set, straight out of The Walking Dead issue number 100 -- and possibly the most infamous, most shocking moment from The Walking Dead comic book.

If you've read the issue, you know what I'm talking about. SPOILERS AHEAD...

Jim Lee is giving away 50 sketches at Comic-Con

Fifty lucky attendees will get a drawing by the legendary comic book artist


Today kicks off the massive annual celebration of geekdom known as San Diego Comic-Con. For four days, sweaty legions of thousands of eager fans -- costumed and non-costumed alike -- will descend upon the pop culture mecca. Heads up: if you're headed to the San Diego Convention Center, and you're extremely lucky, you might walk away with a rare free sketch by legendary artist Jim Lee.

Lee, the Co-Publisher of DC Entertainment, is celebrating his upcoming 50th birthday (August 11) by giving away 50 sketches of various characters at his Comic-Con spotlight panel on Sunday. Lee's Batman art -- commemorating the character's 75th anniversary -- also graces the cover of the convention's souvenir book.

Check out this great interview with the comic book industry icon:

Creepy camera crew harasses New York Comic Con attendees

Asshole producer uses SiriusXM credentials to conduct racist and sexist interviews.

Got this passed along to me from our friends at 18 Million Rising...

Last weekend at New York Comic Con, a guy named Mike Babchik snuck in to the convention using his credentials from SiriusXM, where he is a producer/on-air personality on the Mad Dog Sports Radio Show. But he didn't go to Comic-Con to geek out or cover the festivities -- he went to racially and sexually harass attendees.

You know, in the grand tradition of asshole jocks messing with nerds.

While he got in using his day job credentials, Babchik was actually there for his side hustle, a public access and internet show called "Man Banter." If that sets off douchetastic red flags for you, Babchik's behavior pretty much confirmed it, as he and his creepy camera crew spent the day conducting racist, sexist interviews.

One of the attendees he talked to was Diana M. Pho, a panel moderator at the convention, who blogged about her run-in with Babchik (he's referred to here as "TCI" -- "The Creepy Interviewer"):

Flash Drive of Fury: SDCC Exclusive Bruce Lee Variant Mimobot

You know I am a sucker for all things Bruce Lee. Mimoco, makers of supercool designer USB flash drives, have announced a brand-new limited-edition Bruce Lee Variant Mimobot, battle-tested and complete with bloody claw scratches straight outta Enter the Dragon. This design is a 2013 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive and will only be available in a hard-numbered limited run of 400 pieces.

Made in partnership with Bruce Lee Enterprises, each flash drive is available in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities, as well as in USB3.0 speeds, and includes preloaded bonus digital content, including a personalization suite of Bruce Lee wallpapers, icons, and avatars.

This isn't Mimoco's first time mixing Bruce with a personal data storage device -- their previous Bruce Lee Mimobot design sports the iconic yellow jumpsuit in the style of Game of Death. And I happen to have two of these Mimobots to give away to lucky readers. Want one? Read on...

2008 comic-con recap

Greetings! This weekend, I made the trek to San Diego to attend Comic-Con, where thousands upon thousands of fellow fanboys and fangirls gathered to worship the forces of pop culture geekness. This was my first time at Comic-Con, and it was truly an overwhelming, eye-opening experience.

This was madness. This was Comic-Con...