La Borinqueña Creator Snags Mellon Fellowship, Announces Doll Release At New York Comic Con

For award-winning graphic novelist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, this weekend’s New York Comic-Con is more than a space to discuss the next issue of his culture-defining La Borinqueña graphic novel series. It’s also the kickoff for his work with a newly-awarded Mellon Foundation fellowship that illuminates the role a graphic novel can play in interdisciplinary scholarship on Puerto Rico’s recovery from the devastation of 2017’s Hurricane Maria.

La Borinqueña is Miranda-Rodriguez’s brain child; the series tells the story of a Brooklyn-born, storm-controlling superhero, who stands out for her embrace of both her African and Taino history. Some $200,000 in proceeds from previous books, which featured stars such as Rosario Dawson, have gone directly to grassroots organization in Puerto Rico, to help rebuild the archipelago. A portion of the $1.2-million Mellon fellowship covers costs for the upcoming book #4.