Star NBA point guard Jeremy Lin will make a special appearance in December’s issue of Marvel’s “Totally Awesome Hulk,” which features Amadeus Cho as the new fist-smashing hero.
Lin, who rose to stardom in 2012 after a month-long stretch of stellar play for the New York Knicks dubbed “Linsanity” – inspired Greg Pak, the comic’s creator, so much that he had to have him in his comic, according to Slam Online.
“I was here in New York when Linsanity happened and it never stopped for me,” Pak told AM New York. “I followed him everywhere. I just love the guy. And at a certain point, I just found myself thinking, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if the biggest Asian American superhero met the biggest Asian American sports star?’”
Lin, a 28-year-old of Taiwanese descent, went on to play for the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets before signing a deal in the 2016 offseason with the Brooklyn Nets. He said he’s happy that Marvel is making an effort to diversify its cast of superheroes.
“They had me with Hulk’s hair. We’re kindred spirits,” Lin said. “It is an honor and a cool opportunity to become part of the Amadeus Cho ‘Totally Awesome Hulk’ storyline. Additionally, I think it’s great that Marvel is making real efforts to add diversity to its superheroes and their origin stories.”
Cho first made his debut as a minor character in 2005 in “Amazing Fantasy.” Years later, Pak and artist Takeshi Miyazawa brought him back as a major character in the “World War Hulk” storyline, and then as one of the primary characters in “The Incredible Hercules.”
In 2015, Pak teamed up with Frank Cho, another artist, to launch “Totally Awesome Hulk,” a standalone series starring Amadeus’ version of The Hulk.
