Casting Call Seeks Asian Teen for Titans

by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

Want to play a superhero on TV? Note: you might have to be green. And I’m not talking about the Hulk.

Casting directors are currently searching high and low for an Asian teen to star in Titans, a live-action adaptation of DC Comics’ Teen Titans from Warner Bros. Television/DC Entertainment.

The open casting call from Rapaport/Baldasare Casting seeks a 13 to 15 year old Asian male to play the series regular role of “Jax,” who is described as “funny, self-deprecating and charming.”

Continue reading “Casting Call Seeks Asian Teen for Titans”

Michelle Yeoh is the Starship Captain We’ve Been Waiting For

by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

Hell yes. Fellow Trekkies, rejoice. The first-look trailer for the new CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery has dropped, and the latest foray into the final frontier looks pretty damn awesome, not least because of one badass looking starship captain in the form of one Michelle Yeoh. MICHELLE FRICKIN YEOH.

Continue reading “Michelle Yeoh is the Starship Captain We’ve Been Waiting For”

Asian American Superheroes Come Alive in Totally Awesome Hulk #15

A few weeks back, we posted about Greg Pak teasing the cover of Totally Awesome Hulk #15, in which Amadeus Cho — aka The Hulk — was joined by Ms. Marvel, Shang Chi, and Silk. Never before had so many Asian American superheroes been gathered on the cover of a mainstream comic book. I recently had a chance to preview the issue — which hits stands this Wednesday, January 25 — and I was actually moved to tears at how resonant it was to see these characters embody being unapologetically Asian American.

Continue reading “Asian American Superheroes Come Alive in Totally Awesome Hulk #15″

Marvel’s Most Epic Asian American Superhero Team-Up Ever

by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

Ms. Marvel! Shang Chi! Silk! Amadeus Cho! Has there ever been such an awesome assemblage of Asian American superheroes under the banner of Marvel Comics? Possibly probably not… until now.

Writer Greg Pak recently teased the upcoming cover of Totally Awesome Hulk #15, suggesting that this is the most significant grouping of Asian American superheroes that has ever starred in a mainstream comic book.

In Totally Awesome Hulk #15, kid genius Amadeus Cho — aka The Hulk — is slowly learning how to become a team player, but has to learn fast when Ms. Marvel, Shang Chi, Silk and a host of other heroes come to town.

Continue reading “Marvel’s Most Epic Asian American Superhero Team-Up Ever”

Q&A with The OA’s Ian Alexander

by Jes Vu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

In a time where representation is such a hot topic in Hollywood, Netflix’s The OA does something few have done: cast an actual Asian transgender teenage boy as an Asian transgender teenage boy. Vietnamese-American teen Ian Alexander is one of multiple Asian actors in The OA’s main cast alongside Filipino/Puerto Rican-American Brandon Perea and British Pakistani Riz Ahmed (in a recurring role). Continuing the spotlight from his response to a viral anti-trans photo, Ian makes his on-screen acting debut as Buck Vu in the newly-released show having been cast from an online open casting call in 2015.

Growing up in places including Japan, Hawai’i, and D.C. have helped shape Ian. The fifteen-year-old high school junior has had more experiences than most teenagers his age, and his passion knows no bounds. He’s politically vocal, a huge admirer of actors and filmmakers like Jen Richards (Her Story) and Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black) and relentless as a Marvel fanboy (he’s “Team Bucky” for those who are curious). Ian had time to sit down and talk about his upbringing and the show (don’t worry, there are no spoilers here).

Continue reading “Q&A with The OA’s Ian Alexander”

An Open Letter to the Creators of Disney’s Live Action Mulan

by ConcernedForMulan | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

[Ed. note: In the 24 hours since this open letter was posted on AAM, Disney has released a statement that their live action adaptation of Mulan will not feature a white love interest. We are still posting the original letter because we can confirm that the spec script discussed below does indeed exist and is still indicative of how Hollywood views Asians.]

A white merchant’s business brings him to the heart of a legendary Asian conflict — he unwittingly helps save the day while winning the heart of the Asian female. Am I describing the plotline of the Netflix series Marco Polo? No. I’m describing the spec script that Disney bought for its live-action feature film, The Legend of Mulan, which is projected for release in 2018.

