The graphic novel by award-winning illustrator Edgardo Miranda Rodriguez, launched its third installment this week. The superhero comic “La Borinqueña”, introduces a new Latina heroine, a young woman of Chinese-Dominican origin, an example of diversity in the Hispanic community and the power of women.

Luz is the new protagonist, a Latina who uses her power to become light and create energy fields around her fists to protect herself and others in her fight for social justice for her community. Luz is of Chinese-Dominican descent and lives in Upper Manhattan. "In comics usually that diversity is not seen," commented the creator of La Borinqueña, and recalled the large Asian population in Latin America that is often forgotten.

For Miranda Rodriguez, it is necessary to give visibility to an important part of the community "that many do not pay attention to," he said in an interview with EFE. 

"Now we are living in a time of much hatred of Asians (during the COVID-19 pandemic). In these books, we have always done our part to raise the consciousness of the people by introducing characters that inspire them, who don't always have to be white, European faces," she said.

La Borinqueña 3 has been published in English and Spanish, in this edition, Luz moves to Puerto Rico where she is living her transformation to superheroine. Luz is part of a group of new heroes that accompany La Borinqueña, Los Nitaínos. Our heroine's team is introduced in this issue and the characters will be developed in the next issue.

Inspired by the Taino culture, Los Nitainos (mostly heroines) are not your typical heroes looking for criminals. They try to end racism, fight against social injustices and climate change.

"I wanted to give attention to these things that happen in real life and women are part of that leadership who have stood up to it. There have always been a lot of women trying to raise our consciousness."

The novel La Borinqueña has been a reference in educational campaigns around the recognition of ancestries, the diversity of origins and their representation in hegemonic spaces.