Erika Chung 鍾嘉穎, PhD

Final page of Superman Smashes the Klan, with Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Lan-Shin Lee running enthusiastically toward the viewer. Lan-Shin’s interior monologue readsL “My name is Lan-Shin Lee. I’m a cub reporter for the Daily Planet. I’ve worked hard to make Metropolis–the city of tomorrow–my home. Just like Superman.”

Whiteness and maleness are often seen as universal, while other identities are “particular” and supposedly less identifiable. Here, Superman’s story is universal for the same reason Lan-Shin’s is: because it resonates with many different experiences of difference. 12/12

Superman gifts Lan-Shin Lee his cape, telling her that she’s the real hero.

Yang & Gurihiru also add emotional depth to the original version by forcefully centering the unique perspectives of the Lee family and drawing historically & culturally informed parallels between Superman’s alien identity and, in particular, Lan-Shin/Roberta Lee’s identity. 4/9

Trade dress cover of “Superman Smashes the Klan” by Gene Luen Yang with art by Gurihiru.

The 2019 series “Superman Smashes the Klan” by Gene Luen Yang with art by Gurihiru is loosely based on a 1946 storyline from the Superman radio show. In both stories, #Superman defends a Chinese immigrant family against the Ku Klux Klan, powerfully rejecting nativist bigotry. 1/9

Trade dress cover of “Superman Smashes the Klan” by Gene Luen Yang with art by Gurihiru.

For our next unit, we’ll be looking at “Superman Smashes the Klan” by Gene Luen Yang with art by Gurihiru, where #Superman defends a Chinese immigrant family against the Ku Klux Klan, powerfully fighting against bigotry. #comicsstudies.

Event of Interest, June 6th: TCAF's Libraries & Education Day | Graphic Medicine GMIC is a proud sponsor of TCAF's Libraries & Education Day, happening June 6th, 2025. Learn more about it and how to register.

The Graphic Medicine International Collective is proud to help sponsor Libraries & Education Day at this year’s Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF).

www.graphicmedicine.org/event-of-int...

My phd defence is a month away. I can’t help but think of how I used to be a special-ed kid for 5 years in grade school. As a kid, my relationship with academics was defined by constantly struggling to catch up. I dreaded school. I know this is all in the past but life’s weird and full of irony

Presenting and attending #comcistudies conferences always sparks the urge to read all the comics people presented on. I just want time to hide and binge read all the comics #csscscebd #css #GlitchingComics

Hellcat and Tigra’s lengthy histories don’t directly impact the main plot of “She-Hulk.” But for attuned readers, bringing these three women together, and seeing them support each other, evokes a rich, if complicated, feminist history—and plenty of feminist potential. 9/9

The 2014 #SheHulk series, penned by Charles Soule w/ pencils by Javier Pulido & Ron Wimberly and covers by Kevin Wada, features a strong cast of female supporting characters. And two characters, Hellcat/Patsy Walker and Tigra/Greer Nelson, have fascinating feminist legacies. 1/9

The cover for issue 1 of The Good Asian

The Good Asian on Shelfdust!

By @riteshwriter.bsky.social @thewritersitb.bsky.social @kellykanayama.bsky.social Paulina Przystupa @armaanofstories.bsky.social @leekassen.bsky.social Madeleine Chan @erikachung182.bsky.social Priya Sridhar and @tonyweiling.bsky.social!! shelfdust.com/tag/the-good...

Themes of passing & prejudice and the pursuit of truth & justice should make superhero comics well-suited to discussing racial politics. However, the frequent use of racial metaphor can be a slippery slope. King & Walta’s “The Vision” miniseries shows why. #TheVision 1/14

Issue #8 of the Good Asian echoes the history of anti-Asian hate and harassment in America. It’s hard not to draw parallels between reality and fiction, or past and present, when they’re in conversation with one another. In May 2023, the WHO declared that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, but the social and political fallout from the pandemic are still being felt and unpacked. The combination of misinformation regarding COVID-19’s origins, uncertainty and confusion around public health guidelines, and tense geopolitics between Western governments and China caused a “perfect storm” that was convenient for (white) society to excuse, or even justify, their racism, hate, and discrimination against Asian people and communities. But more importantly, the Pandemic was a painful reminder of how Anti-Asian hate was lurking beneath the surface.

