Young Grandmaster Choi Archives - Sherocomics

YOUNG GRANDMASTER CHOI EXPANDS TO SPANISH!

SheroSquad — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 18:38:46 +0000

We’re thrilled to announce that the Spanish-language edition of Young Grandmaster Choi: Chapter 1 (La Pequeña Gran Maestra Choi: Capítulo #1) is officially launching this week, making Rayven Choi’s adventure available to even more readers around the world!

Beginning July 21, 2026, the ebook will be available through OverDrive, Apple Books, Kobo, Smashwords, Tolino, Vivlio, BorrowBox, and cloudLibrary. Giving libraries, schools, and readers across the globe instant access to the series. On July 22, 2026, the Spanish edition will also launch on Amazon Kindle and Google Play Books.

This release is an exciting milestone for us. Since the beginning, one of our goals has been to create stories that help every child feel seen while introducing readers to new cultures through fun, action-packed adventures. We’re incredibly excited to welcome our Spanish-speaking readers into the world of Young Grandmaster Choi and can’t wait to see families enjoy Rayven’s journey together.

We also hope this edition becomes a valuable resource for ESL (English as a Second Language) learners, bilingual classrooms, libraries, and educators. With editions now available in multiple languages, students can build confidence in both Spanish and English while following the adventures of a young martial artist discovering friendship, identity, and courage.

In Young Grandmaster Choi: Chapter 1, six-year-old Rayven Johnson leaves the United States for South Korea after being adopted by the Choi family. On her very first day of school, she clashes with a bully, but when neither of them knows how to fight, they’re both sent to Hapkido class. What begins as a rivalry quickly transforms into an unforgettable friendship filled with laughter, martial arts, and heart.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or discovering the series for the first time, we’re excited to share this next chapter in Shero Comics’ mission to tell stories that inspire girls around the world.

Spanish Release Schedule

📚 July 21, 2026: OverDrive, Apple Books, Kobo, Smashwords, Tolino, Vivlio, BorrowBox., and cloudLibrary
📖 July 22, 2026: Amazon Kindle and Google Play Books

¡Gracias por acompañarnos en este increíble viaje! We can’t wait for a whole new generation of readers to experience La Pequeña Gran Maestra Choi.

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KEKE PALMER SPOTLIGHTS YOUNG GRANDMASTER CHOI IN HER ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST HOME TOUR

SheroSquad — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 19:01:41 +0000

There are moments that remind us just how far a dream can travel.

While watching Keke Palmer’s recent Architectural Digest home tour, the Shero Comics team was thrilled to spot the original Young Grandmaster Choi doll prominently featured in her home. For an independent studio dedicated to creating heroes for women and girls of color, it was an unforgettable moment.

The feature marks another exciting milestone for Young Grandmaster Choi, one of the few Black female-led manhwa series to earn international recognition.

There was one detail that made the Shero Comics team laugh. The original Young Grandmaster Choi doll is a bobblehead, and in the clip it looks like someone may have lifted Rayven’s head up and forgotten to pop it all the way back into place. 😄 Thankfully, she’s had quite the glow-up since then!

Since the original doll was sent to Keke, the franchise has continued to grow. The updated museum edition of the Young Grandmaster Choi doll (below) has been archived in both the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, and the Korea Manhwa Museum in Bucheon, South Korea—an extraordinary achievement for a Black female-led manhwa series in a genre where Black girl heroines remain exceptionally rare.

The momentum doesn’t stop there. Young Grandmaster Choi was recently named the 2026 Zelda Award winner for Best Children’s Graphic Novel and is currently being piloted in schools as an anti-bullying and confidence-building resource, using storytelling and the core principles of martial arts—discipline, focus, respect, and resilience—to help students build self-confidence, resilience, and cultural pride.

On July 14, the Spanish-language digital edition of Young Grandmaster Choi: Chapter 1 will launch, bringing Rayven’s story to even more readers and classrooms around the world.

For everyone who has supported Young Grandmaster Choi over the years, thank you for being part of this incredible journey. Seeing our heroine featured in Keke Palmer’s home is more than a proud moment for Shero Comics—it’s another reminder that stories centered on Black girls can resonate across cultures, generations, and the world.

Check out Keke’s home tour below and get a glimpse of our original Young Grandmaster Choi doll at 2:18.

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YOUNG GRANDMASTER CHOI WINS THE 2026 ZELDA AWARD

SheroSquad — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 03:12:49 +0000

We’re proud to share that Young Grandmaster Choi Chapter #1 has won the 2026 Zelda Award for Best Children’s Graphic Novel.