Continue reading “An Open Letter to the Creators of Disney’s Live Action Mulan

Tilda Swinton Teaches Doctor Strange the Mystical Asian Stuff

by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

Marvel just dropped the first teaser trailer for Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, who journeys to mystical Asia to learn Mystical Asian Stuff. The trailer also gives us our first glimpse of Tilda Swinton as the Sorcerer Supreme’s mystical mentor, The Ancient One.

Racebent! In typical Hollywood fashion. Many of us were wondering how the movie would handle whitest actress Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, who has been traditionally depicted in the comic books as an old-ass mystical Asian man. Now we have our answer: she is bald.

Continue reading “Tilda Swinton Teaches Doctor Strange the Mystical Asian Stuff”

Be a Part of the 2016 Angry Asian Man Subscriber Drive

Last month, one of our favorite blogs reached another milestone as Angry Asian Man celebrated its 15th anniversary. A decade and a half of being one of the most influential Asian Americans on the internet is no easy feat, so we’re hoping you can head on over to his site and help Phil Yu with his annual donation drive. You’ll get some cool swag out of it too.

Continue reading “Be a Part of the 2016 Angry Asian Man Subscriber Drive”

Why is the Kubo and the Two Strings Cast So White?

by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

LAIKA, the acclaimed stop-motion animation studio that brought you Coraline and ParaNorman, recently released the trailer for its latest feature Kubo and the Two Strings, an epic adventure set in fantastical Japan.

The story centers on a young boy named Kubo who lives a quiet, normal life in a small shoreside village until a spirit from the past turns his life upside down. On the run from gods and monsters, Kubo must find a magical suit of armor once worn by his father, the greatest samurai the world has ever known.

The movie looks incredible. Check out this trailer:

Continue reading “Why is the Kubo and the Two Strings Cast So White?”

NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: The Time is Now

Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

As we near the end of 2015, one thing is for sure: it’s a great time to be an Asian American television consumer. For the first time in history, you’ll need two hands to count the number of major television programs to feature Asian American leads! On ABC alone, you have shows like Fresh of the Boat, Dr. Ken, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Quantico.

This Sunday night, the biggest network of them all — AMC — throws its hat into the ring with Into the Badlands, a dystopian martial arts drama starring Daniel Wu. And I can safely say the show is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: The Time is Now”

Download Awesome Asian Bad Guys Right Now!

Today’s the day! If you’ve wanted to watch Stephen Dypiangco and Patrick Epino — better known as the National Film Society — reunite iconic Asian bad guys from the ’80s in the action/comedy Awesome Asian Bad Guys, but couldn’t attend one of the many festival screenings, now is your chance to download the film and watch it in the comfort of your own home.

Continue reading “Download Awesome Asian Bad Guys Right Now!”

Meet Marvel Comics’ New Asian American Superhero

by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

On Sunday at New York Comic Con, Marvel announced that its newest superhero, an Asian American woman bitten by the same radioactive spider that gave Peter Parker his spider-powers, will star in her own book.

Introduced earlier this year in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man to much speculation and fanfare, the mysterious Silk, aka Queens resident Cindy Moon, was apparently a classmate of Peter Parker’s — and the second person bitten by comics’ most famous radioactive spider. But instead of donning tights and battling the likes of the Green Goblin and Electro, she’s been locked away in a bunker for ten years.

Continue reading “Meet Marvel Comics’ New Asian American Superhero”

Giveaway: Win a Walking Dead Glenn Action Figure

by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

AMC hit zombie drama The Walking Dead returns for its fifth season this Sunday, October 12. Last season left off on a bit of a cliffhanger, with Rick and his merry crew of walker slayers finally reuniting, but captured and locked away in a train car by some mysterious new adversaries. How will they get out this jam?

And of course, we get to see Steven Yeun as our favorite Asian American zombie apocalypse survivor Glenn Rhee. According to this interview in Entertainment Weekly, Steven says Glenn “is a leader” in season five.

So check it. To celebrate the return of The Walking Dead, I’m giving away some official Walking Dead Series Five Action Figures by McFarlane Toys. Who wants a Glenn action figure? Scroll down for details.

Continue reading “Giveaway: Win a Walking Dead Glenn Action Figure”

Model Minority Rage: Why the Hulk Should Be an Asian Guy

Originally posted at The Daily Beast

Whenever I take a clickbait quiz to determine which of The Avengers I would be, I always game the questions to aim for the Hulk. No question, the Hulk is my Avenger, hands down, and I will always be upset that of the Avengers his stand-alone movies have fared the worst, box-office and critical-opinion-wise.

