Courtesy Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez

While comic books are inching their way into more inclusive territory, they’ve still got a long way to go. That’s why it’s so exciting that innovative artists like Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez. They’re going out of their way to feature people of color in their comic book storylines. Miranda-Rodriguez made a splash in 2016 for his comic book “La Borinqueña.” And now, he’s getting attention for another interesting Latina superhero. And this time, she’s Chinese-Dominican.

The newest Chinese-American superhero in the La Borinqueña universe is Luz, alias: La La Liu.

The first issue of “La Borinqueña” introduced La La Liu back in 2016. As background, La Borinqueña is an Afro-Nuyorican girl named Marisol Ríos De La Luz. After Marisol is infused with magical crystals in the caves of Puerto Rico, she becomes La Borinqueña. Her duty is to protect the island and “amplify the voices” of Puerto Ricans.

In the first issue, La La Liu was the queer best friend of Marisol. She caught fans’ attention because of her alt-vibe: her androgynous appearance, her short blue hair, and the star tattoos on her next. While La La didn’t have a very large role in the first two issues, she will apparently play a major part in the newest issue.

Since La La’s debut, fans (and especially Asian Latinos) have been clamoring for more.

For Asian Latinos, it was especially meaningful to see someone like them represented in comics.

And while we don’t know what La La aka Luz’s superpowers will be yet, we’ll certain they’ll be able to rival La Borinqueña’s herself.

While the point of the “La Borinqueña” comics was to celebrate Puerto Rican identity, Miranda-Rodriguez wanted to expand this issue’s scope to involve other nations in Caribbean Latinidad.

Miranda-Rodriguez’s wife is Korean, his son is half-Korean, and his goddaughter is both Chinese and Latina. He thought La La would be the perfect opportunity to present to his readers a different side of Latino identity–one that is often ignored.

Miranda-Rodriguez was inspired to make La La Chinese-Dominican after hearing that there is a large Chinese presence in the Dominican Republic (there’s even a Chinatown). He also was inspired by how Dominicans and Chinese people live “side by side” in New York City. Naturally, there are many Chinese-Dominicans in the world–they just don’t get much media representation.

Miranda-Rodriguez says that, like La Borinqueña, Luz is a superhero who “stands for love and social justice”.

As Miranda-Rodriguez said in a statement: “In an era that challenges systemic racism and celebrates narratives around BIPOC, I celebrate love and diversity with our Afro-Puerto Rican and our Asian-Latinx superheroes.”

Miranda-Rodriguez also promises fans a “solid conclusion” to the journey of La Borinqueña. “My hope is that this new graphic novel not only rewards their patience but inspires them to share our stories with others,” he said. He also added that savvy readers will be able to spot the “seeds” that he has been planting throughout the storyline since the first issue.

We can’t wait to see more about Luz, the first Chinese-Dominican superhero ever. You can buy LB #3 right now here or on Amazon.com on September 1st.

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