We’re turning another corner in seeing greater diversity in comics and representation among graphic novel writers, artists, and characters. There are several mainstream comic titles featuring Asian Americans in lead roles, including Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel, Cassandra Cain / Batgirl, Amadeus Cho / Hulk, Cindy Moon / Silk, the Heroine Complex books, the Big Hero 6 graphic novel, film and TV show, and the upcoming Tai / Green Lantern Legacy series. 

Tweens and teens who want to read graphic novels written by Asian American authors, and featuring Asian American protagonists with more relatable, down-to-earth experiences, can check out these six recommended titles. Think less about superhero powers and more about transformative tales filled with teen angst, family drama and, in some cases, a dash of magic realism or the supernatural, for good measure.

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

Priyanka Das may seem like an ordinary comics-loving teen from Orange County, California, but her family history is shrouded in mystery. Priyanka has never met her father, and her overprotective mother, Nimisha, refuses to talk about their relatives or have anything to do with her prior life in Rajasthan, India.

Priyanka yearns to learn more about her ancestral home—a place she’s never been. The teen seems to gets her wish when she finds and wears a magical pashmina shawl. Suddenly, Priyanka is whisked away to a colorful wonderland, touring palaces and jungles, and eating new foods with mystical guides.

But looks can be deceiving and Pashmina grows into a more complex story about how girls and women make difficult life choices when faced with oppression.    
 

 American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

American Born Chinese is a trio of stories about lonely, self-loathing misfits trying to fit in. The first story follows the Monkey King as he schemes and performs magical feats to earn the respect of all the other Chinese gods, goddesses, and immortals.

The second story follows Jin Wang as he struggles to be accepted as one of a handful of Asian American students at his new, suburban mostly-white middle school.

The third story follows blond-haired, blue-eyed Danny as he desperately avoids his embarrassing cousin and new high school classmate, Chin-Kee, the ultimate personification of a yellow-faced Asian caricature: a troublesome know-it-all complete with thick glasses, slurred speech, buck teeth, and a Mandarin hat.

The protagonists make plenty of mistakes in their quests to belong and their actions lead to unexpected twists. 
 

Tina’s Mouth: An Existential  Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap, illustrated by Mari Akari

Tina Malhotra's social life is a mess. Former best friend Alex ditches Tina to hang out with a new boyfriend, Eric, and the more popular Claudia. Tina doesn't easily fit into any other Yarborough Academy cliques and struggles to make new friends. Worst of all, even though Tina won the lead role in her high school's production of Rashomon, she's horrified that her first kiss might end up being with her "revolting" co-star, Ted, rather than her "charming" skateboarder crush, Neil.

What's a girl to do but turn to a spiritual guide for some advice? In this case, Tina gains solace through journaling for her English honors class and finds a kindred spirit in an unlikely person: the French existential philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre.

Tina's school-required diary poignantly captures the highs and lows of being a teen. Readers will be enchanted by, and empathize with, Tina's wry observations on life, her classmates, teachers, and her anxious, intellectual family, as Tina writes her way to self-discovery.
 

Good as Lily by Derek Dirk Kim, illustrated by Jesse Helm

High school senior Grace Kwon seems to have it all. She’s a track star who's snagged the lead role in the school play and she got accepted into Stanford University. The only problem standing in her way is… herself.

After a freak accident on her 18^th birthday, Grace discovers and is forced to take care of three alternative versions of herself: a bratty six-year-old child, a lovelorn 29-year-old woman, and a chain-smoking, wisecracking 70-year-old granny. Hiding the alternate Graces is a tricky task, and chaos ensues when funding for the school play is cut.

Can teenage Grace save the show and take control of her other selves before they sabotage her present life or change her future?
 

Level Up by Gene Luen Yang, illustrations by Thien Pham

Dennis Ouyang’s parents have the teen’s future all planned out for him: go to college, go to medical school, become a doctor. Dennis has other ideas, but his life gets thrown into turmoil when his father dies of liver cancer just before high school graduation.

First, Dennis' college grades start slipping. Then, his video game addiction becomes stronger, going over the edge when Dennis encounters four guardian angels, who slowly but surely start to take over. As they do, it becomes harder and harder for Dennis to make the choice between embracing the real world or the digital world.

 

Vietnamerica: A Family’s Journey by G.B. Tran

G.B. initially didn’t care to explore his family tree, or his family's cultural traditions and history, while growing up in South Carolina and Arizona. Vietnam was just some far-away country to G.B., and he passed on his first chance to visit during high school.

As an adult, G.B. eventually comes to regret his decision and, when his last two grandparents die, the aspiring cartoonist goes on a pilgrimage with his parents and siblings back to the old country to pay their respects. Through this trip and family interviews, G.B. finally sees the people and places his parents left behind during the Indochina and Vietnam Wars, and gains a better appreciation and understanding of the hardships and sacrifices his family endured to survive in war-torn Vietnam, and during their harrowing escape and new lives as refugees in America.    

This memoir is a must-read for those who enjoyed The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui, another graphic memoir that covers a similar intergenerational tale of family survival during the Vietnam War and subsequent experiences in America.