DC celebrates Asian American & Pacific Island (AAPI) Heritage Month with variant covers

DC Comics has revealed new variant covers celebrating Asian American & Pacific Island (AAPI) Heritage Month, releasing throughout May. The covers are drawn by artists from Asian backgrounds including Bernard Chang, Marcio Takara, Zu Orzu and Isaac Goodhart doing his first cover for a mainline DC title with Batman Inc. #8.

Heroes featured include Monkey Prince and the Superfamily playing Mahjong on Action Comics #1055, Cassandra Cain taking  a moment in Hong Kong enjoying a boba in Batgirls #18, Eiko Hasigawa showing off her katana in her new costume in Catwoman #55 and Ghost-Maker sparring with Batman in the past and present in front of a scenic Singapore on Batman Incorporated #8. Each of the first issues under the We are Legends banner will also feature AAPI variants.

Here’s  rundown of the variant covers:

• Action Comics #1055 by Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo, in stores on May 23

• Batgirls #18 by Crystal Kung, in stores on May 16

• Batman Inc #8 by Isaac Goodhart and Elmer Santos, in stores on May 9

• Catwoman #55 by Frank Cho and Sabine Rich, in stores on May 16

• City Boy #1 by Alexandre Tefenkgi, in stores on May 23

• Green Arrow #2 by Marcio Takara, in stores on May 23

• Spirit World #1 by Zu Orzu, in stores on May 9

• The Vigil #1 by Pop Mhan, in stores on May 16

For more on this news, read the official press release below.

DC is celebrating Asian American & Pacific Island (AAPI) Heritage Month with eight, AAPI themed variant covers. DC previously announced three new Asian themed superhero limited series under the “We are Legends” banner including City Boy, Spirit World and The Vigil.

The AAPI covers depict DC characters drawn by talented artists from Asian backgrounds including Bernard Chang, Marcio Takara, Zu Orzu and Isaac Goodhart doing his first cover for a mainline DC title with Batman Inc. #8. Highlights of the covers include Monkey Prince and the Superfamily playing Mahjong on Action Comics #1055, Cassandra Cain taking  a moment in Hong Kong enjoying a boba in Batgirls #18, Eiko Hasigawa showing off her katana in her new costume in Catwoman #55 and Ghost-Maker sparring with Batman in the past and present in front of a scenic Singapore on Batman Incorporated #8. Each of the first issues under the We are Legends banner will also feature AAPI variants.

Fans can pick up variant covers for the following comic issues at their local comic book shops this May:

• Action Comics #1055 by Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo, in stores on May 23
• Batgirls #18 by Crystal Kung, in stores on May 16
• Batman Inc #8 by Isaac Goodhart and Elmer Santos, in stores on May 9
• Catwoman #55 by Frank Cho and Sabine Rich, in stores on May 16
• City Boy #1 by Alexandre Tefenkgi, in stores on May 23
• Green Arrow #2 by Marcio Takara, in stores on May 23
• Spirit World #1 by Zu Orzu, in stores on May 9
• The Vigil #1 by Pop Mhan, in stores on May 16

First seen in Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1, Spirit World features Xanthe, a non-binary Chinese Super Hero with the ability to travel in and out of the Spirit World – the realm of the dead, and that of the living. In this debut issue, written by Alyssa Wong (Batman: Urban Legends, Marvel’s Deadpool) with art by Haining (DCeased), Xanthe forms a reluctant alliance with DC’s bad boy of the mystic arts, John Constantine, to rescue Batgirl Cassandra Cain from a horde of jiangshi (Chinese hopping vampires).

​​This mysterious team of South Asian metahumans made their first appearance in Lazarus Planet: Next Evolution #1 and can be seen again in issues #1070 and #1071 of Detective Comics. Written by Ram V (Detective Comics, Swamp Thing), with art by Lalit Kumar Sharma (Truth & Justice, Marvel’s Daredevil), The Vigil is Arclight, Saya, Dodge, and Castle, a group of individuals given powers they didn’t want, determined to stop metahuman research and tech created for military applications at any cost.

Both DC and WildStorm fans have already been introduced to Korean Super Hero Cameron Kim, a.k.a. City Boy, in the WildStorm 30th Anniversary Special #1 and Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn #1. Cameron is just a kid trying to make a living, using his powers of speaking to cities to find lost and hidden goods to pawn, just trying to get by. This six-issue series reunites writer Greg Pak (Action Comics, Milestone Media’s Duo) with artists Minkyu Jung (Batgirl, Titans) and Sunny Gho (Wonder Woman, DC Festival of Heroes, Justice League).

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