An upcoming The Walking Dead comics cover is celebrating AAPI heritage month and it isn’t the only one. Multiple covers for titles from Image Comics will be part of this celebration which hopes to benefit the Asian American and Pacific Islanders communities. The company is seeking to match its words of support for the AAPI community with real action.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islanders heritage month. Heritage months like this are intended to celebrate the achievements, history, and cultural identity of respective communities. The rise in harassment of the AAPI community over the past year has also created an increase in need for action. Image Comics is trying to rise to the challenge of combatting this harassment by celebrating the contributions that AAPI artists and writers make to the comics industry.
Image Comics has partnered with Skybound Entertainment—a media company owned by renowned comic creator Robert Kirkman—to release variant covers to raise money for the AAPI community. The variant covers are stated to all be drawn by AAPI creators. According to the press release, all proceeds from the sales of these particular variants will be donated to Chinatown Community for Equitable Development (CCED). CCED is a volunteer organization focused on “grassroots power” that is based in Los Angeles, California. Skybound Entertainment has its headquarters in Los Angeles, CA.
So far, the only cover that has been revealed is Walking Dead Deluxe #14. Other titles included in this effort are Fire Power by Kirkman & Samnee #11, Birthright #49, Stillwater #7, Ultramega #3, The Walking Dead Deluxe #15, Excellence #11, and Manifest Destiny #43. Artists have been announced for most of the titles, but not all. Ultramega and Manifest Destiny still have yet to announce who will be creating their variant covers. Solicit information for these titles is as follows:
- FIRE POWER BY KIRKMAN & SAMNEE #11 CVR B HENDERSON AAPI VAR (FOC 4/12, ON-SALE 5/5) by Erica Henderson – Diamond Code FEB219190
- WALKING DEAD DLX #14 CVR D YOUNG AAPI VAR (MR) (FOC 4/12, ON-SALE 5/5) by Ethan Young – Diamond Code FEB219192
- BIRTHRIGHT #49 CVR B Su AAPI VAR (FOC 4/19, ON-SALE 5/12) by EJ Su
- STILLWATER #7 CVR B Lee AAPI VAR (FOC 4/26, ON-SALE 5/19) by Soo Lee
- ULTRAMEGA #3 CVR E TBA AAPI VAR (FOC 4/26, ON-SALE 5/19) by TBA
- THE WALKING DEAD DELUXE #15 CVR C YOUNG AAPI VAR (FOC 4/26, ON-SALE 5/19) by Cynthia Young
- EXCELLENCE #11 CVR B Ha AAPI VAR (FOC 5/3, ON-SALE 5/26) by Robin Ha
- MANIFEST DESTINY #43 CVR B AAPI VAR (FOC 5/3, ON-SALE 5/26) by TBA
The revealed cover of The Walking Dead Deluxe #14 is illustrated by Ethan Young. It features Glenn Rhee, a fan-favorite character from the series. When it came to the television series, Glenn was a beloved character that many fans miss, so choosing him as the focus and the first revealed cover is a good move by Skybound and Image Comics. Hopefully the other covers will be as impactful and impressive as this one for The Walking Dead. The efforts that comic companies are putting towards celebrating communities and implementing diverse creators at the forefront of storytelling and art creation is one that is very appreciated—and one that should definitely continue.
