They Call Us Bruce 197: They Call Us Girl Taking Over

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.

In this episode, we welcome writer Sarah Kuhn and artist Arielle Jovellanos, whose new original DC young adult graphic novel Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story re-imagines Lois Lane as an Asian American teen tackling a summer internship in the big city. They talk about finding your people, putting an Asian American twist on a beloved legacy character, the dreaded drawing of cars and crowds, and re-directing the scent of stinky lunchbox moments.

New Comic Reimagines Lois Lane as an Asian American Teen

First look at 'Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story' by Sarah Kuhn and Arielle Jovellanos.



If you were like me, growing up as an Asian American consumer of comic books, you sometimes had to crane your neck to find representation within those four-color panels. And sometimes, intended or not, it was right there in front of you in plain black ink. I can't be the only one who interpreted Superman's canonically black hair as a signifier of Asian-ness -- by way of Krypton, of course. (Kal-El is an immigrant, don't ya know?)

For writer Sarah Kuhn, it was Lois Lane, intrepid reporter for the Daily Planet.

"Lois Lane is my idol — as a kid, I imprinted on her immediately and dreamed of becoming a hard-charging reporter on a quest for the truth (who also gets burgers and freshly squeezed orange juice delivered to her desk at 9 am)." Sarah says. "I was always desperately searching for some tiny scrap of representation in the stories I loved and Lois had dark hair, so sometimes I'd fantasize that she was Asian American -- like me."

Sarah, whose previous work includes the Cassandra Cain story Shadow of the Batgirl, gets to realize that fantasy in her upcoming original graphic novel, Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story, due out in April 2023. Part of the DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults line, with art by Arielle Jovellanos, the book reimagines Lois Lane as an Asian American teenager -- a small town girl with a big city summer internship trying to get a handle on friendship, romance and a burgeoning career.

I'm pleased to share this first look at preview pages from Girl Taking Over:

The Monster Roars: On From Little Tokyo, With Love and Asian Girl Rage

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn

I have always had an explosive temper. As a kid, it felt too big for my body—a monster that lived inside of me, pounding against the walls of my chest, screaming to be released into the wild. My anger burned fast and fierce and bright, and I quickly learned that the only way for a girl to handle that monster was to put it in a cage. Shove it down into the depths of your body until you can't hear it scream anymore.

 

Little girls aren't supposed to let that anger spill out of them, to draw others into their messy maelstrom of chaos. And, as societal stereotypes constantly remind us, little Asian girls aren't supposed to even feel that anger in the first place. We're supposed to be sweet and small and dutiful. We're supposed to offer ourselves up for the consumption of others.

 

We're not supposed to let the monster roar.

 

All The Asians On Star Trek - 09: Away Mission with Sarah Kuhn

The Podcast In Which We Interview All The Asians On Star Trek.



All The Asians On Star Trek is the podcast in which we interview all the Asians on Star Trek. In Episode 9: introducing the Away Mission, where we break from the usual format and invite fellow Asian American fans of Star Trek to do a deep dive into an episode of their choosing. For this inaugural edition of the Away Mission, we welcome writer Sarah Kuhn (Heroine Complex, Shadow of the Batgirl, Doctor Aphra) to discuss "The Collaborator" from season two of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Lots of scary Orb visions and sexy time.

Finding the Fire: On Community, Burnout, and That One Scene from 'Deep Space Nine'

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn



There are certain scenes from stories that stay with us forever, their lines looping through our brains like the stickiest of earworms. I can recite sections of the '80s era Anne of Green Gables movies word for word. I know every beat, every breath, in the first Princess Leia/Han Solo kiss scene like the back of my hand. And occasionally, my mind tubes will just randomly call up the post-teaser scene from season 2, episode 2 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "The Circle," and play it like it's my favorite song.

In this scene, tough-as-nails Major Kira Nerys (the iconic Nana Visitor) has been recalled to Bajor and is in the process of packing all her stuff. As she packs, she is constantly interrupted by her colleagues on the space station. They want to say goodbye, they want to give her gifts, they want to encourage her to challenge the reassignment and stay at her current post on the station.