The main reason, of course, is that they didn’t get the right actor to play Bruce Banner until The Avengers hit theaters.

Continue reading “Model Minority Rage: Why the Hulk Should Be an Asian Guy”

Get Ready for Harold & Kumar: The Animated Series

by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

It’s on, my friends. The Harold and Kumar animated series is on. We’ve known that an animated series based on the comedy trilogy was in the works, with John Cho and Kal Penn returning to provide the voices for the titular stoner duo. This week, the cast reportedly reunited for the show’s first table read.

Continue reading “Get Ready for Harold & Kumar: The Animated Series

Angry Asian Man Asks for Your Support

by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

I’ve been running Angry Asian Man for over thirteen years. When I first launched the blog, it was a humble little endeavor, and I honestly didn’t expect anyone to read it, outside of a few close friends. Well, it’s still a humble little endeavor, with maybe just a little more notoriety now. Somehow, over a dozen years later, it’s become a thing. A destination. A resource. And I’ve dedicated myself to managing and writing the best blog I can.

So thank you for reading.

Heads up. Later on in this post, I’m going to be asking you for money. Just letting you know, if you’re not interested in reading that sort of thing. Before we get to that part, I have a few things to share.

Continue reading “Angry Asian Man Asks for Your Support”

Top Ten Asian Pacific American Comics Characters

by Gene Yang | Originally posted at Tor.com

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Er… did you know that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month? Well, now you do. And I hope you have a happy one.

All over cyberspace, folks are celebrating in all sorts of ways. Wall Street Journal columnist Jeff Yang (no relation) kicked things off with an article that asks if the APA community is one or many (and graphically compares it to Voltron). CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) launched a campaign of YouTube videos with several prominent APA entertainers talking about their career paths.

I’m doing my part by sharing with you my Top Ten Favorite APA characters in comics. They aren’t listed in any specific order, but they all meet these requirements: They’re in comics, they’re of Asian or Pacific Islander descent, they’re American, and they make my heart happy. Continue reading “Top Ten Asian Pacific American Comics Characters”

Hayao Miyazaki Figure by Martin Hsu and Bigshot Toyworks

by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

A 6″ figure tribute to the legendary master animator
Sunday marked the 73rd birthday of legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, the celebrated director behind such classics as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and countless more beloved films. To celebrate the occasion, our artist friend (and huuuuuuge Miyazaki fan) Martin Hsu has teamped up with Bigshot Toyworks to create and produce a limited edition run of six-inch Miya-San figures.

Continue reading “Hayao Miyazaki Figure by Martin Hsu and Bigshot Toyworks”

EXCLUSIVE: Strength in NUMBERS Featuring Matt Cab by Tyler Chin-Tanner

The Strength in NUMBERS train keeps rolling as we unveil the latest “variant” album cover to Chops’ massive Asian American hip-hop movement.

But first, check out this video of some prominent voices in the Asian American community showing their support for Strength in NUMBERS (and see how many Nerds of Color you can spot!)

The latest Strength in NUMBERS album cover features Tokyo-based crooner (by way of San Francisco), MATT CAB illustrated by artist Tyler Chin-Tanner, president and founder of the comic book/graphic novel publishing company, A Wave Blue World.

After the jump, download a high-resolution jpeg of the latest Strength in NUMBERS alternate album cover. Just right-click on the image and save. And remember to DONATE NOW to help make this project a reality!

Continue reading “EXCLUSIVE: Strength in NUMBERS Featuring Matt Cab by Tyler Chin-Tanner”

Zombies! NOC ‘Em Dead with Angry Asian Man

With The Walking Dead breaking ratings records and topping direct market sales charts, what better time to discuss the undead phenomenon on Hard N.O.C. Life? So we wrap up Walker Week with an in-depth look at both The Walking Dead comic and television series and the genre of zombie fiction writ large.

Continue reading “Zombies! NOC ‘Em Dead with Angry Asian Man”

The Yellow Plague: Asian Americans in Zombie and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

I originally wrote this as a guest post for Angry Asian Man back in 2010. I rewrote it recently for Nerds of Color with some updates. I still have chosen to write more about The Walking Dead comic than the television series, primarily to avoid confusion.

Continue reading “The Yellow Plague: Asian Americans in Zombie and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction”