‘Superheroes’ to help storm-battered Puerto Rico
NEW YORK: Comic book superheroes are coming to the rescue of hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
There’s Batman, Wonder Woman and a Puerto Rican-inspired female hero named La Borinquena. Their mission is to reconstruct the United States island territory wrecked by Hurricane Maria six months ago.
The 200-page book, titled Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico, would be launched in May at Puerto Rico Comic Con, said the creator of La Borinquena and coordinator of the comic book, Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez.
All proceeds from sales will go towards buying supplies for people on the island, such as flashlights. To this day, 30 per cent of the island’s electrical grid is still down.
“These are traditional superhero stories. But, they are not fighting villains. They are helping people on the island, bringing food and water, and rescuing animals,” Miranda-Rodriguez said.
He got permission from DC Comics to use its characters for free. The cover features La Borinquena and Wonder Woman holding the Puerto Rican flag.
In one of the stories, these two heroes team up to save an endangered species — a parrot called the Puerto Rican amazon — few of which survived the storm.
The administration of President Donald Trump drew stinging criticism for what was seen as its slow response to the hurricane.