Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, the award-winning graphic novelist, philanthropist, and creator of the superhero La Borinqueña, annoucned this week that he will publish the one-shot comic book Lúz La Luminosa for International Women’s Heritage and Endometriosis Awareness month. Miranda-Rodriguez says Lúz La Luminosa, introduced in the pages of La Borinqueña, is the first superhero with endometriosis, a disease that affects 1 in 10 women/people with a uterus, 176 million people globally. The disease hits close to home for Miranda-Rodriguez because his wife and partner Kyung Jeon-Miranda has been living with endometriosis her entire adult life. His close friend and frequent La Borinqueñacollaborator Rosario Dawson also has endometriosis, and Miranda-Rodriguez says he hopes the comic book allows readers to learn about the symptoms, treatments, and resources available.
Endometriosis is a condition characterized by dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), dyspareunia (pain during intercourse), and chronic pelvic pain unrelated to menses. The comic will feature an afterword by Dr. Idhaliz Flores, professor at the Ponce Health Sciences University, founder of the Fundacion Puertorriqueña de Pacientes con Endometriosis (ENDOPR), and the recipient of the 2023 Heroína De Salúd awarded to her by both Kyung Jeon-Miranda and Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez via their La Borinqueña Grant Awards which already has awarded $200,000 in grants to non-profits throughout Puerto Rico.
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Lúz La Luminosa is a Chinese-Dominican superhero who makes her solo comic book debut with colorful dynamically illustrated action sequences and a powerful message available now at www.la-borinquena.com. Written by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, illustrated by Elkys Nova Díaz, colored by Andrew Crossley, with covers by Rita Fei, Luciano Vecchio, Chris Batista, Chris Sotomayor, and endometriosis patient Nicole Virella.
Here’s the official synopsis for the book: Lauren ‘La La’ Liu is the new hero Lúz La Luminosa, fighting alongside her best friend La Borinqueña. They’re on a mission to find energy that was stolen from La Borinqueña’s star, Koeia. On this quest they meet super powered people, potentes, who may or may not want to join their team, The Nitainos. If all of this were not enough for a college student to handle, Lúz also has to face a very serious threat to her life… endometriosis, a disease that affects 1 in 10 women. Will her powers connected to bioluminescent energy be enough to fight villains or cope with her disease? This debut solo adventure introduces you to Lúz La Luminosa and the expanding universe of La Borinqueña!
A Lúz La Luminosa collectible action figure produced by Boss Fight Studio will be available in May 2024.