Six Amazing AAPI Comics Authors That We’re Excited About!

It’s AAPI Month and we’ve got some awesome authors and artists working on Comics and Graphic Novels to share with you, plus a few surprises!

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AAPI heritage month

It goes without saying that Asian American and Pacific Islander creators should always be celebrated, no matter the month. However, as it is AAPI Month, we want to celebrate and uplift the amazing creatives working in the comics and graphic novel space.

Here are six creators that make us want to flip the page!

Jeremy Holt

Jeremy Holt is a non-binary author based out of Kingston, New York. Their works have received high praise from industry legend Brian K. Vaughn (Y the Last Man and Saga) as well as the creator of the New York Times crossword puzzle creator David Kwong. His work was featured in the New York Times expose about Kurt Cobain. An original art page from one of his works is in the Houdini Museum in NYC. 

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IMAGE VIA GOODREADS

Here are some of their titles you should check out: 

Gatsby

Made in Korea

Virtually Yours

Skip to the End

Nidhi Chanani

Nidhi Chanani is from Calcutta, India, before moving to Southern California at four months. She has a degree in Literature from the University of Southern California, Santa Cruz. She worked in the non-profit organization sphere before entering the world of comics and graphic novels later on. This started because she set out to draw one illustration a day, which she calls Every Day Love, after not liking the way art school was being taught. This grew into the business and career that she has now.

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IMAGE VIA THEGEEKIARY.COM

She was honored by the Obama Administration as a Champion of Change in 2012. Her debut graphic novel, Pashmina, was a YALSA Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens, Chicago Public Library Best Book, and many other well-deserved accolades.

Here are some great books you should check out:

Jukebox

What will my story be?

Disney Princess: Jasmine’s New Pet

Ram V

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IMAGE VIA GOODREADS

Another writer hailing from India, Ram V, is from Mumbai and is now currently based in London. He graduated from the University of London with a Master of Arts in Creative Writing; his career in comics began not long after that. His work Blue in Green won an Eisner award, and he’s won many other awards during his career as well. 

Check Out His Titles Here:

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr

These Savage Shores

Catwoman Volume 5: Valley of the Shadow of Death

Grafity’s Wall

Erica Henderson

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IMAGE VIA GOODREADS

Erica Henderson is from New York. From a young age, she was immersed in art as her mother worked in the fashion industry and her father was the late author C.J. Henderson. Growing up, she was a big fan of Archie Comics amid other comics and science fiction that her father introduced to her. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and then went on to have a flourishing career in comics. She is a two-time winner of the Eisner Award for her work in comics. 

Some of her titles are: 

DRACULA, MOTHERF**KER

ASSASSIN NATION

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl

Jughead

Marjorie Liu

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IMAGE VIA GOODREADS

Perhaps the most prolific author on this list, Marjorie Liu is a major name in the comics sphere. Born in Philadelphia before moving to Seattle, Liu grew up with a deep love of reading and cites the works of Robert Louis Stevenson and Joseph Campbell as some of her favorites. She majored in East Asian Languages and Cultures with a minor in Biomedical Ethics from Lawrence University before attending law school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Liu cites her love of fanfiction as the reason that her storytelling skills began to improve throughout this time. As an attorney, Liu became disillusioned with that career path and decided to set her sights on becoming an author. Writing both traditional fictions as well as graphic novels and comics, Liu has made a name for herself in this field. She has won multiple Hugo Awards, British Fantasy Awards, and many other accolades. She is the first-ever woman (and woman of color) to win the Eisner Award in the Best Writer Category. To make that even better, she now has five Eisners. 

Check out her work: 

Tiger Eye

Wingbearer

Monstress

Black Widow

Jonathan Luna

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IMAGE VIA GOODREADS

Jonathan Luna was born in California before spending most of his childhood in Iceland and Italy since his family was in the military. An avid artist and writer from a young age, Luna was writing and illustrating comics and knew that was what he wanted to do. He graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Sequential Art. It seems to run in the family as his brother, Joshua, also works in the industry.

Check his stuff out below:

20XX

ETERNAL EMPIRE

STAR BRIGHT AND THE LOOKING GLASS


There are so many amazing AAPI artists working in the comics industry, and this is just a small sampling of the wonderfully talented people creating amazing stories! I myself look forward to diving into this field even deeper than I already am!

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