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There’s a new superhero in the DCU. Well, kind of. The Monkey Prince is ready to make his debut in The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes. Hmm.
Not much for the capes then
If you don’t know what the Festival of Heroes is, it’s a celebration of the eastern heroes that call the DC Universe home. The event is tied into Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so it’s a timely happening.
And the capper to it all, is the Monkey Prince. A brand new hero for the DCU, The Monkey Prince is a play on the legend of the Monkey King in Chinese folklore. Not that he’s meant to actually be that character, as TMP looks to be tied into Shazam somehow as well.
His first adventure is in the new book, DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration, and comes from the creative team of Gene Luen Yang and artist Bernard Chang.
The Monkey Prince debuts in “The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes,” the final story of DC Festival of Heroes , written by Gene Luen Yang ( Superman Smashes the Klan , Batman/Superman and so much more) and illustrated by Bernard Chang ( Teen Titans , Batman Beyond and, again, so much more). The Monkey Prince is a unique addition to DC’s roster of characters, taking direct inspiration from the Monkey King, the mythological character from the 16th-Century Chinese novel Journey to the West , but given a modern spin and firmly rooted in the DC Universe of today (down to attending Fawcett High School alongside Billy Batson).
DC Comics
Both Yang and Chang are fans of the Monkey King, which of course explains the basis of their creation of the Prince. They recently got into a whole bunch of specifics about him in an interview for DC that you can find here.
As for where the hero will be heading, that’s somewhat unclear. We do know though that The Monkey Prince will be heading towards some kind of story all to himself later this year. We’ll see if that means inclusion in a Shazam book, or in a standalone title.