"Fight for what you want!" shapeshifting security chief Odo growls at her. "It's what you do best."

As the door keeps chiming and more and more people pile into Kira's cramped quarters, the chaos builds to a perfectly calibrated pitch -- the dialogue snaps, the ensemble chemistry sizzles, and Kira's irritation grows from kindling to wildfire. Just as she's about to totally lose it and yell at all of them to get the hell out, yet another person enters, someone who's not a space station colleague -- hunky Bajoran religious leader Vedek Bareil. The hijinks bubble is pierced, the one-liners cease. Bareil apologizes for interrupting.

"No, please come in," Kira says hastily. "These are my..."

She pauses, the tension draining from her body. She looks around at all the faces who have intruded on her space, who won't shut up and go away. Her eyes soften, and a slight smile plays around the corners of her mouth.

"These are my friends."

This is a huge realization for Kira, a prickly freedom fighter with a hardscrabble past who never thought she would truly have friends -- or that she needed them. At that point, the beginning of season 2, DS9's varied, clashing ensemble of characters had fused into something she gave up on long ago: they are a family. A community. An assemblage of personages who will always show up for each other, even if it's in the form of totally irritating the friend they're trying to support.

I love this scene. It's like its own little story, its own little arc, each perfectly composed beat playing out to a satisfying conclusion. I love it so much, that I recently realized I've written a version of this type of scene in nearly every one of my books. My Heroine Complex books, in particular, always have this scene: the rag-tag crew of misfits that is my superheroine team have become their own kind of found family, and there's always some moment where they just have to pile into the protagonist's room and offer their own kind of chaos-packed support for whatever she's going through. The latest book, Haunted Heroine, actually starts with this scene, all of fire-wielding, pregnant superheroine Evie Tanaka's friends cramming themselves into a tiny bathroom to check on her after some unceremonious puking.

In a way, it is my favorite song.

Interview with Jacqueline Kim: Artist, Actress, Asian American Geek Girl Icon

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn



In 2015, I wrote my very first piece for Angry Asian Man -- The Final Frontier: Captain Demora Sulu. The piece was all about how I've been obsessed with Demora, Starfleet ensign and daughter of Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), ever since she appeared in Star Trek: Generations, and how I felt like it was finally possible to dream of a future where an Asian lady captains her own starship. (And hey, that future came true! Big, beautiful shout-out to Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou!)

Four years later, thanks to LA's extremely interconnected Asian American creative community, Jacqueline Kim -- the actress who brought Demora to life so memorably -- read my piece. (Yes, I died.) And then we met in person. (Yes, I died all over again.)

It's hard to put into words what it means to sit across from the woman who played two of the most iconic Asian female characters in the geeky franchises of my youth. In addition to embodying Demora, Kim made a big impression in the epic Xena: Warrior Princess two-parter "The Debt" as Lao Ma -- the ruler, telekinetic, and general badass who becomes Xena's mentor. More recently, she delved into an indie brand of sci-fi with Advantageous, a Sundance hit about a woman contemplating transferring her consciousness into a younger body in order to give her daughter a better life.

But when I tell her I truly believe she inspired a generation of Asian American geek girls, she seems surprised.

"What an amazing thing," she muses. "I totally identify with being a geek girl."

Kim doesn't do much acting anymore -- these days, she's a multi-disciplinary artist with a wide range of passions that she speaks about with thoughtful eloquence. But next week, she'll be returning to her roots as a guest of the Official 2019 Star Trek Las Vegas Convention -- only her second Trek con ever.

In honor of this momentous occasion, she sat down with me to talk about Demora's legacy, Asian moms, and how she expresses her own geekiness.

Making a Scene: How Claudia Kishi Helped Me and My YA Heroine Find Our Voices

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn



I love Claudia Kishi. Ever since she first emerged on the pages of The Baby-Sitters Club books -- that touchstone series about enterprising tweens who start their own small business and become embroiled in the world of Kid Kits, cruises, and mysteries that involve things like ghost cats -- I've been obsessed with her every move. I related to her creativity, her inability to master math, and her whole Japanese American girl living in the white suburbs thing. I coveted her in-room phone line, her hollowed out books full of candy, and of course... her clothes.

