Comics
Published May 13, 2021

Read These Comic Stories by AAPI Creators

Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with recommended comic runs and storylines!

Have you tried Marvel Unlimited yet? It’s your all-access pass to over 28,000 Marvel comics, available at your fingertips. Sign up now to enjoy your first year for $60! 

From blockbuster events like PLANET HULK to the pivotal first appearance of She-Hulk—here is the Mighty Marvel history of the AAPI creators behind the comics!

Celebrate the contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander creators today with these fan-favorite series and storylines. All of these noteworthy reads are on Marvel Unlimited, so start here and keep reading from a catalog of over 28,000 digital comics.

1. THE ORIGIN OF THE SHE-HULK (IRVING “IRV” WATANABE FOR SAVAGE SHE-HULK #1)

Cover to SAVAGE SHE-HULK (1980) #1
Cover to SAVAGE SHE-HULK (1980) #1.

Hawaii-born artist Irv Watanabe was a prolific cover and interior letterer whose earliest work for Marvel was in 1975. See his signature splash on the cover of She-Hulk’s first appearance, a bombastic arrival for Jennifer Walters! Watanabe’s work was also featured in the pages of UNCANNY X-MEN (1963), the AVENGERS (1963), and more classic first runs.

2. THE HEART OF A HERO (LARRY HAMA FOR WOLVERINE #38-43)

Wolverine versus a cyber-Wolverine!
WOLVERINE (1988) #38

Longtime Marvel editor Larry Hama is also a renowned writer and artist, penning characters from Iron Fist to Wolverine. Try this Wolverine team-up issue co-starring Storm, or read Larry’s latest work with artist David Wachter in IRON FIST: HEART OF THE DRAGON (2021)! Zombie armies, mystical portals, dragon hearts, and the Marvel Universe’s deadliest fighters... Hama’s Iron Fist run delivers.

[RELATEDMarvel Veteran Larry Hama is as Unstoppable as Wolverine]

3. THE X-MEN TAKE ON THE ‘90s (JIM LEE FOR 1991’s X-MEN #1)

And his name is Magneto from X-MEN (1991) #1.
And his name is Magneto from X-MEN (1991) #1!

The creative collaboration that launched the X-Men into blockbuster fame.

The powerhouse duo of Jim Lee and Chris Claremont divvied up the X-Men into two distinct squads following the X-TINCTION AGENDA event. The result? A game-changing issue #1 that still holds a record as a best-seller. With a 4-part gatefold cover that showcased the modernity of the Blue and Gold squads, Jim Lee’s art kicked off a Golden Age of X. But Lee’s pioneering didn’t stop at Marvel’s mutants... this writer and artist holds an influential place in the world of comics at large.

[RELATEDRecap the X-Men’s 4 Seminal Moments]

4. PLANET HULK (GREG PAK, CARLO PAGULAYAN, AND MORE FOR HULK #92)

The Green Scar enters the ring from HULK (1999) #95.
HULK (1999) #95

A barbaric alien world. A crash-landed warrior from an unknown place. A quest for freedom that becomes the legend of a king. Read the complete PLANET HULK epic now!

Greg Pak, Carlo Pagulayan, Aaron Lopresti, and more delivered a blockbuster run that banished the Incredible Hulk to the fallen planet of Sakaar. While there, the (former) Banner found himself enslaved in a fighting pit of gladiators, but gained an out by staging a rebellion to topple Sakaar’s powers that be. And that was before Hulk took the battle to Earth. Read Pak’s landmark Hulk run in full!

5. X-23: THE KILLING DREAM (MARJORIE LIU FOR 2010’s X-23)

X-23 and Gambit survey the scene in X-23 (2010) #8.
X-23 (2010) #8

Novelist and comic book writer Marjorie Liu took X-23: Laura Kinney to Paris, New York, and the shores of Madripoor in this quickly-paced run starring Logan’s clone daughter, AKA the All-New Wolverine. On her road to redemption, X-23 and Gambit take to Madripoor’s streets to uncover secrets from “the Facility.” Read the tee-up issue to the Madripoor arc with exceptional art from Sana Takeda.

