SINGAPORE — As superhero names go, the Green Turtle may not have that action-packed ring to it; but the graphic novel titled The Shadow Hero, featuring the said character, has been flying high on the New York Times bestsellers list for the past few weeks.

Brought to life by writer Gene Yang and graphic artist Sonny Liew, it’s an origins story about the first Asian-American hero back in the 1940s.

“We still tend to see mostly Caucasian faces in (superhero) leading roles in all media. It’s something that has become so institutionalised and internalised that there’s a danger we just accept them as inevitable fact,” said Liew.

The artist has been keeping very busy. The third volume of the South-east Asian comics anthology, Liquid City, which he edits is also out in stores, and he has two graphic novels - Georgette Chen: Warm Nights, Deathless Days and The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye - set to come out later this year.

“Both tell the lives and times of pioneer Singaporean artists, one a painter and the other a comics artists. I’m really excited about them as it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to work on longer narratives that tell Singaporean stories,” he said.

As for his unusually named superhero, which among the current crop of famous characters does he think would make for a great cross-over team-up with The Green Turtle? “I think he might have some excellent adventures with either someone super-serious like Batman or a wisecracker like Spider-Man.”

RANTS

Clickbait: Those social media headlines that promise you the most amazing, incredible, fantastic and wonderful things ever — it just adds so much unnecessary noise and hyperbole to an already oversaturated world. It’s like having PT Barnum constantly shouting in your face. It’ll drive us all mad.

Humans 7 billion, western black rhinocerous 0: All the animal and plant species dying out from habitat or environmental destruction is heartbreaking. The human hunger for endless change and growth has been amazing to witness, but when it’s done in an unsustainable way — that’s a sort of arrogance and ignorance that’s hard to forgive.

The Straits Times comics section: Maybe it’s just the changing nature of the way we read the news, and the ways newspapers need to reconfigure their priorities to survive and stay relevant. But it was still sad to see the comics section reduced to just a handful of strips. When I was growing up, the first thing I’d turn to was the comics ... so much fun and adventure squeezed into a few panels.

RAVES

The Edge Of Tomorrow: I’ve never been enamoured by Tom Cruise, but this sci-fi movie is still the best summer blockbuster I’ve seen this year, leaving the likes of Godzilla, Guardians Of The Galaxy and Planet Of The Apes in its trail.

Adventure Time: Only just started watching this series from Cartoon Network, but it’s just a brilliant mix of all sorts of things. I haven’t enjoyed a cartoon so much since the days of coming home from primary school to catch the latest Transformers or Mask episode on TV, or maybe the early the Simpsons.

Bookstores: Every shopping mall ought to have one. We can always do with one less clothing or shoe outlet and one more bookstore. They’re my favourite places to go to, and I hope they survive everything the digital age throws at them. MAYO MARTIN

The Shadow Hero is out in bookstores or on Amazon.