Before Shang-Chi: Asian Heroes from the Golden Age of Comic Books

Comic books have always had Asian characters, but few are memorable, and most that are memorable are memorable for the wrong reasons. I’ll focus on the heroes who are most important and a few who deserve more attention.

• Wing, the Crimson Avenger’s assistant

The history of Asian comic book heroes begins with a radio show, The Green Hornet. Its title character was a white newspaper publisher who put on a mask to fight crime with his Asian valet and chauffeur, Kato. Since the first principle of…