Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: Gene Luen Yang, marvel, Phillip Tan, shang chi

Gene Luen Yang to Write New Shang-Chi Series with Dike Ruan and Phillip Tan at Marvel in June

Published Fri, 13 Mar 2020 09:30:33 -0500

Last updated Fri, 13 Mar 2020 10:34:32 -0500

Marvel has announced a new Shang-Chi series launching this June, to be written by Gene Luen Yang with art by Dike Ruan and Phillip Tan. The New York Times took time out of its busy schedule of shilling for the DNC establishment to produce an EX-X-XCLUSIVE interview with Yang that also served to announce the project. That interview was then excerpted by Marvel.com for a press release:

Announced earlier today by The New York Times in an exclusive interview with writer Gene Luen Yang, Marvel Super Hero Shang-Chi will be getting a brand-new limited series this June!

Known for his Eisner Award-winning work, American Born Chinese—the first graphic novel ever to be nominated for a National Book Award—Yang will be teaming up with artists Dike Ruan (FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN) and Phillip Tan (BLACK ORDER) to craft the modern adventures of Marvel's beloved master of the martial arts, with an all-new costume designed by artist Jim Cheung!

Yang could not suppress his excitement for the new series. "I mean, it's Shang-Chi," he tells The New York Times. "He's probably the most prominent Asian—I guess he's Asian-American now since he's moved over here—Asian-American Super Hero."

In this new series, Shang-Chi's fight for justice will collide with his past. When the hero finds himself pulled back into the fold, no one will be ready for what will be unleashed. With a target on his back after the revitalization of his father's secret society, the balance of power will shift in an epic tale of succession, family, and betrayal.

"The basic idea that his father is a Super Villain is still there," says Yang. "Zheng Zhu has been around a very long time. He has other kids besides Shang-Chi, so we're going to explore some of those sibling relationships."

Equipped with incredible knowledge and skills in the martial arts, Shang-Chi's action-packed exploits have been thrilling readers for almost 50 years. Since his introduction, Shang-Chi has become a breakout hero in the Marvel Universe, appearing in multiple series as well as his own successful and acclaimed solo run.

Click here for the full interview, and don't miss SHANG-CHI #1 when it hits stands this June!

Seems like a good choice of creative team and a solid concept for a new book, which is more than can be said of a lot of the filler Marvel publishes just to crowd their competitors off the shelves. Oh, and of course it ties in nicely with the movie set to come out next year too, as Marvel will be able to have two trade paperbacks in stores by the time of its release. Check out Shang-Chi #1 in June.