This week on Shelfdust we were joined by the brilliant @erikachung182.bsky.social, who covered issue 8 of The Good Asian: shelfdust.com/2024/02/28/e...

Into the Archieverse May 10-11, 2024a virtual conference Call for Proposals With their innovative publishing strategies and brand discipline, Archie Comics is one of the most successful and longest-running brands in the c...

DCSCO invites proposals for 15-minute papers, pre-formed panels or roundtables, media objects (such as critical making, comics, video, Twine, or performance), posters or infographics, and pedagogy or other workshops that focus on any aspect of the Archieverse. dcsco-op.org/into-the-arc...

ShortBox Independent publishers of fun and fine contemporary comics. Since 2016. Yorkshire.

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ShortBox finishes its run as a comics publisher tomorrow, go buy some comics with the discount code: GOODBYESB8

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Erika Chung on The Good Asian #8 By Erika Chung “Ba wouldn’t let me tell the police what happened. No one else who was attacked that day talked either. This was just the price  you paid… for starting over in America” - Lucy Fan, Issu...

Erika Chung on The Good Asian #8: shelfdust.com/2024/02/28/e...

I’m reading portrait of a their by Grace D. Li 🙂

Erika Chung on The Good Asian #8 By Erika Chung “Ba wouldn’t let me tell the police what happened. No one else who was attacked that day talked either. This was just the price  you paid… for starting over in America” - Lucy Fan, Issu...

My article on The Good Asian #8 is out on Shelfdust! This was cathartic to write bc the parallels between past and present, especially at the height of the pandemic, were hard for me to ignore.

shelfdust.com/2024/02/28/e...

The cover for issue 8 of The Good Asian

Coming up this Wednesday on Shelfdust: @erikachung182.bsky.social writes about issue 8 of The Good Asian!

I can’t stop thinking about this Instagram comment I saw: “the big sad is capitalism”. My brain goes to that thought whenever I’m like “why am I suddenly sad?”

Crochet touque made of multi colour yarn. Colours in the yarn include yellow, red, blue, grey and turquoise

Crochet touque made of multicolour yarn worn by Erika (account user), who has long hair dyed with faded blue-green hair at the ends and is Chinese-Canadian wearing round turtle shell framed glasses

First crochet touque complete ✌️ Next time, I think I’ll make longer so it can cover my ears too.

Check out my essay on the Mighty Thor over on Shelfdust! It was such a joy to reread the series and get my thoughts down. Thanks to @stevewmorris.bsky.social for the feedback and guidance on this essay ✌️

Developing the theoretical framework/lit review for this chapter still feels like pulling teeth but I like how I'm getting more comfortable linking sources together and forming my own thoughts. But for some reason, I still haven't written a full page so...always one foot forward and two steps back

I really appreciate it, especially when it’s end of term.

I just got an email from a student I worked with at the writing centre sharing they did really well on their final paper 🥹 Most of the time, I don’t know what happens after appts. Sometimes regulars will share but this is my first “thank you” email and it was really kind of them to share

I don’t even label my documents with “final” anymore…it’s just a list of the same doc with different dates labelled lol whatever is the most recent is the final version 😅

New essay out! This time on Shelfdust. It was a lot of fun re-reading the Mighty Thor series and revisit Jane Foster. Got to really appreciate the full scope of the story. Thank you to @stevewmorris.bsky.social for the feedback on this piece ✌️

Image of two light grey-blue crocheted granny squares

Update on crochet progress: made my first two granny squares. I’m thinking I’ll make like a mini blanket for my cat once I make more. It’ll be my first attempt at connecting granny square together. My goal is to get to making one of those sunflower squares so I can make a cardigan 😄

Returned from a weekend trip out of town for a friend’s wedding. Made it home yesterday late afternoon. I’m sad to say 48 hours away from the computer did not make writing easier. But at least I got to see my friend on her special day 🥹

Star Wars Lofi Star Wars Lofi · Playlist · 67 songs · 21.1K likes

Really want this chapter drafted by end of next week. Current dissertation lofi playlist is Star Wars themed: open.spotify.com/playlist/6sb...

Graphic Medicine is seeking new folks to join our board! We are a very hands-on, do-the-thing kind of board and that includes everything from the graphic medicine website to the conference to special initiatives like the Frontline Workers Comics project.