Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, Comic Con International Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award-winning graphic novelist and philanthropist, recently announced La Borinqueña Volume 1, a hardcover edition collecting for the first time 300-plus pages from his first four graphic novels. To accompany the release, Somos Artes (Miranda-Rodriguez’s publishing companY0 has also revealed plans for a set of four action-figures featuring La Borinqueña and her supporting characters. The hardcover and the action-figures are all available for retailers to pre-order this month, for a planned holiday season release (although the actual date has yet to be set).
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The La Borinqueña Volume 1 collects the first issue published in 2016, now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, La Borinqueña #2 (2018), La Borinqueña #3 (2021), and the critically acclaimed team-up La Borinqueña Guest Starring Rosario Dawson (2022) will also be included.
“Wherever comics expand into, I can see La Borinqueña doing the same because she’s that dynamic of a character,” said Rosario Dawson in a statement. “That’s the kind of hero I want to be.”
Besides appearing in a miniseries alongside the character, Dawson has said a number of times that she would love to see La Borinqueña adapted for the screen.
Not included in the hardcover is Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico, the graphic novel that teamed the character with various DC heroes, for obvious licensing reasons. That book, sold to benefit hurricane survivors in Puerto Rico, is still available on Amazon and other online retailers for close to cover price.
La Borinqueña Volume 1 will present readers with the first full story-arc of Miranda-Rodriguez’s titular character’s graphic novel that has been published over the last eight years since its debut in 2016. A portion of the sales will continue to support Miranda-Rodriguez’s continued charity work which to date has already raised and awarded $200,000 in grants to non-profits throughout Puerto Rico.
La Borinqueña graphic novels are taught at public and private schools throughout Puerto Rico and the United States in addition to universities like MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, Fordham, Colgate, and more.
The Smithsonian will be adding La Borinqueña Vol. 1 in addition to Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico into their permanent collection.
Original cover artwork for La Borinqueña Volume 1 was illustrated by cover artist Angel Jesús Colón (Acton Comics, Green Lantern, Dark Crisis) with interior story art by Will Rosado (1/6, GI Joe), Christopher Sotomayor (Avengers, Captain America), and story written by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez.
La Borinqueña’ s action figure set is produced by Boss Fight Studio, known for their highly articulated action figures, as well as for bringing diversity into the action figure space.
“From the moment we read the La Borinqueña, we were taken by the female power, the diversity, and the wonderful storytelling – it seemed like such a natural fit for us,” said Erik Araña, Co-Founder of Boss Fight Studio. “Being able to translate these super powerful characters into action-figures is a dream.”
Kicking off with 1:12 scale figures, the characters in this set of four include La Borinqueña, Luz, Oro El Coqui Dorado, and La Gargola. The figures, first announced prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, were delayed back in 2020 and then rescheduled to line up with the hardcover release.
“Given that La Borinqueña and my other characters are celebrated by fans internationally for our stories, activism, and philanthropy that, I wanted to find a partner that would help bring them to life as incredibly designed action figures,” Miranda-Rodriguez said. “Boss Fight Studio was the ideal partner because of their innovative approach to articulated figures. The designs look like they jumped off the page of our comics. Collectors and children will rejoice in creating their own adventures with this new.”
