Boosting Asian American Women's Visibility Through Comics

May 8

AAPI Heritage Month Feature

As a little girl I watched Mulan six times a day, no seriously, six times. I sat with my lola on the couch all day fixated on this girl who left everything she knew to fight for the honor of her family and her country. I think subconsciously I was drawn to Mulan more than the other Disney princesses, not simply because she looked like me, but because she was a girl who didn’t need saving from any prince; she saved the day herself. As I grew up, I continued to keep my eyes glued to the silver screen because the magic of storytelling made me feel so alive. It asks the audience to step outside of themselves, to have genuine care and curiosity about another person’s life, to dig deep into another’s soul, and that is powerful.

Rushing to be where all the storytelling action was, I moved to Los Angeles with my mom at 17-years-old. I remember coming out of auditions and realizing that not a lot of people looked like me. Was it because the roles that were written weren’t really written for people that looked like me? Was it because Asian Americans aren’t typically thought of as leading ladies? All these questions were circulating in my mind until one day I decided to do something about it. I realized that if I’m not seeing the roles for young girls out there that look like me, then I was going to have to be part of the solution.

Instead of waiting around and taking a passive seat to all the major players in the entertainment industry, we decided to take action. My mom and I began discussing what this representation could look like. Being the sci-fi, fantasy, superhero-loving family that we are, we thought, “why couldn’t we imagine a world in which a young Filipina superhero exists?” That’s when we decided to take control. Let’s just create the stories we wanted to see and not ask for permission to be seen. As we continued to play around with the idea of a story rooted in Filipino culture, we began diving into the different mythos of the Philippines and realized how fantastic and magical these tales were. With superheroes being a huge part of the comic book genre and the world of Philippine mythology so vibrant, we thought the best way to tell this story would be through the visual medium of comic books.

Despite female readers accounting for half of the comic book audience in its early popularity in the 1940’s, history has shown that women continue to be left out of the narrative. As major comic book companies grew, such as Marvel and DC, the focus shifted to the superhero genre that was tailored toward male viewership. Female representation is seriously lacking both on and off the page. Research shows that despite the growth in female artists and writers in the comic book industry, women are still heavily underrepresented with female creators accounting for 16-17% of Marvel and DC’s talent pool. This underrepresentation can further explain why women are left off the page and not represented as the main character with just 12% of mainstream superhero comics showcasing female protagonists. Out of these few female protagonists, many are drawn with unrealistic bodies and exaggerated features that hyper-sexualize the female body and cater specifically to the male gaze. These stories are often filled with a surplus of sexist undertones and provocative poses that send unattainable messages of striving for an impossible body. So where does that leave young female readers? Who do they have to not only look up to, but see themselves truly reflected in? Where are the characters that make them say “I know her. I am her.”

Of course, these types of characters are not likely to be written in an authentic way (or at all) if the people from our communities aren’t welcomed in the writers rooms. Representation is not true representation if it is only seen in one sector of the industry. When we mean representation we mean visibility both on and off the screen and page. Asian American female writers and artists are necessary to tell these stories authentically. So when we were creating our team for our comic book company, it only made sense that the mission of our company, which is to highlight “Asian” and “women”-driven narratives, was reflected in the team itself. This led us to create the first all Asian women comic book company.

The first series of Kwento Comics, The Mask of Haliya, tells the story of a Filipina-American teen, Marisol Reyes, who goes to the Philippines after the death of her great-grandmother. There, she finds a mysterious wooden mask at the wake where she not only finds herself imbued with incredible powers, but at the epicenter of an ancient war between Philippine shamans and gods of the Underworld. When introducing our main character, we wanted to break the stereotypes of women in comic books that had unrealistic body types and create an accurate depiction of a young Filipina girl growing into adulthood. A girl who isn’t perfect, who messes up and is trying to figure it all out, an unlikely hero. Asian American women have been scarcely represented in US media. In a study conducted by UCLA’s 2022 Hollywood Diversity Report, Asians represented 5.6% of film leads with women representing less than half of those leads. When they are represented, historically they have been depicted as stereotypes from the “Dragon Lady”, “China Doll”, or “The Nerd”. It was imperative that we break this cycle at Kwento Comics and shine a light on untold narratives and dynamic, fully fleshed out characters. Through the discovery of her family’s ancestral past and Filipino culture, Mari will go down a journey of self-discovery and an understanding of who she is truly destined to become.

Another important element of our storytelling is the inclusion of Philippine mythology. Audiences have seen everything from Greek to Roman to Norse Mythology with the likes of Zeus, Jupiter, and Thor, however there are a plethora of other mythologies in the world that never get the spotlight. As a young Filipina girl growing up, I was never exposed to the vibrant world of Philippine mythology that existed. Similar to our main character who goes to the Philippines where she discovers her Filipino heritage, the comic book was a way for me to dive deep into my own culture and share it with the world. It is through working on this comic book that I have taken true pride in where I come from and hope that others will feel inspired to do the same by creating more content that lifts up Asian American visibility in media.

Actionable Insights:

Do research on your own culture and see what folks, legends, and myths your ancestors told to each other.
Show more women in comics with real and authentic bodies.
Create dynamic female characters that follow the Bechdel Test.
When assembling your creative team, include those part of marginalized communities - BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women.

Waverley Lim

Former UCLA Student

Read more about Kwento Comics in The Daily Bruin.