The Incredible Hercules (comic) in which one of the two main characters, Amadeus Cho, is Korean American. Oh, snarky, brilliant, loyal arrogant teenage Amadeus Cho, who deserves way more fic and way more press. He challenged actual Olympian and Asgardian gods for the life of a friend. Yeah, I'm going to be requesting fic about him.
Yes, this comic is written by Greg Pak who, like Amadeus Cho, is Korean American, so you won't be getting well-meaning stereotypeville here. He is not neutered (he has an AWESOME smart, hot, ruthless supernatural girlfriend Delphyne Gorgon), he does not know kung-fu (he uses his powers to out think people and to hit stuff with other stuff), and is not a good little boy.
Eric Flint - The Trail of Glory series So much potential for fic. This two book series in which the first book and a half are free online is a What If alternate universe in which the Cherokee figure out the Trail of Tears is on the horizon before it happens, start their own actual country in Arkansas, end slavery in their own territory, and end up with a surprisingly prosperous society that's half Native American, half former slave, and willing to tell slaveowners and the USA to go screw themselves.
Sadly, the actual books waste approximately half their page count and "screentime" on white people, but whatever. The cool AU exploration possibilities are super cool and the major characters of color (there are many) are uniformly amazing. I so want fic for this and not for the white dudes.
Showdown in Little Tokyo manages to be both a hilariously dumb and slashy 90's movie and say some surprisingly smart and funny things about Asian stereotypes and well-meaning American Asian-fetishism. Mostly through BRANDON LEE! (Um. And his character, obviously.)
The heroes of the movie are Johnny Murata (Brandon Lee) and Chris Kenner (Dolph Lundgren), two cops assigned to the Little Tokyo neighborhood because their bosses think they're well suited to it. Murata is a mixed-race Japanese American guy from The Valley who speaks almost zero Japanese, does not blend at all, and is completely un-thrilled that he got tossed in this unit just because he looks Asian. He's also smart, snarky, self-aware and a good cop. Kenner is a hilariously white well-meaning Asian fetishist who grew up in Japan, speaks the language, and whose fanboy-heaven fake samurai cliche wardrobe and house make for hilarious sight gags, and deeply amuses Murata.
Are the villains sort of problematic Asian gangster stereotypes? Well, yes, but this is a dumb early 90's action movie that doesn't take itself seriously. The civilians, the love interest and one of the heroes are also of Asian descent and not, so make of that what you will. Your mileage may vary, but the fact that Murata is so awesome and the fact that the movie was self-aware on this front, thinking about it in depth, and cracking jokes about it makes it actually rare even today, and a lot of fun.
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Yes, this comic is written by Greg Pak who, like Amadeus Cho, is Korean American, so you won't be getting well-meaning stereotypeville here. He is not neutered (he has an AWESOME smart, hot, ruthless supernatural girlfriend Delphyne Gorgon), he does not know kung-fu (he uses his powers to out think people and to hit stuff with other stuff), and is not a good little boy.
Eric Flint - The Trail of Glory series So much potential for fic. This two book series in which the first book and a half are free online is a What If alternate universe in which the Cherokee figure out the Trail of Tears is on the horizon before it happens, start their own actual country in Arkansas, end slavery in their own territory, and end up with a surprisingly prosperous society that's half Native American, half former slave, and willing to tell slaveowners and the USA to go screw themselves.
Sadly, the actual books waste approximately half their page count and "screentime" on white people, but whatever. The cool AU exploration possibilities are super cool and the major characters of color (there are many) are uniformly amazing. I so want fic for this and not for the white dudes.
Showdown in Little Tokyo manages to be both a hilariously dumb and slashy 90's movie and say some surprisingly smart and funny things about Asian stereotypes and well-meaning American Asian-fetishism. Mostly through BRANDON LEE! (Um. And his character, obviously.)
The heroes of the movie are Johnny Murata (Brandon Lee) and Chris Kenner (Dolph Lundgren), two cops assigned to the Little Tokyo neighborhood because their bosses think they're well suited to it. Murata is a mixed-race Japanese American guy from The Valley who speaks almost zero Japanese, does not blend at all, and is completely un-thrilled that he got tossed in this unit just because he looks Asian. He's also smart, snarky, self-aware and a good cop. Kenner is a hilariously white well-meaning Asian fetishist who grew up in Japan, speaks the language, and whose fanboy-heaven fake samurai cliche wardrobe and house make for hilarious sight gags, and deeply amuses Murata.
Are the villains sort of problematic Asian gangster stereotypes? Well, yes, but this is a dumb early 90's action movie that doesn't take itself seriously. The civilians, the love interest and one of the heroes are also of Asian descent and not, so make of that what you will. Your mileage may vary, but the fact that Murata is so awesome and the fact that the movie was self-aware on this front, thinking about it in depth, and cracking jokes about it makes it actually rare even today, and a lot of fun.