By Byron Brewer

Aaron Tse lives for his family, and if he's not careful, he'll die for its secrets. When he left the military, Aaron Tse's first thought was providing for his aging parents. His parents' bar is experiencing hard times, and one night it's shot to hell, with his parents critically injured in the attack.

But this was no ordinary robbery – Aaron's mother reveals that she fled China to escape a blood feud between the Jewish and Chinese sides of her family… both of which are powerful organized crime families. Peace existed between these two families – the Hu and the Margolis – but now it's been broken, and Aaron must protect his parents from further violence. Aaron hops a plane to the homeland he never intended to explore, on a path to revenge he never wanted to walk.

Written by Jon Tsuei (Sera and the Royal Stars, RunLoveKill) and Steve Orlando (Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Kill a Man, Project Patron) and drawn by artist Rubine, Search for Hu is a fast-paced, action-packed exploration of complex cultural histories, powered by a bloody family feud. I was anxious to learn more about the coming comic, so I sat down with co-writers Steve Orlando and Jon Tsuei.

Byron Brewer: Steve and Jon, the general description for your coming book, Search for Hu, reads “action thriller”, but I know there is more to it that that. Tell readers about the genesis of the story and the tapestry of its creation.

Steve Orlando: Search for Hu was born out of an offhand comment between myself and Jon, about what might be a fun action satire between our two backgrounds. But once we started into the research, we realized this was much more than a fun satire, there was real history to explore between folks of Chinese and Jewish backgrounds, and real cultural discoveries to be made. It was as much a revelation for us as we hope it will be for everyone who reads it, a hidden chapter of history we’d never have known about if not for this book, and its kernel of an idea. But this isn’t a travelogue. We’re taking our own journey of discovery and telling it through the medium of a classic, engaging revenge story, as the lead, Aaron Tse, goes on a journey of historical exploration that mirrors our own. But for Aaron, the stakes are life and death, and if he doesn’t get to the bottom of his shared heritage, and the tensions embedded within, Aaron will never know a day of peace. Our play on words in the title isn’t subtle, but we want it to be clear – this is a story of discovering one’s true identity, true family, delivered by the medium of the action thriller.

Jon Tsuei: This story has evolved quite dramatically since the offhanded comment Steve made to me. We started out thinking we were going to write a satire with some fun, fictional ties between Jewish and Chinese cultures, but once we discovered that there are very real historical ties between our backgrounds, we had to dive into it. One of the great discoveries for me during research was that the first Russian Jews to settle in China did so in the Northeastern region, where my family originates from. Knowing a history of a place can bring you closer to it and that’s what it did for me. Our jobs as storytellers is to tell the best story we can, but there’s something very personal about this one for us.

Byron: So readers actually are enjoying the explosions while discovering something new. Can you both give your insights on this element of the coming book? Anything from your own lives reflective of this, if you’d care to discuss?

Steve Orlando: Well, I at least have never gone on a revenge quest after an attack on my parents by my extended family, though like any large family we’re not without a history of vendetta or grudges. Admittedly, the stakes are much lower, like arguing over whether a turkey should be cared skin-on or skin-off. So for me, this is a blockbuster extrapolation of experiences I’ve had, both when it comes to silly feuds in the family tree, or discovering new apples hanging there I, and we, never knew about before.

Jon Tsuei: I too have never gone on a revenge quest, but I did spend my earliest years growing up in my parents’ restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown. It was the 1980s and the gangs still had a very strong presence in Chinatown. Gangsters were regular customers of the restaurant and even though they were kind to me and my family I knew where it was safe for me and where it wasn’t. Even when I left Chinatown, gang culture was the rule of the streets among the Asian American population in San Francisco. You didn’t go to unknown parts of the city alone. You didn’t look sideways at strangers. You had to always keep your wits about you. That gangster vibe you see in our book is definitely drawn from my own experiences growing up.

Byron: Talk a little about the storyline in general. What kind of yarn can readers picking up Search for Hu in September expect?

Steve Orlando: We’re going all out action blockbuster, with a heavy dose of tension and familial paranoia. Nearly everyone Aaron meets in Search for Hu is family he didn’t know he had, and with that comes the contradiction: you should always be able to rely on family, but when it’s family that’s at the root of your trauma, you’re not sure who you can trust and who you can’t. Aaron’s journey is one of discovering his true family, his true loved ones, and enacting revenge on those that have abused that bond. And you can expect that to play out with two-fisted violence, and set pieces to match any actioner to hit screens in the past ten years, thanks to amazing art and storytelling from Rubine Cubiles and DC Alonso.

Jon Tsuei: I think this story boils down to how our main protagonist, Aaron Tse, defines the word “family”. What he views as family changes throughout the course of the series, and I think he ultimately ends up at a very good place. Of course, we also have a lot of great action with guns, fast cars and explosions. What good family drama doesn’t have a couple of explosions?

Byron: Introduce us to Aaron Tse.

