The shadow hero tells the story of a nonstandard superhero in a nonstandard way. It is, in many ways, a love letter to the golden age of comic books, in the 1930s and 1940s. however, it also comments on several elements of this genre, and the society and times in which it flourished.
In the first place, the book comments on the lack of superheroes belonging to ethnic minorities, specifically Asian ones. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there were no Asian superheroes early on in the genre. Though I don’t read comic books very often, I do know that this shortage has survived to our times, at least within Marvel’s hugely successful cinematic universe. though there is one quasi hero character, Tadanobu Asano’s Hogun, he is definitely a bit player, with almost no screen time. In any case, The Shadow hero comments on this issue by presenting the reimagined backstory to a very minor character who may or may not have been the world’s first Asian super hero. In the book, he often experiences prejudice, including surprise that there could even be such a thing. Even sympathetic characters such as Detective Lawful express racist attitudes. Green Turtle seems very far from the more traditionally Anglo Anchor of Justice. However, the author brilliantly points out the duality there as well. The Anchor is a clear stand in for arguably the most American superhero of all time, Superman, who, lest we forget, is an alien. However, since he appears to be a white human, he is considered as such. The Anchor, on the other hand, reveals himself to be a rather frightening looking alien in a human suit. This implies that, without his mask, he would not be generally accepted either.
There are several other variations on the superhero myth on display in this book. One example is the self involvement of Hank’s mother in his superhero career. Many superhero origin stories involve parents, but they usually don’t take active part. The hero usually takes up the mantel him or herself. However, Hank’s mother drives her son’s training, and even attempts to give him superpowers through dangerous processes similar to those of traditional heroes. She wants this life for her son because she feels it will give him a leg up in America, not because she particularly cares about justice.
