ItвЂ™s a 12-page prologue of sorts showing us this creative teamвЂ™s take on the legendary hero, and how he fits into the DC Universe, with all of its New Gods and assortments of bizarre beings. That said, you can very much go ahead and check out the aforementioned 12-pager in the DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration special.Д«eyond that, DC did put out a special Monkey Prince #0 issue focusing on Sun Wukong, the original Monkey King himself, rather than his son. Not really, given that Gene Yang is among the most accessible of writers out there. Overseen by editor Jessica Chen, this is a rare Asian American comics team, working with an Asian American editor, allowed to let loose and explore the legacy of one of AsiaвЂ™s most iconic heroes! Is there any required reading? Image: Gene Yang, Bernard Chang/DC Comics The two are joined on this venture by the terrific colorist Sebastian Cheng, whoвЂ™s been working with Yang on Shang-Chi over at Marvel.ДЄnd even more impressively, the team is rounded out by the legendary letterer Janice Chiang - who began her work in the Marvel Bullpen in the 1970s and hasnвЂ™t stopped since. Joining Yang here is the impeccable artist Bernard Chang, who has a long and storied career, from breaking out in the вЂ™90s, working with Disney as a concept designer, and boasting the experience of drawing a plethora of superhero books over the years. Having recently put out the definitive Superman comic of the 2010s, the smash-hit Superman Smashes The Klan, and followed it up with a brilliant run on Batman/Superman, Yang is back in the DCU with this title. Whether itвЂ™s the expanded canon of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Superman, or coding and basketball, heвЂ™s made comics based on all of them.

Gene Yang is a prolific writer, a MacArthur Genius Grant winner, and has a rich, diverse body of work. Representation matters, and there is much work to be done, which is why The Monkey PrinceвЂ™s all Asian American creative crew is so meaningful.

Given the long history of orientalist and racist works in American comics - even as Asian American creators like Jim Lee rise to the position of publisher at DC Comics - one can never have enough authentic work crafted, produced, and overseen by voices with the lived-in-experiences to address their cultural touchstones. And this book is the first big step from that promise, with editor Jessica Chen onboard. The Asian hero one-shot seemed to be a promise that DC would be committing to doing more with its Asian talent and characters. And after a year of waiting, the book is here at last. The Monkey Prince debuted there in a stellar 12-pager by Gene Luen Yang and Bernard Chang, and was the one story that teased a future installment. The issue was an anthology - all one-and-done short stories, except for one. Last year, in May of 2021, DC Comics published DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration, a grand one-shot overseen by editors Jessica Chen and Andrea Shea, filled with Asian talent, meant to celebrate their vision and contributions. Image: Gene Yang, Bernard Chang/DC Comics ZhuвЂќ - who is just Zhu Bajie (or вЂњPigsyвЂќ), who was the Monkey KingвЂ™s companion in Journey to the West. So itвЂ™s very rooted in a familiar superhero setting, but with touches like вЂњMr. MarcusвЂ™s life has taken him all over the DC Universe, heвЂ™s seen Batman, and the book is even set in Gotham. But beyond that, this is very much a coming-of-age-story steeped in Chinese literature and American superhero world-building. ThereвЂ™s a touch of The Karate Kid here, clearly, as we see a kid whoвЂ™s lost really find his purpose and stand up for himself. Zhu, the maintenance man, and learns that his true father is the legendary Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. He struggles to fit in at a new school, but things seem to change when he meets Mr. Marcus Shen is the son of two henchmen-for-hire - meaning heвЂ™s afraid of superheroes, and he moves around a lot. What if Sun Wukong, the legendary Monkey King, had a son? And what if that boy didnвЂ™t know who he really was? ThatвЂ™s the juicy premise of The Monkey Prince, set to kick off the story of a whole new Asian American hero and his journey of self-discovery. It is only fitting then that the tradition continues, and something new is created once more from the legend of The Monkey King: DC ComicsвЂ™ newest superhero, the Monkey Prince. Son Goku, of Akira ToriyamaвЂ™s Dragonball is, after all, just the Japanese translation of вЂњSun WukongвЂќ - and Goku is further equipped with WukongвЂ™s magic staff, tail, and flying cloud to surf upon. The Monkey King has long been a subject of fascination and inspiration to Asian imaginations creatives. And at the heart of this legendary masterpiece is its breakout character: Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.

Wu ChengвЂ™enвЂ™s Journey to the West has inspired countless tales, and been retold over and over again, as one of the four classics of Chinese literature.

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