Kim Chi, a star of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Stephan Lee, author of the K-Pop Confidential series, have collaborated with Tokyo illustrator Utomaru to bring us the start of a lighthearted superhero series about drag, friendship, and community.
Twelve-year-old Korean immigrant Jae Han has an alter ego: Donatella Hamachi, the drag superhero and beauty entrepreneur who saves the world through the power of donut powder! Jae Han loves creating his comics of Donatella in the local library, his haven from classmates who bully him about his accent and nerdiness. Jae Han only gets one hour in the library each day, however, having to spend the rest of the time helping his parents in their struggling strip-mall Korean restaurant. His older brother, however, is treated like a superstar for his basketball prowess.
When greedy business executives persuade the mayor to tear down the library and build a mall, Jae Han is distraught. Together with three friends and the librarian—all from immigrant families of color—they hatch a plan to channel a little of Donutella’s sparkle and save the library. Can they outwit the mayor, avoid the bullies, inspire the town, and even convince Jae Han’s parents that the library is worth saving?
The story is told mainly through prose, interspersed with comic panels of Donutella’s adventures. The upbeat escapade leans heavily on tropes—an evil mayor, a scrappy bunch of misfits who have to save their town (or at least a part of it)—but it’s all delightful fun, sprinkled with references to drag culture and K-Pop. Sometimes a fluffy, escapist plot is what one needs (especially when the marginalized kids win). The narration occasionally feels a little stilted, as if we can see the adult writers behind the young people’s thoughts at times, but the overall verve of the tale can’t be denied. Most successfully, the authors also give us a thoughtful and knowing look at immigrant families (particularly Jae Han’s Korean one) and the expectations, assumptions, and tensions that immigrant youth may experience both inside their homes and in their communities. It’s a sweet treat and a recommended read.
