Writer: Greg Pak
Art: Mahmud Asrar
Colors: Nolan Woodard
Lettering: Cory Petit
There will be spoilers!
Sometimes, a comic book will take a break from the punching, the uniquely complicated science fiction and the soap opera, and devote an entire issue to heroes hanging out, being human, and eating Korean barbecue. Totally Awesome Hulk #15 is one of those issues, and it needs to be talked about.
Diversity has always been an important part of comic book history, from Chris Claremont introducing the world to a truly international team of X-Men, to the fact that the world’s very first comic book superhero is an illegal alien himself. In recent years, however, there’s been a real push for comic book diversity. From the Black-Hispanic new Spider-Man, to the Pakistani Ms. Marvel, a female Thor thrown in for good measure, and yes, the new Hulk? He’s Korean American.
Greg Pak – himself a Korean American writer – doesn’t make this the focal point of the character, as G. Willow Wilson does for Ms. Marvel. 15 issues in, however, is not a bad time for a “downtime” issue. Greg Pak gathers Marvel’s Asian heroes to promote bone marrow donation, after which they go out to dinner. In this issue, Grek Pak highlights just why representation in comics is so important.
There’s a lot to unpack here, actually.
TO THE BULLET POINTS!
-
Cosplay Empowers
I’ve cosplayed a total of two times. The first one was, in all honesty, a quick gimmick. Shave off half my head, oooh, what a bold Two-Face costume. My second time, though, I went for a hero I loved. I wore Nightcrawler. It was a terrible costume – but it meant a lot to me. Nightcrawler is an agile, fun-loving, adventurous, respectful gentlemen. His very existence makes the world a more elegant, friendly, and exciting place. He is everything I want to be.
If that’s not the heart of cosplay, I don’t know what is.
When you’re cosplaying, you’re putting yourself in your heroes’ shoes. You’re looking up to the person you wish you were, and wearing their clothes. When the person you admire is someone who looks like you, who represents not just your ideals but your race, your culture, and your history, the empowerment that brings is not something to be underestimated.
-
Cultural Misunderstandings Are Educational
There are a lot of cultural norms. A lot of religious norms. A lot ban this. A lot ban that. If you spend any amount of time with someone who grew up with different cultural norms than you, then sooner or later, you’re bound to make a pretty important mistake.
It’s important you make these mistakes. As long as you’re respectful of another person’s beliefs and customs, this will turn into nothing but another educational experience. It’s a moment where you learn something deeper about the people you spend your time with, and what their life is like. If you’re not making mistakes like this, you’re playing life safe, in a bubble of your own cultural norms – and if you believe that that is all the world is, then offensiveness is inevitable.
-
Your Parents Will Always Help Define You
Gone – or going – are they days of Peter Parker jumping through a million hoops to ensure his dear old Aunt May doesn’t suffer a heart-attack from finding out he’s Spider-Man. DC and Marvel’s younger heroes are increasingly leaning towards keeping the superheroics in the family. Ms. Marvel and Silk both live with parents who are aware of their secret identities, as does Nova, the new New Spider-Man, and, over at DC – Blue Beetle and earth’s newest Green Lanterns. This is allowing for a whole new range of storytelling beats that traditional superhero comics have, traditionally, ignored.
It allows for moments where readers get to relate to their heroes. Not everyone knows what it’s like to be captured by world-conquering supervillians, but everyone knows what it feels like to have parents who are worried about what you choose to do with your life. It’s a great moment, as the assembled heroes go around the table, talking about their parents – or lack thereof, in some cases. It’s a comfortingly human moment for superhuman people.
-
Choosing to Stick Out
There is sticking to your traditions a custom-laden way of life, but sometimes it’s just as important to blaze your own path. The highlight of this issue was when the oldest member at the table – secret agent Jimmy Woo – tells the younger generation of heroes how proud of them he is.
The kind of heroism Jimmy Woo talks about here goes beyond the basic bravery of overcoming one’s fears. It’s the kind of heroism you see anytime anyone takes a stand for something they believe in, despite being told by everyone they know that it’s wrong. It’s the heroism of never letting society dilute or dull what you know to be right. Most superheroism is about saving the world, but heroics of this kind are what change it.
-
Mad Asian-Dad Action
Not all of this issue was about deep, inspiring emotional beats. Some parts were just outright hilarious. When the waitress brings the check, and the two adults at the table, Shang-Chi and Jimmy Woo get into an actual martial-arts showdown for the right to pay for dinner.
In the end, though, it’s Amadeus Cho who manages pay for dinner, giving the waitress his card while Shang Chi and Jimmy Woo were battling things out. Being a teenage CEO comes in handy sometimes. Not that that meant that the night’s festivities were done with.
-
Smashing Through Narrative Stereotypes
When Gail Simone co-created legacy character Ryan Choi as The Atom, she mentions enjoying breaking out certain cliches – “It was nice to have an Asian lead who wasn’t about martial arts, didn’t fit the normal stereotypes. I loved the character, loved his setting…it was just great fun.”
We need more of this. More characters from all walks of life who break down stereotypes and show the incredible variety of personalities that exist in every culture, race, and religion the world has to offer. Comics like The Totally Awesome Hulk or Ms. Marvel work ceaselessly towards this end. Break down stereotypes, and you break down prejudices.
We can’t always spend time with the people we’re making certain assumptions about. Sometimes, we rely on stories about fictional people to inform our opinions about real people. In a world where superhero stories are everywhere, and prejudicial tensions are equally prevalent, representation matters more than ever.
It shouldn’t have to be said that people are more than their stereotypes. Every once in awhile, though, it doesn’t hurt to have a Totally Awesome reminder.
Totally Awesome Hulk #15 ends with a cliffhanger – an alien invasion. It looks like the next issue will return the series’ narrative to one more in line with superhero comics – people with amazing powers punching other people with amazing powers. But it will be heroes gathered from around the world who will do it. Heroes across race, gender, religion and even sexual orientation, banding together to make the world a better place. Across the world, thousands of people will see themselves reflected in these heroes, thousands of people who will now find it that much easier to picture themselves trying to do the same. That, there, is(and you know this was coming) totally awesome.
