Author: Keith Chow

Keith is the editor-in-chief of the pop culture blog The Nerds of Color, a co-editor of the comics anthologies Secret Identities and Shattered, and host of the podcasts Hard NOC Life and Southern Fried Asian. His writing has been featured in the New York Times, NBC News, and SYFY Wire. Vanity Fair calls Keith an "incisive interviewer and chummy conversationalist"
DC Comics, Sports1 Comment

Pip and MJ: Dynamic Duo or World’s Finest?

Keith Chow

As you can see on the blogroll to your left, Dat Winning and The Nerds of Color are going to be companion sites going forward. If you’re unfamiliar, Dat Winning is the internet’s “deceptively quick” Asian American guide to sports. And since we don’t really cover sports here at the NOC, that’s when I’ll pop up over there (and the occasional Joy Dunk Club episode too).

So I figured what better way to contribute to that blog than by intersecting the two things I love the most anyway, namely, the NBA and superhero comics. For my debut on DW, I wanted to talk about the four figures that most informed my growing up: Batman, Superman, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen.

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Marvel, Television203 Comments

Marvel, Please Cast an Asian American Iron Fist

Keith Chow

[UPDATE: Our friends at 18Million Rising have crafted a petition to get Marvel/Netflix to cast an Asian American Iron Fist.]

[UPDATE 2: I talk more about Marvel Studios considering an Asian American Iron Fist with Andrew Wheeler over at ComicsAlliance.]

Yes, I am proposing that a major comic book institution change the race of one of its popular characters as it transitions to a new form of media. In this case, I want Marvel Studios to cast an Asian American actor to play the lead in the upcoming Iron Fist show it is developing for Netflix. It seems logical enough to me, though as always, there are fans who are urging Marvel to resist changing his race.

Now, I know the topic of cross-racial casting has come up time and time again here at The Nerds of Color. And while there are a contingent of fans who don’t think such things matter — or worse, are vehemently opposed to such casting choices — I can’t help thinking that Iron Fist gives Marvel a chance to add even more diversity to its interconnected cinematic universe. Not to mention that this is a case where changing the race of the character has the potential to actually add layers of depth to the story of said character.

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Comics2 Comments

Valiant Comics Responds to War Flag Controversy

Keith Chow

Over the weekend, the social media team at Valiant Entertainment took to twitter and responded to this post that we first brought to you back in February. If you recall, superstar artist — and former Valiant creator — Bernard Chang expressed his reservations about the redesign of Valiant’s signature Asian superhero, Rai. Specifically, the artist criticized the publisher’s decision to integrate the motif of Japan’s World War II-era military flag into the hero’s look.

Thanks to this tweet by @feministallies, someone at Valiant Comics has responded to the controversy that has also been reported across the comics blogosphere, including at sites such as Bleeding Cool and Inside Pulse.

The rest of the twitter exchange can be found after the jump.

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Movies, Sci Fi4 Comments

When’s Someone Going to Let Me Make a Transformers Movie?

Keith Chow

So if you haven’t heard, there’s a new Transformers flick coming out this summer. The fourth in the franchise, this will be the first without Shia LeBeouf (since he’s “no longer famous,” Mark Wahlberg’s the new male lead), but Michael Bay is still behind the camera.

Back in February, Paramount teased the flick with a big Super Bowl spot. Your Facebook feed was probably full of images of Optimus Prime riding on Grimlock. The other day, the studio unveiled its first full trailer for the movie that’ll likely rule the summer box office:

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DC Comics, Movies12 Comments

Superheroes and Their Oscars — DC Edition

Keith Chow

File this under “Things You Didn’t Know You Needed.”

Since another Oscar season has come and gone, and since — once again — nary a superhero flick was even in consideration, I’m sharing my Superhero Oscar list with you.

For the last several years, I’ve been keeping a running tally of all of the Batman and Superman alumni who have either won or been nominated for an Academy Award. This all started in 2006 when Nicole Kidman handed George Clooney the statue for his supporting turn in Syriana, and I realized, “Hey, these two were in (admittedly crappy) Batman movies!”

