A 2015 YALSA Top Ten Graphic Novel for Teens
In 1911, when the Ch'ing Dynasty collapsed, the Tortoise, one of the four spirits born with China, struck a deal with a man bound for America and took up residence in his shadow. He became a grocer, married, and had a son, Hank. After an unfortunate encounter with a criminal and her subsequent rescue by the famed superhero, the Anchor of Justice, Hank's mother is determined to turn him into a superhero. His first few attempts are disastrous, to say the least, but after members of the local gang kill his father, Hank returns to superhero-ing with the help of the Tortoise. Taking the name the Green Turtle, he's determined to fight the organized crime that killed his father.
I really enjoyed this golden-age style story, and I especially enjoyed it after reading the historical note at the end. The Green Turtle was a real comic book hero, written and drawn by a Chinese cartoonist, who supposedly wanted his superhero to be Chinese, but faced opposition from his publisher. So in the entire five-issue run of the Green Turtle, you never once see his face, or learn his origin. Yang wrote The Shadow Hero to create an origin for this important hero, firmly making him Chinese (even giving him a reason why he could appear so pink like he was in the original comics) and proving once again that he's one of best new(ish) comics writers out there (surely I'm not the only one who is excited that DC gave him Superman to write!). Sonny Liew's art is kinetic, and his coloring is perfectly washed out to represent the dingy, closed-in life of San Incendio's Chinatown, which also helps to place this story in the past. Great for fans of golden age comics, obscure characters, or anyone who likes to not take their comics so seriously.
(Read as part of YALSA's Hub Reading Challenge.)
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