Steve Orlando: Aaron Tse is drawn from both our experiences. But at his core, Aaron’s a man who wants to pay back, and pay forward, the work his parents did to give him the best life possible. He has the utmost respect for them, and their immediate family bond. Like many folks othered from the mainstream, he’s often felt like it’s just him and those closest to him against the world. He’s made sacrifices to make his family’s life easier, he’s enlisted, as many marginalized folks do, for socioeconomic reasons, looking to alleviate some of the demand on his mother and father. So when all he’s worked for is threatened by an attack, Aaron’s caring for his parents turns to rage, it’s nitroglycerin for his heart. His love for his mother and father has never been stronger, which fuels a rage at their attackers that’s never burned brighter.

Jon Tsuei: Aaron hasn’t had a lot of opportunities in life, but he’s made the best of the hand he’s been dealt. Despite his own struggles, he always puts his family first. Aaron is that friend who doesn’t always make the best decisions, but he’s fiercely loyal to those he loves.

Byron: Who is Hu? More specifically, describe this important thread of the Hu and the Margolis families, and how it translates to Aaron and to the story in general.

Steve Orlando: Well, we’re not going to give too much away here – since this journey of discovery is one of the main threads of the book. But that being said, the Hu and Margolis lines were once united, but a feud between in-laws drove them to violent opposition, a power struggle so fierce it drove Aaron’s mother to flee China and start life anew in America. They symbolize the petty grievances that build up in any extended family, write large as a bullet action opera.

Jon Tsuei: Saying anything more than that Margolis and Hu families were once a united crime family would spoil the surprises we have in store, but conceptually, the two families represent a coming together of different peoples when times are tough for everyone. Differences can be put aside when there is a common struggle, but we have to be mindful to not let our differences tear us apart. For Aaron, he’s stepping right into that tear and has to somehow navigate his way through a blood feud.

Byron: A major part of this storyline deals with very real history. Did you guys or artist Rubine do any specific research for this story in terms of that rich background?

Steve Orlando: Jon and I both dove into the shared history between the Jewish and Chinese worlds during the planning of this book. Our own fascination with this unexpected facet of history is what turned this from an offhand comment into a book we couldn’t help but make reality! As for Rubine, Jon and I worked to provide as much visual references as possible, and to make them as specific as possible – this is both for authenticity and accuracy, as well as the fact it makes it easier for Rubine to invest his time in the visual storytelling on every page, versus burning it hunting down references. This book wouldn’t be what it is without his work, and we want to support him as best we can, whenever we can.

Jon Tsuei: Personally, I love the research and I easily get lost in it. Research for this story was like looking through a window to my own heritage. So, I tried to infuse as much Northeastern Chinese culture into the story as I could. You’ll see it mostly in the food and real-world locations throughout the book and Rubine is doing such amazing work with all the references we’ve sent him.

Byron: Speaking of Rubine, talk about working with this artist on Search for Hu.

Steve Orlando: I can’t say enough about the incredible, innovative work Rubine has brought to Search for Hu. The moment Rubine joined the team, we knew our job was to support, respect, and inspire – this is someone whose layouts surprise and delight page by page, whose approach to laying out action on the page is second to none, and unlike any other. It’s a privilege to work with someone like Rubine, to have them as a co-creator. And as writers, our job is to give him the room to do what he does best, rather than dictate. So with Search for Hu, we use a hybrid script style that gives Rubine complete freedom on paneling and layout, while not sacrificing all the information he needs to complete the page: the actions, the emotions, and the dialogue. It’s a style I’ve used in the past on Martian Manhunter and Batman/Shadow, and the results are pages that are even more infused with energy and creativity.

Jon Tsuei: Rubine’s art is the star of this show. When Steve and I were considering artists for the story, Rubine was hands down our top choice. When Rubine joined the team, we found out that he draws inspiration from a lot of the same Asian action films that Steve and I were inspired by. When Rubine’s first character designs came in, we knew he was the missing piece to our puzzle. The readers are in for a real visual treat.

Byron: Jon and Steve, as we wrap here, would each of you please talk about any upcoming projects you may be involved with that our readers should watch for?

Steve Orlando: There’s a lot coming up! Rainbow Bridge just came out from AfterShock, which I wrote with Steve Foxe. Transformers: King Grimlock just kicked off this month from IDW, as well as the Extreme Carnage event from Marvel which is running right now! In the fall, we’ll see Party and Prey, also with Steve Foxe, from AfterShock. As well, we have the ongoing Starward serialized in Heavy Metal, as well as the Boulet Brothers Halloween Takeover of Heavy Metal in October. It’s a busy time!

Jon Tsuei: I wrote a manga adaptation of Greg Rucka’s Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills novel for Viz, drawn by the incomparable Subaru, that just came out. I have a new creator owned comic coming later this year with Vault Comics. The announcement will happen very soon, so keep an eye out.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Steve Orlando & Jon Tsuei for taking time out of their busy schedules to answer our questions. Search for Hu #1 from AfterShock Comics is slated to be on sale Sept. 8^th!

For more news and up-to-date announcements, join us here at Dynamic Forces, www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/, “LIKE” us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/dynamicforcesinc, and follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/dynamicforces.

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