So I did what any Batfan with an internet connection and access to IMDB would do, I compiled a comprehensive list of all the cinematic Bat-actors and their Oscars. And it’s a long one! Last summer, in advance of the release of Man of Steel, I created a similar list for the cinematic Superman alumni as well.

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Anime, Movies6 Comments

Why ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ is Better in English

Keith Chow

Yeah, I said it.

Look, like any good nerd, I normally prefer watching a foreign movie as it was originally intended. When Disney scours Hollywood for top-level talent to overdub their vast catalog of Studio Ghibli titles, I’m not their target audience. And unlike most Americans, I actually don’t mind reading my movies if subtitles are required.

But let me get back to my original point. Of all the Miyazaki movies that have been dubbed in English, I believe Howl’s Moving Castle is the only one that works. Before I get into that, though, I want to talk about what’s wrong with dubbing foreign movies in the first place.

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Anime, Movies6 Comments

This Week, We’re Celebrating the Work of Hayao Miyazaki

Keith Chow

Hayao Miyazaki’s most recent film The Wind Rises was finally released in the U.S. over the weekend. Earning an estimated $306,000 from 21 theaters, Miyazaki’s final Oscar-nominated film has prompted the Nerds to reminisce about some of their favorite Studio Ghibli movies.

So all week, we’ll be hearing from many of the Nerds as they share memories about the movies that affected them the most.

In the meantime, you can get started by checking out some of our past Miyazaki coverage from recent months.

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Art, Comics1 Comment

Internment/Service by Bernard Chang

Keith Chow

Last September, I mentioned how I was honored to coordinate and edit a digital comic in conjunction with the Smithsonian‘s touring “I Want the Wide American Earth” Asian American history exhibit.

(And once again, many thanks to Lawrence-Minh Bui Davis and Konrad Ng for allowing me to be part of such an honor).

Since today is the 72nd anniversary of Executive Order 9066, and a Day of Remembrance for the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II, I wanted to share Bernard Chang‘s contribution to the Smithsonian project. Titled “Internment/Service,” Bernard‘s illustration honors the Japanese Americans who fought for justice abroad while their families suffered from injustice at home.

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Animation, DC Comics, Television1 Comment

Beware the Batman is on Blu-Ray, Just Not on TV

Keith Chow

In a surprise press release last week, Warner Home Video announced a blu-ray and DVD release for Beware the Batman, the most recent animated iteration of the Dark Knight Detective. This was a surprise because the announcement was last week and the disc comes out today. While there may have been some rumblings earlier in the month about a possible home video release, most DVD announcements usually give buyers way more lead time than just “next week.”

Though it was a pretty big departure from how Batman has typically been depicted in animation, Beware’s dark and emotional storylines quickly attained a loyal following every Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the suits at Cartoon Network didn’t feel that enough of these loyal fans were watching and unceremoniously pulled the plug after only airing for a few months. Though it was never officially cancelled, it was never not cancelled either (and the rest of the episodes haven’t seen the light of day ever since).

But hey, we fans are getting a blu-ray (available today only at WBShop.com), so hooray?

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Comics, Interview15 Comments

Japanese War Flags and Comics’ Lack of Creativity

Keith Chow

Earlier this week, Valiant Entertainment unveiled the long-awaited lineup for their Valiant First roster of rebooted and revamped characters. After re-introducing a gender-swapped version of Dr. Mirage last year, this time they’re bringing back another of the publisher’s standout Asian characters: the Japanese superhero Rai, in addition to giving Dr. Mirage her own book as well. (Both Mirage and Rai were Asians that served as foundational characters when Valiant first launched two decades ago). As one of the creators behind Secret Identities, I was very excited. Then I saw the way they redesigned Rai’s look:

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Comics, Interview1 Comment

The Game’s Afoot: The Watson and Holmes Interview

Keith Chow

Originally posted at Diamond Bookshelf

Writer Karl Bollers and comics veteran Rick Leonardi introduce a new twist to the classic Sherlock Holmes mythology with Watson and Holmes Volume 1: A Study in Black — the first volume in the series that casts Holmes and Watson as African Americans in Harlem, published by New Paradigam Studios.

