Fil-Am author turns Batman into an Asian American teen
Melissa de la Cruz reimagines Batman as an Asian American teenager. CONTRIBUTED
LOS ANGELES — Filipino American author Melissa de la Cruz has transformed Batman into a teenager.
The prolific Young Adult (YA) novel genre writer De La Cruz has just completed work on the graphic novel Gotham High.
She reinterprets the Caped Crusader as a Chinese American in a love triangle with schoolmates Latin American Selina Kyle, who is catty but secretive, and Jack Napier, the class clown.
Illustrated by Thomas Pitilli and published by DC Comics, Gotham High sees Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham City after being kicked out of his boarding school in Hong Kong. He’d been sent there by his Uncle Alfred, who is gay, after his parents died.
Gotham High by Filipino American Melissa de la Cruz. CONTRIBUTED
Wayne has to deal with high school politics and dodges an attempted kidnapping that he suspects Catwoman and the Joker might be involved in.
With her work, De la Cruz enriches the Dark Knight canon, which is now 80 years old and encompasses comics, books, live and animated television shows for children and adults, and movies. Batman was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger in 1939.
Spin
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, De la Cruz said she that finds the Batman character fun and iconic.
She wanted to put her own spin on it by playing on the idea of “a kind of Gossip Girl Batman,” referring to the book series about high school students that was later adapted into a television show in the late 2000s (and of which a sequel show is in the works).
To create this version of an Asian American Batman, she drew from her own experiences, such as being part Chinese and having a sibling living in Hong Kong.
She described her adaptations as making the Batman world “feel real” but at the same time, giving it a “fabulous ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ sheen.”
She promises readers a surprise at the end of the love triangle plot.
Previous
Based in Los Angeles, De La Cruz has written more than 60 books.
De La Cruz just released her novel The Queen’s Assassin in February.
She has written the Beach Lane series (originally the Au Pairs series; about three young women working as nannies by day and party at night in the Hamptons), the Blue Bloods series (vampire fantasy), the Beauchamp Family series (witch fantasty), and the Isle of the Lost series (novelization of the Disney Channel movie “The Descendants”).
Inspired by the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical “Hamilton,” she wrote a YA historical fiction romance trilogy featuring Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler.
Her most recent book for adults is The Birthday Girl, published last year.
Recent
De La Cruz just released her novel Queen’s Assassin in February, which is meant to be the first book in the Queen’s Secret series, a sweeping YA fantasy romance.
In the book, Shadow has been training to become an assassin, even though her mother expects her to serve as a lady of the court. A surprise attack forces her to team up with Caledon, the kingdom’s deadliest weapon. In the midst of a possible war, they begin to develop feelings for each other as they uncover a shocking web of lies that will change their paths forever.
Upcoming
Her next book, cowritten with Margaret Stohl, is a reimagining of two characters from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.
In Jo and Laurie, Josephine “Jo” March finds success as her first published book becomes a bestseller, with fans demanding a sequel. Despite her growing feelings for Theodore “Laurie” Laurence, Jo’s desire to remain independent leads her to decline his marriage proposal, sending him off to college heartbroken. When he returns with a sophisticated new girlfriend, will Jo finally reveal her heart’s true desire or lose the love of her life forever?
Gotham High goes on sale starting April 1.
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