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For this edition of Popverse Picks, I wasn't interested in pulling together a group of books about AAPI experiences that didn't push the envelope on what we consider an 'AAPI experience.' That is, as cool as it is for me to see my community get the chance to be considered 'normal' enough for ordinary Hollywood fare, I've been itching to find stories that felt more like me - a little weird. This weirdness stemming not from a white American gaze (H.P. Lovecraft would have soiled himself if he saw me on the street), but from the pressures to adhere to a specific 'model' of Asian American/Pacific Islander. Don't get me wrong, I love Shang-Chi, but I'm not that guy. I'm queer and disabled, so even within my own community I feel like I standing somewhere on the margins.

Luckily for me and the rest of us, there are great stories about AAPI characters who don't fit neatly into a tidy image of 'being AAPI.'

Every Drop is a Man's Nightmare by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto

If you're American, chances are you've been sold a very specific narrative about Hawai'i, one that leaves out the rich history and culture of Native Hawaiians, also known as Kānaka Maoli, and the effects of settler colonialism on the islands. The short story collection, Every Drop is a Man's Nightmare, offers a glimpse into the Hawai'i you won't see in a tourist brochure. In fact, the stories in Every Drop is a Man's Nightmare aren't written with a white Western gaze at all, but from the perspectives of women with mixed Kānaka Maoli and Japanese descent. Writer Megan Kamalei Kakimoto beautifully captures her characters' blended cultural heritage while resisting a romanticized image of Hawai'i today. These are stories where women find power in the darkest corners of their bodies and minds. They're not here to be picture perfect, but nightmares in the minds of men. Megan Kamalei Kakimoto's prose is masterful and deserves to be on your radar for literature's next superstar. 

The Swamp Thing by Ram V, Mike Perkins, and Mike Spicer

Writer Ram V may not be American, but the character he co-created with Mike Spicer, Levi Kamei, is. Levi is one of the Swamp Things in the DC Universe, but he's got the ability to shift in and out of his greener form. After immigrating to the United States from India, Levi left behind an unresolved conflict with his father that pulls on him like a tether. With Levi, Ram V reimagines Swamp Thing as a metaphor for immigration and cultural hybridity. Levi's monstrous Swamp Thing form sometimes acts as an externalization of his own shame for leaving his father, while other times it represents the strength of his cultural roots wherever he goes. This multifaceted take on the character and on "monstrosity" itself makes the themes of The Swamp Thing very relatable and personal. Plus, Perkins and Spicer's artwork is phenomenal. 

Dead Boy Detectives by Pornsak Pichetshote, Jeff Stokely, and Miquel Muerto

You may know the Dead Boy Detectives from their short-lived Netflix series, but they had a great little miniseries from 2022 and 2023 from Pornsak Pichetshote, Jeff Stokely, and Miquel Muerto that takes us into the Thai American community of Los Angeles. Our detectives, Edwin and Charles, team up with a group of Thai American kids who happen to also be ghosts. But these kids aren't your average, run-of-the-mill, shivering Victorian child ghost. Instead, they can transform into specific ghosts from Thai culture, adding a level of cultural specificity to the world of Dead Boy Detectives. This one is for all of my fellow Asian American goths. 

Carmilla: The First Vampire by Amy Chu and Soo Lee

If you haven't read the Carmilla graphic novel series from Dark Horse, then you are missing out. Writer Amy Chu and artist Soo Lee reimagine Carmilla, literature's most iconic lesbian vampire, within the world of 1990s New York City - Manhattan's Chinatown, to be exact. The story follows a Chinese American queer woman named Athena who works as a social worker. One day, Athena discovers that several homeless queer women in her community have wound up dead. At the same time, she is pulled into the life of a mysterious woman named Violet. Chu and Lee's story is a beautiful ode to the culture and community of Manhattan Chinatown, and features some kickass fight scenes. You haven't seen a vampire story like this yet. 

Interested? Here's where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet, and here's a guide to how (and where) to read comics online. If you're looking for the best comics in recent memory, check out the Eisner Awards winners and the Harvey Awards nominees. And if you like free comics, here's everything we know about Free Comic Book Day 2027.