SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Comic-Con, one of the largest annual comics and pop culture gatherings in the world, wrapped up this past weekend in California, with Asian American writers, artists and creators playing an increasingly prominent role at the event.
Gene Luen Yang, author and graphic novelist, noted "The landscape of Asian American storytelling has really shifted." Yang's popularity has skyrocketed. His graphic novel "American Born Chinese" has been adapted into a Disney+ series this year.

"Because I deal with very sensitive topics - and I do them in a very visual way. I was worried about how some of that was going to translate on the screen specifically. I have this one character who is the embodiment all these negative stereotypes that I grew up with. We swing the camera around, so you see the impact on it has on the actor who plays him. The whole thing I think turned out amazing,” said Yang.

Yang has a new graphic novel coming out next year -- Lunar New Year Love Story -- a romantic comedy about two Asian American Lion Dancers, who fall in love during the overlapping holidays of Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day.

"What we are seeing now is people who are non-Asians, we get to see they also are able to sympathize and empathize with Asian and Asian American characters," said Yang.

Comic-Con also awarded a special achievement award to letterer Janice Chiang, responsible for the text on the page for some of the industry's most iconic comic books.

"I decided to use a special technique my father showed me with brush calligraphy. So, you hold your brush up and touch the paper and drag. I did that with my speed ballpoint, so I ended up with a serif which makes my hand lettering so distinct," she said.
Looking at Asian stories and modernizing them for global audiences is the focus of Immortal Studios.

"It's almost as if the rest of the Western World woke up one day and discovered that there are actually Asians on this planet. And that somehow their stories and lives should be reflected on screens big and small," said Payhuan Shiao, Founder and CEO of Immortal Studios.
Shiao's father is the legendary WuXia or martial arts fantasy writer Shiao Yi. His stories are the foundation for Immortal's English-language comic books, which also has a film project in the works - Assassin G.

"I believe that the Wuxia genre as we are currently interpreting it, is actually on its way to takeover, where things have left off from Marvel and DC. That's really what Immortal is here to do. There's a big, big vision behind it, that heroes will be coming from decisions and from training and spirit as opposed to maybe radioactive spiders. That's what we are really excited about," said Shiao.

For Shiao, it's also about delivering on a promise to his father to expand and deepen the Wuxia experience for audiences around the world.