by JAMES S. KIM
A Korean superhero will be featured in American comics, Marvel’s Senior Vice President C.B. Cebulski announced on Wednesday.
White Fox, who was created by Youngh-hoon Kim, originally debuted in Avengers: Electric Rain, a “webtoon,” or a short webcomic, produced by Disney Korea and Daum, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The character is based on the Korean myth of the nine-tailed fox and appears alongside the movie incarnation of the Avengers, although it is unclear whether she will show up as an Avenger herself in the U.S. comics.
Electric Rain features serialized stories that appear in a vertically scrolling format that are viewable on web pages or in apps. The webtoon format is apparently hugely popular in Korea and is gradually taking the place of print comics. Currently, the Korean webtoon is on its sixth episode, and the ninth installment will explore White Fox’s origins.
Ko created the character himself and approached Marvel, according to ICV2. Marvel approved it with a few minor tweaks, and a successful reception in Korea convinced the company to add her to the U.S. comic community.
White Fox will be joining a growing number of Marvel superheroes diverging from the “traditional white male lead.” Ms. Marvel features a 16-year-old Muslim teenager who takes on the identity of Captain Marvel; Sam Wilson, formerly known as the Falcon, took over the role of Captain America last month; and a new female Thor was revealed back in July.
Marvel has had recent success in Asia as well. Japanese magazine Brutus features a crossover between Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy with Attack on Titan. In addition, the anime series Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, a collaborative production with Bandai and Toei Animation, debuted on Japanese television earlier this year.
Photo courtesy of Young hoon Ko/Marvel
