There’s a new Marvel superhero in town, and she’s a Puerto Rican heroine pumped to tackle climate change, political corruption, and all the intertwined social injustices.
In an upcoming installment of the graphic novel series La Boriqueña, the Nuyorican (a portmanteau that refers to cultural members of the Puerto Rican diaspora that live in and around New York City) superhero Marisol Rios de la Luz and her team, the Nitainos, will be a vessel for discussing the impacts of climate change, especially on the Caribbean islands. They will also cover pertinent issues like domestic violence, cultural preservation, and equitable access to energy.
The new volume will be released with the help of superstar Rosario Dawson and in collaboration with NRDC, its La Boriqueña Grants Program, and in partnership with local organizations with the goal of expanding solar energy and preparing the island for future extreme weather events.
As reported by Earther, Dawson stated, “Although the character is fictional, I see myself in her. I’m Afro-Latina with Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage,” she added, “and I believe like La Boriqueña that Puerto Rico can be a model for a transition to renewable cleaner energy.”