Up, Up, and Away with Kwento Comics, the First All-Asian Women Comic Book Company
With great power comes great responsibility. For Kwento Comics, the world’s first all-Asian women comic book company, their power lies in crafting stories by and for their community. Founded by mother-daughter duo Cecilia and Waverley Lim, this team of all-female creatives is blazing the trail for diverse superhero narratives to take the comic world by storm. Publishing comics is hard work, but one thing is for certain: they can do this all day.
Just a Kid from the Midwest
Like many lifelong readers, Cecilia Lim’s love for comics and fantasy began in childhood. Growing up in the Midwest during the 1960s, she discovered comic books through her commutes with her mother.
“Going home from the city, there was always a newsstand that had a section for comic books. My mom would always let me buy one comic for the trip home on the bus,” she shared in an October 2023 interview with GirlTalkHQ. “Some of my fondest memories of my mom were on a bus as a child reading my favorite comics. As I got older, I continued to read comics as well as stories of mythology and fantasy novels.”
In a way, the journey to launching Kwento Comics was intergenerational. When asked about its origins during a virtual interview with EnVi, co-founders Cecilia and Waverley cited their move to Los Angeles in 2017. Waverley, who was 17 at the time, was pursuing acting while studying at the University of California, Los Angeles.
“This was around the time when the Marvel movies were such a big hit,” she recounted. “I was auditioning for roles when [my mom] and I were like, how come nobody’s created a Filipina American teenage hero before?”
As a budding actress with a background in dance, Waverley’s dream role involved thrilling stunts –– much like a Marvel heroine. However, opportunities to dive into meaningful Asian roles were scarce. Although the film industry progressed since the worst of its yellowface days, the homogenization of Asians remained a persistent barrier.
“Southeast Asian representation was very few and far between, let alone Filipino representation. We realized that until we start getting creatives behind the camera, we’re never going to see those authentic voices represented on camera,” Waverley said.
Cecilia added that the issue was systemically entrenched, both in and beyond the entertainment industry. According to a 2024 study from McKinsey & Co. and Gold House, Asian and Pacific Islander (API) actors account for only about 3% of lead roles in U.S.-produced films. Additionally, less than 30% of API audiences feel that their experiences are portrayed accurately in U.S. media. Variety contributor Selena Kuznikov cites that “projects focused on API characters and storylines are less likely to get the promotional resources needed to reach a broader audience.”
Determined to become their own heroes, Cecilia and Waverley entered the colorful world of comics by launching Kwento in 2022. They believed the medium would allow fans and casting directors to visualize Filipino characters as intended. It also embraced the vibrance of Filipino mythology, which they would explore in their debut series The Mask of Haliya.
“For people in our community, we have to bet on ourselves,” Waverley emphasized. “If we don’t believe in ourselves more than [others do], then who are they to take a chance on us at the end of the day?”
Building Bridges and Blending Genres with Filipino Mythology
The Mask of Haliya follows Marisol (Mari) Reyes, a troubled Filipina American teen whose late lola’s mysterious mask alters the course of her life. Now caught in a centuries-long conflict involving Filipino creatures of legend and an arcane cult, Mari must venture to unravel her lola’s past –– and consequently her own.
“Nothing echoes the heartbeat of a nation like its oldest stories,” says Bella, one of the story’s deuteragonists. While many popular adaptations of mythology draw from Greek, Roman, and Norse legends, The Mask of Haliya breathes life into Filipino folklore.
“Filipino mythology and the creatures of the night are very, very interesting,” Cecilia elaborated. “I wanted us to use dark urban fantasy as the genre to tell a modern-day story while infusing [the] mythology. It gives you a backdrop to explain our culture.”
Exploring the creative vision behind Kwento Comics reveals that their commitment to representation is more than skin deep –– it’s woven into the very fabric of their storytelling. Regarding the creative process, Waverley noted the work put in to depict Filipino culture authentically. From the world-building to the Cebuano sprinkled throughout the dialogue, the team worked diligently to “infuse [the story] with lots of richness for readers.” In doing so, readers –– particularly those in the Filipino diaspora –– could return to the motherland through these motifs.
Issue 5 of The Mask of Haliya opens with the Filipino proverb, “A person who does not remember where they came from will never reach their destination.” In Waverley’s eyes, Mari’s journey speaks especially to Filipino American readers who feel like “fish out of water.” Throughout each issue, they venture to “uncover [their] roots” together. Likewise, The Mask of Haliya strives to illuminate the diaspora’s perspective for readers in the Philippines.
“We really want this to be a bridge,” Cecilia explained. “We want the Filipinos in the Philippines to understand our experience, and we want Filipino Americans to understand the Filipino culture.”
As for crafting a true-to-life Filipina protagonist, Waverley put it simply: “Let’s leave that to the ladies.”
“The story isn’t going to be told in the right way if you don’t have the right people telling it,” Cecilia stated. “An older person that grew up in the Midwest isn’t going to write about a young Filipina teen. Even if they do, the dialogue, the thoughts behind the character, and all her nuance will probably be different. Even just having a Filipino guy writer may not necessarily get the nuances of a Filipina teen girl.”
Reaching Readers Across Generations
Waverley and Cecilia reminisced about their interactions with readers, recalling two Filipinas discovering The Mask of Haliya for the first time. Waverley shared a story from a past San Diego Comic Con, where she met a young Filipina whose mother had gifted her copies of the comic for Christmas: “She came by and started telling us how much it meant to see someone that looked like her on the page, and started tearing up a little bit.” Cecilia added on an encounter with a middle-aged Filipina, who also cried tears of joy upon seeing the book.
“Books in the margins are really small. You have to love it and fight for it in the business,” Waverley emphasized. “To see just one girl be really touched and inspired made all of the hard work and exhaustion go away. If just one person feels a little bit more seen by this, then we’re doing something right.”
To the creators’ surprise, The Mask of Haliya even garnered attention outside of their target audience. Cecilia recounted a particularly memorable interaction with an elderly man, who purchased a copy at the 2022 Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.
“He came back the next day with a stern look on his face and goes, ‘I want to tell you something. I did not think that first issue was good.’ I’m thinking, what, is he gonna start yelling at me?” she laughed. “And then he goes, ‘That book was great. I want the next issue.’”
Waverley continued, “This old gentleman was just enamored by the first issue, and he was not who I thought would have that type of reaction! It was so fun to see that just the first issue grabbed somebody from that generation and meant something to him. I mean, seeing people outside of our community willing to take a chance on an indie comic book that’s not from the bigwigs – Image, DC, Marvel – really does mean a lot.”
As for the company’s legacy, Waverley and Cecilia envision Kwento Comics as part of a larger whole. So long as stories like The Mask of Haliya continue inspiring Filipino readers to embark on their own hero’s journeys, the story continues.
“I really hope we are just a little seedling in the great, big Filipino kalamansi tree,” Waverley said as she and Cecilia shared a laugh, wrapping up the interview with EnVi.
Comic Readers, Assemble!
Kwento Comics will be running booth #2143 at New York Comic Con from October 17–20. All seven issues of The Mask of Haliya will be available for purchase, with issues 1–5 compiled in a graphic novel.
The Mask of Haliya is set to have twenty issues in total to complete the series arc. Keep an eye out for Issue 8, which will feature a spooky cover for Halloween!
To stay up-to-date on their latest releases and events, follow @KwentoComics on Instagram!
Interested in reading about more heroic tales with female leads? Check out EnVi’s latest author spotlight featuring S.K. Ali!
