Green Turtle (comics)
The Green Turtle is a fictional character, a superhero published by Rural Home Publications. He first appeared in Blazing Comics (1944), and was created by Chinese-American cartoonist Chu F. Hing.[2]
| Green Turtle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Rural Home Publications |
| First appearance | Blazing Comics #1 (1944) |
| Created by | Chu F. Hing[1] |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Hank Chu |
| Partnerships | Burma Boy |
| Abilities | None |
Character history
The Green Turtle aided the Chinese in guerrilla warfare against the Japanese invaders in World War II. He wore a green cowl and a cloak with a turtle-shell design.[3] Most origin stories around the comic say that Hing initially wanted to make him an overtly Chinese hero, but his publisher would not allow this, believing there would not be a sufficient market for an Asian superhero, so Hing never drew the character without his mask. He had a sidekick, Burma Boy, a young beggar whom the Green Turtle rescued from execution by the Japanese army.[4] He also had a manservant, Wun Too.[2]
The Green Turtle's secret identity was never revealed, and readers never saw the character's face without a mask.[5]
Powers and abilities
The Green Turtle as originally written has no special powers but is a skilled fighter and flies a high-tech Turtle Plane.[6] He wears a large, flowing cape with a green turtle emblem, and is occasionally depicted with a huge, shadowy, black turtle silhouette rearing behind him, though the significance of this is never established in the original series.
Reboot
In 2014, Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew created a six-issue miniseries The Shadow Hero to revive the Green Turtle, with a retcon explaining the turtle silhouette as a spirit who keeps the Green Turtle from getting shot. A trade paperback collecting all six issues was published by First Second Books in 2014.[7]
References
- Chu is the family name: see Gene Luen Yang, A Mistake in The Shadow Hero, Diversity in YA (2015)
- Mitchell, Kurt; Thomas, Roy (2019). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 245. ISBN 978-1605490892.
- Yoe, Craig (2016). Super Weird Heroes:Outrageous But Real!. Yoe Books/IDW. p. 154. ISBN 978-1631407451.
- Nevins, Jess (2013). Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes. High Rock Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-61318-023-5.
- Benton, Mike (1992). Superhero Comics of the Golden Age: The Illustrated History. Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company. p. 153. ISBN 0-87833-808-X. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- Nevins, Jess (2013). Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes. High Rock Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-1-61318-023-5.
- Yu, Phil (2014-02-20). "The Heroic Return of the Green Turtle". Retrieved 2014-03-14.