Watson, an Afghanistan war vet, works in an inner-city clinic; Holmes, a local P.I. who takes unusual cases. When one of them ends up in Watson’s emergency room, the unlikely duo strike up a partnership to find a missing girl. Watson & Holmes bump heads along the way as they enter a labyrinth of drugs, guns, gangs and a conspiracy that goes higher and deeper than they could have imagined.

PREVIEWS editor Marty Grosser got a chance to talk with New Paradigm Studios’ Founder and President Brandon Perlow, along with writer Karl Bollers, about Watson and Holmes, the inspiration for their new take on the classic characters, and the state of diversity in comics today.

(Full disclosure: the Diamond Bookshelf used to be my old stomping grounds as I managed/edited it from 2004-07. Many thanks to Marty for letting us republish the interview here!)

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Art, Horror, Movies, Sci Fi1 Comment

Unidentified is Now Available to Own on DVD/Digital

Keith Chow

233We talked about it last week, but today is the day you can own the creepy and comedic sci-fi thriller Unidentified on DVD and digital. Just click here to find out all the different ways you can purchase or download the movie for yourself.

In the meantime, we’re going to be giving away a 19” x 13” collage, color print of the Jodieman Universe of characters drawn and signed by the artist Jerry Ma! If you’re lucky, maybe we’ll get Parry and Eddie to sign it too!

All you have to do is RT the following tweet, and if we can get to 100 retweets, we’ll send the print to one of our lucky followers.

Check out the synopsis itself after the jump, as well as the official trailer and a special behind-the-scenes peek at one of the signature moments of the movie.

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DC Comics, Television12 Comments

The Flash Might be the Most Diverse Superhero Show on TV

Keith Chow

Over the last month or so, the supporting cast for The CW’s upcoming Arrow spin-off The Flash has been fleshed out, and we’re starting to get a clearer picture of what the show will look like. In addition to the casting announcement for the series’ villains (Professor Zoom and Killer Frost, respectively), it looks like series regulars will include Barry’s love interest, her police detective father, and a mechanical engineer named Cisco. But while the inclusion of such characters isn’t really all that groundbreaking, who they’ve cast in these roles definitely is. Also, “Cisco” refers to Cisco Ramon, a.k.a. Vibe. That’s right, y’all, Flash isn’t going to be the only DC hero on the show. We’re actually getting a live action Vibe, too.

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Marvel, Movies4 Comments

Is a Black Panther Movie Coming Soon?

Keith Chow

It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been pretty lilly-white since its inception. Aside from Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Don Cheadle as War Machine, the Marvel films heretofore have not featured very many heroes of color. That’s why so many Nerds of Color — including our very own Shawn Taylor whose advice on “How Not to Screw Up a Black Panther Film” is must reading, by the way — have been clamoring for a live action Black Panther for so long. Well, the rumor mill went into overdrive this week when Latino Review’s El Mayimbe sent out the following tweet:

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Music, Nerdcore

The East Coast is in the Middle of Nowhere

Keith Chow

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these rappers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Polar Vortex? Ice storms? Blizzards? Adam WarRock and Tribe One don’t care. That’s why they live the raplife. Besides, the cold never bothered them anyway.

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Comics, Marvel2 Comments

Ms. Marvel’s Time is Now

Keith Chow

After months of anticipation, Ms. Marvel #1 officially hits comic book store shelves across the country today! We’ve been discussing Kamala Khan a lot here at the NOC, so it’s nice to know people can finally get their hands on the book.

We hope to bring you our own take on the first issue soon. In the meantime, we scoured the ‘net for some of the Nerdosphere’s first impressions.