Oh, her clothes. So many bright colors. So many "clashing" patterns. So many bedazzled ankle boots. The endless pages that lovingly describe her outfits (often characterized as "wild") are the most worn and dog-eared in my BSC collection. I wanted every single piece of her wardrobe so very badly.

But I also found myself caught in a classic tweenager-y paradox. I thought I wanted to stand out like Claudia, but I also knew in my heart of hearts that it would probably be better for my whole middle school experience if I did not stand out at all. At least, not any more than I already did, thanks to that "Japanese American girl living in the white suburbs" thing.

I sometimes found myself trying to incorporate a Claudia-esque piece into my look -- oversized men's shirts, scrunchy socks in a Technicolor rainbow of colors, barrettes shaped like animals. But I always ended up feeling self-conscious, the bravado I'd felt when clipping that sparkly giraffe into my hair melting as soon as one of the popular white girls sent me one of those disdainful looks that just seemed to say: really?

A Film About Your Favorite Baby-Sitters Club Character

'The Claudia Kishi Club' explores the legacy of Claudia Kishi.



Here's a fun film project that could use your support. The Claudia Kishi Club, by documentary filmmaker Sue Ding, is a love letter to Claudia Kishi, the iconic Japanese American character from the Baby-Sitters Club book series, who inspired a generation of Asian American women and creators of color.

For many Asian Americans who grew up in the 80s and 90s, Claudia was the first time they saw themselves represented in popular culture. A main character in Ann M. Martin's best-selling series, she was one of the only Asian Americans in popular media when the books debuted in 1986. The Claudi Kishi Club explores the character's legacy as a rare Asian American protagonist, a meaningful role model, and of course, a style icon.

The film will feature interview with fans including YA authors C.B. Lee and Sarah Kuhn; comic artist Yumi Sakugawa; and me, Phil Yu, the founder of this website. They also interview producer Naia Cucukov of Walden Media, who is currently adapting The Baby-Sitters Club for a new live-action TV series.

Here's some more information about the film:

Going On the Heroine’s Journey and Finding Hope in the Dark

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn



Heroine's Journey, the third book in my series starring Asian American superheroines, came out last week. It's the end of a trilogy -- but also the launch point for a new one because I just signed on to continue the series with three new books and a novella! I could not be more thrilled and I still can't believe I get to write more adventures, romance, and ridiculous battles against things like demonic cupcakes for these girls.

But there was a moment when I definitely, absolutely, one hundred percent thought I would never finish Heroine's Journey. Like, ever.

The issue was, shall we say, multi-fold. First, since becoming a "professional" "author," I have more demands on my time, more deadlines to stay on top of, and more reasons to procrastinate on Twitter. Second, I chose personally difficult subject matter. Heroine's Journey belongs to Bea Tanaka, little sister of Evie Tanaka, the fire-wielding protagonist of the first book. Bea is impulsive, tempestuous, and bad at sharing food. She has a power that's akin to mind control and a moral compass that could easily turn supervillain when things go bananas. She's also still grieving the death of her mother a decade earlier, and her conviction that this loss has messed her up for the rest of her life is a big part of what she has to deal with in the book. I lost my own mother to cancer right after I graduated from college, and all these years later, the topic still feels delicate to write about, talk about, or even bring up. I never thought I'd put it in a book -- but that's where the book, and Bea, wanted to go.

And third, of course, is the general state of the world these days, which feels like an endless stream of trash fires raining down upon us, our basic human rights, and any social and political progress we've made the last few decades. I don't know a single writer who hasn't been affected by this, who hasn't struggled to get words on the page since the current administration took power.

Enter the Dragon Lady: On Heroine Worship and Reclaiming Asian Female Aggression

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn


Sarah Kuhn's 'Heroine Worship'
Heroine Worship, the second book in my series starring Asian American superheroines, came out this week.

