In 2016 La Borinqueña was born, the first comic starring a Latina woman. Its author, New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent Edgardo Miranda-Rodríguez, wanted to create an Afro-Boricua superheroine, with wide hips and wearing the Puerto Rican flag, to show the diversity of the Hispanic community and the power of women, while fighting against social injustice and climate change.

This year, the eco-friendly superheroine is back with a new mission: to fight for clean energy in Puerto Rico. The next installment will be released internationally on April 6 to recognize Earth Day. 

In this story, La Borinqueña will fight against a group of villains who want to prevent the installation of solar energy panels, and is to raise awareness about a project the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) began in Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria hit the island in 2017.

As in previous adventures, the superheroine will be supported by the Nitaínos, a new group of superheroes also created by Miranda-Rodríguez. The Nitaínos are inspired by Taino culture, which extended from Cuba to the island of Guadeloupe, had its greatest moments in Puerto Rico — which they called Borikén — and the area east of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

"People love to talk about comics, about movies, but not about these kinds of topics," said Miranda-Rodriguez, who works as a writer at Marvel.

For the project, NRDC, which is based in New York, proposed that a famous Puerto Rican participate in the new story and decided on Rosario Dawson, who's appeared alongside La Borinqueña in previous campaigns in the Latino community. Among them was the push for voter registration, as highlighted by EFE.

"My mother raised me to stand up for social justice. When I was 10 years old, I used my voice to save trees. The posters I made as a child showed me that art has the power to connect and inspire others to make change," the actress said in a written statement.

"I believe, like La Borinqueña, that Puerto Rico can be a model for a transition to cleaner renewable energy," she said.

@FPNYC has the new #LaBorinqueña book guest starring me wearing @Studio189NYC written by @MrEdgardoNYC produced w/support from @NRDC to raise awareness on climate change + renewable energy in Puerto Rico! Proceeds help La Borinqueña Grants Program. Buy at https://t.co/4cbbc6DFli pic.twitter.com/KMWSO1x83V

— Rosario Dawson (@rosariodawson) February 24, 2022