TGIF FEATURE: Unprecedented gathering of AAPI comic book superheroes

The cover for Totally Awesome Hulk #15 is by Storehouse.

PARDON MY NERDINESS, but the upcoming edition of Totally Awesome Hulk #15 is generating lots of excitement. For the first time, a gathering of AAPI superheroes will assemble to fight an as yet unidentified foe.

The AAPI superheroes -- Hulk, Silk, Shang Chi and Ms Marvel -- will appear together in the upcoming issue of Totally Awesome Hulk, the alter ego of Korean/American Amadeus Cho, that will hit the comic book stands Jan. 25.

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can order a copy here.

There’s big trouble going down in the Big Apple, and the Asian heroes of the Marvel Universe will be called upon to save the day. Totally Awesome Hulkwriter Greg Pak revealed on Twitter a new crossover that will pair Amadeus Cho, the new Hulk, with various Asian-American heroes from Marvel, including the triumphant return of Jimmy Woo, according to Inverse.

Beginning with Totally Awesome Hulk #15 and running until issue #18, the story arc “Big Apple Showdown” will have Amadeus learn to be a team player with Silk (Cindy Moon), Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), and Shang-Chi against an as-of-yet unnamed threat. The cover of issue #17, illustrated by South Korean artist Stonehouse, features Hulk with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Jake Oh and Jimmy Woo, the latter one of the earliest non-stereotypical Asian comic book characters. Woo’s last starring Marvel series was 2009’s Agents of Atlas written by Jeff Parker.

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Writer Greg Pak first teased the upcoming historic event on his Twitter account.
As he was hanging out with some friends, "I found myself thinking of all of the dinners and karaoke sessions I’ve had with fellow Asian American colleagues at various film festivals and conventions, and I thought, hey, Asian American superheroes would probably hang out like that every once in a while,” Pak says. “What would they talk about? How would they bond — or what kinds of conflicts would they discover? And how would that carry over into a big superhero adventure? And now we’re all gonna find out! ”

Marvel has as of late introduced an influx of Asian and Asian-American heroes like Amadeus, Silk, Ms. Marvel, and Blindspot (the undocumented protege of Daredevil, who does not appear involved in the crossover). 

Pak noted that there would be a fun collision of generations with some of Marvel’s older school heroes like Shang-Chi and Jimmy Woo. “I realized there could be a fun, multigenerational group to play with here,” he said.

Do you think they'll sing Karaoke and sip boba drinks?

Can a movie featuring one or all of these AAPI superheroes be far off? I'd pay good money to see that!

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Hey, look who meets up with the Asian/American Hulk! Jeremy Lin!

Panels from The Totally Awesome Hulk

YEP! NBA STAR Jeremy Lin has hit the big time.

The real-life professional basketball player is featured in the Marvel’s “The Totally Awesome Hulk” #13, which was released last month.

It turns out that writer Greg Pak is a huge fan of the Brooklyn Net point guard ever since Insanity occurred a few years back.

“I was here in New York when Linsanity happened and it never stopped for me,” said Pak, who’s Korean/American.

“I just love the guy. And at a certain point, I just found myself thinking, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if the biggest Asian/American superhero met the biggest Asian/American sports star?’” he told amNewYork back in September.

In this incarnation of the Hulk, the Green Giant is the alter ego of 19-year old Amadeus Cho, who, unsurprisingly, is Korean/American. Cho has taken the place of Bruce Banner from the original Hulk.

It is too bad that Lin couldn't borrow some of the Hulk's superpowers. A series of injuries have plagued the Chinese/American basketball pro preventing him - so far - from being at his Insanity best.

RELATED: It's a bird, a plane ... it's an Asian/American superhero

Marvel not only received praise for representation in its stories, but it also got props for its step in extending diversity to the creative team. With Cho as it's main character, the comic has been able to delve into other aspects of the Asian/American world, including Korean barbecue and Karaoke.

What does the Harvard-educated Lin think about being included in a new medium?

"I feel that there have been a lot barriers [for Asians in entertainment roles], but this is a big step in the right direction,” said Lin, who has had to overcome barriers and stereotypes in his own life.

“In terms of just making Asians more mainstream (and) not just in the stereotypically Asian way where it is almost like the token Asian guy ... being made fun of with an accent or something like that. It's awesome that (Amadeus Cho) is this really prominent and masculine figure as well."

So you tiger parents who might have a kid who loves comic books; don't follow the urge to take them away from your child.

“This little Asian-American kid came up with this wrinkled, big poster that he had had on his wall, and it was the Amadeus Cho Hulk poster,” said Pak in the amNewYork interview. “This is his favorite book, and so he brought this poster from his bedroom into the shop for me to sign and he also had these books and everything. My heart grew three sizes.”