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DC Comics, Movies13 Comments

Jesse Eisenberg is Lex Luthor… Wait… Wha?

Keith Chow

So yeah. That happened.

If you haven’t heard, the Oscar-nominated actor has been cast as Lex Luthor in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel. Oscar winner Jeremy Irons has also been tapped to play Alfred Pennyworth in the film (which has been pushed to Summer 2016). Best know for portraying Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, Eisenberg’s name wasn’t on anyone’s radar for the role — those names belonged to folks like Bryan Cranston and Joaquin Phoenix, to name two. So this news was definitely… unexpected.

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Animation, Television, Toys

Have a Pinkie New Year Every Pony

Keith Chow

Last week, I talked about how much our household enjoys watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Since 2014 is the Year of the Horse, I figured that it only made sense for Hasbro (or The Hub, for that matter) to cash in on the festivities by licensing the Mane Six on some little red envelopes or lanterns or something. Continue reading “Have a Pinkie New Year Every Pony”

Comics, Gone Too Soon2 Comments

R.I.P. Morrie Turner

Keith Chow

On Saturday, the world lost another legend when cartoonist Morrie Turner passed away at the age of 90 after suffering complications from kidney disease.

Turner is best known for creating the comic strip Wee Pals, the first comic strip of its kind — not only because it featured a cast of racially diverse characters but it was also the first strip by an African American cartoonist to be syndicated nationally.

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Animation, Movies, Music, Nerdcore7 Comments

Adam WarRock Wants to Build a Snowman

Keith Chow

I guess it’s Frozen week on the Nerds of Color! Earlier in the week, I mentioned a twitter convo about the movie that I had with Adam WarRock. I (half-) jokingly tweeted that I wanted him to do a song over a “Let it Go” instrumental.

Well, he took it to another level and actually wrote a whole song and released it free for the whole interwebz to enjoy. Though he ultimately didn’t use the Idina Menzel showstopper, the beat from the B.o.B. track” John Doe” is still pretty evocative of the Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez music from the movie.

Here, I’ll let Adam explain why he decided to do the track — plus a link to download — after the jump:

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Animation, Comics6 Comments

At the Nerds of Color, Friendship Really is Magic

Keith Chow

The other day, the original Nerd of Color, Bao Phi, came by NOC HQ with a very big problem. His four-year-old daughter really needed a comic book, and apparently, it was the Nerds’ fault! Turns out, Uncle Rodrigo gave her a special mini-comic of IDW’s My Little Pony as a gift which quickly became a valuable artifact in the Phi house. Here, I’ll let Bao explain:

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Comics

Gene Yang & Sonny Liew Preview The Shadow Hero

Keith Chow

Later this year, First Second Books will be publishing The Shadow Hero from writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Sonny Liew. Back in November, we were fortunate enough to have Gene on Hard N.O.C. Life where he talked a bit about working with Sonny and their research into the Asian American origins of a forgotten Golden Age hero named the Green Turtle.

Though the book is still forthcoming, Gene and Sonny actually published a series of Shadow Hero strips in Shattered, the anthology of Asian American comics I co-edited with Jeff Yang, Parry Shen, and Jerry Ma in 2012. For the first time, however, Gene and Sonny are unveiling these strips in full color over at Tor.com (they were originally published in black & white in Shattered).

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Animation, Movies9 Comments

A Happy Snowman: In Defense of Frozen’s Olaf

Keith Chow

If you had insomnia last night, I hope you were on twitter. Around 1am, our favorite internet rapper Adam WarRock took to the web and sent out an epic string of tweets about the animated film Frozen.

Needless to say, Adam — like most of the world — is a big fan. In fact, I tweeted that someone needed to get him a “Let it Go” instrumental right away because I want a WarRock song about Elsa and her ice powers. One thing he’s not a fan of, however, is the snowman sidekick Olaf. And this is where the two of us part ways in our Frozen fandom.

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