I know what you are thinking about comics and superheroes – it's all just white dudes, right?
Nope!
Surely we’ve all seen Black Panther, right?
And Wonder Woman, I hope?
I mean, we've always had an amazing array of superheroes to choose from: there’s African & African American superheroes, Asian American Superheroes, and even… Latinx Superheroes? Yes, actually there are a TON of Latinx Superheroes! Thanks, Wikipedia for this super exhaustive list!
Sadly, many of our favorite Latinx superheroes never got their own books so they’re strategically placed background players in the adventures of The X-Men, The Avengers, Batman, etc... Or they are in indie comics that never got a trade paperback. But, fear not!—Latinx Superheroes are starting to get their own trade paperbacks, which means I can buy them for the library and we can all enjoy them together!
Here are some of my favorite superpower wielding Latinx Superheroes:
She was a Young Avenger. She leads the Ultimates. And now she officially claims her place as the preeminent butt-kicker of the entire Marvel Universe! But what's a super-powered teenager to do when she's looking for a little personal fulfillment? She goes to college! America just has to stop an interdimensional monster or two first, then shut down a pesky alien cult that's begun worshipping her exploits, before work can begin. Then she can get on with her first assignment: a field trip to the front lines of World War II—with Captain America as her wingman!
Bonded to the Blue Beetle Scarab, teenager Jamie Reyes has no idea what he's doing with one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. But he's in luck, because his predecessor—Ted Kord—is back in the DC Universe and here to serve as the young hero's mentor! Alongside fellow teen hero Doctor Fate, this duo will have to learn how to be heroes on the fly!
Afro-Latinx Miles Morales is hitting the big time! Not only is he joining the Marvel Universe, but he's also a card-carrying Avenger, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America!
La Borinquęa is an original character and patriotic symbol presented in a classic superhero story. Her powers are drawn from history and mysticism found on the island of Puerto Rico. The fictional character, Marisol Rios De La Luz, is a Columbia University Earth and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate student living with her parents in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She takes a semester of study abroad in collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico. There she explores the caves of Puerto Rico and finds five similar sized crystals. Atabex, the Taino mother goddess, appears before Marisol once the crystals are united and summons her sons Y͠cahu, spirt of the seas and mountains and Juracan, spirit of the hurricanes. They give Marisol superhuman strength, the power of flight, and control of the storms.
In the "Normal people who just happen to have a really cool and unusual superpower but aren’t necessarily affiliated with a crime-fighting team" department, I’m very into Jonesy and Lupe. They're just normal teens who rise to challenges in very colorful ways!
Quince follows a year in the life of Lupe, a 15-year-old girl who discovers that her quinceañera brings with it a super cool party... and superpowers. Her "quince powers" only last as long as she's fifteen, so over the course of this rollercoaster year, we follow the adventures of Lupe as she figures out what it really means to be a hero.
Jonesy's a typical disaffected teenager makin' zines nobody reads, posting pictures of her favorite pop groups on her blog, and watching anime on the weekends. But Jonesy has a secret... she can make anybody fall in love with anyone—or anything—she wants! But there's one catch—Jonesy's powers don't work on herself, and she's gonna find out the hard way that shooting Cupid's arrow ain't all it's cracked up to be.
If you are looking for more titles, check out this list of all the books we have starring Latinx Superheroes!
Did I miss anyone amazing? Let me know in the comments!
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