6. IT’S THAT EASY BEING GREEN (GREG PAK, FRANK CHO, AND MIKE CHOI FOR THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #1)

The heroes assemble (and bicker) in THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK (2015) #15.
THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK (2015) #15

Pak, Frank Cho, and Mike Choi introduced readers to the Gamma-green version of Amadeus Cho in his debut solo series. To save Bruce Banner from becoming the center of a radioactive meltdown, teen whiz Amadeus absorbed the original Hulk’s powers... without losing his mind. Try the monster hunting first arc now, or read Amadeus’ team-up storyline co-starring Shang-Chi, Ms. Marvel, Jimmy Woo, and more in the “Big Apple Showdown.”

7. SILK GONE SOLO (STACEY LEE FOR SILK #1)

Stacey Lee for SILK (2015) #1.
SILK (2015) #1

Who is the super-powered Silk? Writer Robbie Thompson and artist Stacey Lee take Cindy Moon out of the bunker and onto the pages of her first solo series! No longer the girl who was “bitten by that same radioactive spider,” Cindy is now on her own in New York, searching for old connections and family, while webbing up wrong-doers along the way. Try Silk’s ongoing today, a unique blend of antics and heart.

[RELATED'Marvel’s Voices': Christine Dinh on Cindy Moon (Silk) Turning Anger Into Power]

8. MS. MARVEL, MEET DESTINY (SALADIN AHMED AND MINKYU JUN FOR MAGNIFICENT MS. MARVEL #1)

Taking on the baddies in MAGNIFICENT MS. MARVEL (2019) #1.
MAGNIFICENT MS. MARVEL (2019) #1

Ms. Marvel returns to the Super Hero lifestyle for the start of a brand-new era. Only it's not business as usual in Jersey City. Aliens are wreaking havoc in Kamala Khan’s corner of the world, and they seem weirdly interested in her family. Eisner Award-winner Saladin Ahmed and artist Minkyu Jung take the reins on one of Marvel's most beloved new characters.

9. SHANG-CHI: BROTHERS AND SISTERS (GENE LUEN YANG, DIKE RUAN, PHILIP TAN, AND JIM CHEUNG FOR SHANG-CHI #1)

Sister Hammer declares Shang-Chi's fate in SHANG-CHI (2020) #1.
SHANG-CHI (2020) #1

You may have heard that Shang-Chi is Marvel’s greatest fighter. But what are his ties? What is the family legacy that he’s running from? And who, exactly, is that family?

In 2020’s limited series SHANG-CHI, creators Gene Luen Yang, Philip Tan, and Dike Ruan take us inside the secret and ancient Five Weapons Society with a look at its modern motives. The times have certainly changed for the five Houses, now more interested in organized crime than protecting common interest. And, for former Avenger and Hero for Hire Shang-Chi, certain family connections can no longer be ignored... Read this family reunion featuring zombie vampires, demons, and good old-fashioned betrayal in full!

[RELATEDShang-Chi's Secret History]

10. DOCTOR APHRA: FORTUNE AND FATE (ALYSSA WONG FOR 2020’s STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #1)

The truth is told in STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA (2020) #1.
STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA (2020) #1

Science fiction, fantasy, and horror author Alyssa Wong delivers a new chapter for Darth Vader’s (former) rogue archeologist, Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra. With the Rebel Alliance back on the run after their defeat at Hoth, it’s never been a more dangerous time for scoundrels and outlaw credit-seekers. Good thing Aphra brought a team.

[RELATED'Marvel's Voices': Alyssa Wong on Asian Americans and Finding the 'Mirror Moment' in Media]

 

Read even more sensational stories by AAPI creators today, and continue your reading on Marvel Unlimited.

Follow Marvel Unlimited on Twitter and Facebook to stay tuned in to weekly announcements, articles, and more, all at @MarvelUnlimited. Follow us today to join the conversation with thousands of fellow fans, and let us know what you’re reading!

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