Marvel comic first to star Latina hero
A new spider is spinning her web in the world of Marvel comics.
The publishing giant has released a new character, a revisioning of the Spider-Man legend in which the central figure isn’t mild-mannered Peter Parker from Queens but feisty Anya Corazon from Brooklyn.
The half-Puerto Rican, half-Mexican teen is a groundbreaker: Marvel’s first Latina superhero to have her own comic.
“Amazing Fantasy” was released last month, coinciding with the “Spider-Man 2.”
Joe Quesada, editor in chief at Marvel, said the impetus to make her half-Mexican came from a recent visit he made to Mexico City, where he was astonished at the level of adoration for the original Spider-Man.
Anya’s ethnic mix also happens to resonate in her home city of New York, where Puerto Ricans make up the largest Latino ethnic group and Mexicans make up one of the fastest-growing groups.
It’s a way for Marvel to reach out to new, growing groups of comics readers.
“We wanted her to be something that reflected ... our readers,” Quesada said.
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