The Pulse Interviews SI Editor-at-Large Keith Chow

Jen Contino of The Pulse recently interviewed Secret Identities' Editor-at-Large Keith Chow.

The two speak at length about how Keith got involved in the project and why an anthology of Asian American superheroes is necessary. An excerpt of the interview is below, but click here to read the whole thing.

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REVEALING CHOW'S SECRET IDENTITY
by Jennifer M. Contino

When Keith Chow and some of his peers noticed the lack in Asian American characters in comic books, they decided to do something about it! Thus, Secret Identities was born. Chow described the collection of comics from Asian American creators as mostly a "passion project." Chow told THE PULSE, "The notion of having a 'secret identity' is something that I suspect a lot of people can identify with. You know that mild-mannered guy in the cubicle next to you? Yeah, after work, it turns out he's an underground breakdancer or something. And I think for Asian Americans, the analogy is even more potent. Because for a lot of us, the idea of a shifting identity is an issue that we deal with on a daily basis."

THE PULSE: Some of our readers might be meeting you for the first time in this interview. I know you're a lifelong comic book fan, but how did you turn the tables and go from someone who enjoyed reading comics to someone who is now making comics?

KEITH CHOW: It's true that I've been a fan of comics since I was a kid, but I never actively pursued a career in comics. It just kind of happened. Sure, I always had my own ideas for comic stories (and if and when Bruce Wayne ever returns, I'm still full of ideas for Batman! Are you listening, DC?), but I didn't think I'd actually get the opportunity to see my original work in print.

THE PULSE: So just what is Secret Identities -- aside from something just about every superhero has?

CHOW: Simply put, Secret Identities is a passion project for everyone involved. Basically, a bunch of us observed that there were a lot of Asian American writers and artists in the industry, but there weren't a lot of Asian American characters, especially in superhero comics. So we set out to rectify that.