Those are words I still can't quite believe, no matter how many times I type them. Even as I hold the book in my hands, I have to stare at it for a really, really long time before it sinks in that it's real. It has pages and a cover and everything! And my two heroines, Evie Tanaka and Aveda Jupiter (aka Annie Chang), are beautifully and prominently featured on said cover, perfectly rendered by artist Jason Chan.

Heroine Complex, the first book in the series, was Evie's book. It focused on her journey from wallflower to heroine, from downtrodden personal assistant to a woman confident in her own power. Heroine Worship is Aveda's book -- and I knew going in that she was going to be difficult in every sense of the word. She's aggressive and loud and dives into situations without thinking about the consequences. Her emotional arc is messy and complicated and involves her trying to figure out how to be a better friend to Evie and rein her more self-centered behavior while retaining the forcefulness and confidence that made her a good superheroine in the first place.

As Evie reminds her: Yes, she's a bludgeon. But bludgeons get shit done.

Aveda's aggressiveness is one of the things that made me love writing her. And thinking about her in such detail has me thinking about "difficult" female characters in general -- and who gets to be a bludgeon in the first place.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 3: They Call Us Motoko Kusanagi

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


Hello, podcast listeners! We are back with Episode 3 of our recently launched podcast They Call Us Bruce. 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.

This week, we welcomed Rebecca Sun, Senior Reporter for The Hollywood Reporter, and Sarah Kuhn, author of Heroine Complex, to have a spirited conversation about the epic travesty of Hollywood whitewashing in the live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. Spoiler alert: we did not enjoy it. Listen here:

'Heroine Complex' and the Importance of Writing Asian Girls Having Fun

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn



So I wrote this book called Heroine Complex and I finally have a good answer for the inevitable question every writer dreads: "What's it about?"

I've gone through the Way Too Long Explanation That Goes Off On Many Tangents phase. The Read It And Find Out (Followed by Big Cheesy Smile) phase. The What Is Anything About Really, You Know What I'm Saying? Now Let's Change the Subject To Something That Is Not Me phase.

Here's my actual answer: It's about Asian Girls Having Fun.

At first I said this in a jokey, quippy, tossed off kind of way.

Now I say it as if it's the most important thing in the world. Because you know what? It kind of is.

First Look at Heroine Complex, a novel about Asian American superheroes

Sarah Kuhn's forthcoming auperhero novel is the first in a trilogy.



BADASS! Check out this first look at Heroine Complex, an upcoming novel about Asian American superheroes, by our friend (and former Angry Reader of the Week) Sarah Kuhn.

In Heroine Complex, Evie Tanaka is stuck being the personal assistant to Aveda Jupiter, who's San Francisco's most beloved superhero -- and Evie's childhood best friend. Too bad Aveda has grown up to be kind of a diva. Evie has everything under control, until she's forced to impersonate her boss and former friend for one night, and then discovers that she, too, has superpowers. Cue superheroic karaoke battles, deadly cupcakes, and a demon invasion that could just destroy the whole city.

Here's the recently unveiled cover of Heroine Complex by artist Jason Chan:

The Final Frontier: Captain Demora Sulu

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn



I'm on vacation! This week, I'm taking a much-needed break to recharge the batteries and get a change of scenery. To keep things going around here, I've enlisted the help of several friends of the blog to submit guest posts on various topics of their choosing. Here's Sarah Kuhn on her favorite Star Trek hero.

The announcement came down earlier this month: there's a new Star Trek series in the works. Geek Twitter lit up with an avalanche of conflicting thoughts and feelings, "Hooray!" mingling with "How dare they?!" and "Also, what the fuck is CBS All Access?"

I only had one thought and it was immediate, specific, and all-consuming: How can we get Demora Sulu to be captain of the Enterprise?

Angry Reader of the Week: Sarah Kuhn

"Writer, geek girl, and Hapa heroine. I also cosplayed as Sailor Mars once."



Hello, everyone. It's that time again. I am pleased to introduce another Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Sarah Kuhn.