The Zelda Awards celebrate excellence in comics and are named after Zelda “Jackie” Ormes, the first Black female cartoonist and a pioneer in the field.

This milestone reflects the heart of the series. From the beginning, the goal has been to center girls, especially Black girls, in stories of strength, resilience, and self-discovery.

The story follows Rayven, a young girl who, after the loss of her parents, relocates to South Korea and must navigate a new culture while processing grief. Once there, she is bullied for being different, from her hair to her skin color. Through martial arts, she begins to build confidence, discipline, and a sense of belonging. Rooted in social-emotional learning, the series supports conversations around identity, bullying, and resilience, and is currently being piloted in select schools across the country.

This award is a reminder that stories rooted in authenticity and purpose matter. It belongs to the readers, educators, librarians, and supporters who have championed this work.

Watch the Zelda Awards HERE.

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OUR YOUNG GRANDMASTER CHOI DOLL ENTERS THE STRONG NATIONAL MUSEUM COLLECTION

SheroSquad — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 21:58:59 +0000

In exciting news, the Young Grandmaster Choi doll has been accepted into the permanent collection of The Strong National Museum of Play, and honestly, this moment means everything to us. The Strong isn’t just a museum; it’s one of the world’s leading institutions dedicated to preserving the history of play. The toys and characters archived there aren’t chosen at random, they’re selected because they’ve helped shape how children imagine, learn, and see themselves. To have Young Grandmaster Choi included in that collection is both humbling and deeply affirming.

What makes this even more meaningful is what the character represents. Young Grandmaster Choi was created to center a young Black girl rooted in both African-American and Korean culture, a story that hasn’t traditionally been reflected in toys or children’s media. Now, that story is being preserved as part of the cultural record. It means that future generations will not only see characters like Rayven Choi, but recognize that they’ve always belonged in the world of imagination, play, and storytelling.

For us, this isn’t just about a doll, it’s about legacy. It’s about building stories that last, that travel, and that matter. From classrooms and libraries to international recognition and now a national museum archive, Young Grandmaster Choi continues to grow in ways we once only dreamed of. And this milestone is a reminder that when you create with purpose, those stories don’t just reach people, they become part of history.

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YOUNG GRANDMASTER CHOI LANDS IN THE KOREA MANHWA MUSEUM IN BUCHEON

SheroSquad — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 09:32:50 +0000

I’m happy to share some news that means a lot to me personally: the Young Grandmaster Choi books — along with the YGC doll — are now on display at the Korea Manhwa Museum in Bucheon, South Korea.

This is especially meaningful because the entire Rayven Choi universe began after a cultural exchange trip I took to South Korea 25 years ago while I was a student at North Carolina State University. That trip shaped my creative path, so seeing this story honored in a national museum in Korea feels like a true full-circle moment.

This year has already brought big blessings, including being honored by the Los Angeles Lakers and Comerica Bank with the Woman of Diversity Award and being selected to represent Los Angeles in the Intuit IDEAS Accelerator.

And more is on the way. This February during Black History Month, we’re launching a Kickstarter to complete the first full Young Grandmaster Choi volume and introduce new merch — including YGC hair bonnets, a coloring/activity book, and a brand new doll.

Be sure to join our Shero Comics newsletter on our homepage for updates.

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YOUNG GRANDMASTER CHOI ANIMATED BOOK DUBS ARE NOW PLAYING ON YOUTUBE

SheroSquad — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 05:09:24 +0000

Young Grandmaster Choi Animated Book Dubs Are Now Playing on YouTube !

Young Grandmaster Choi is coming to life in a whole new way!

Starting Monday, June 9th, Shero Comics will begin releasing 2-minute animated book dubs every Monday on our official YouTube channel. These bite-sized episodes bring Rayven’s story to life through vibrant animation, voice acting, and sound—making it the perfect way for kids to engage with the series all summer long.

Whether you’re already a fan of Young Grandmaster Choi or just discovering it, these short episodes are a fun and meaningful way to experience the journey of a young Black girl navigating life, grief, and martial arts in Seoul, Korea.

Check out new Episodes below, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss a drop:

👉 Youtube.Com/@SheroComics

Feel free to share this exciting new series with teachers, parents, and kids in your life—we made these episodes with them in mind.

#SheroSummer is here. Let’s kick it off right. 🥋✨

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SHERO COMICS & YOUNG GRANDMASTER CHOI SELECTED FOR WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP

SheroSquad — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 04:13:47 +0000

I am so proud to announce our celebrated manga, Young Grandmaster Choi, has been selected for the “We Are Stronger Than Censorship” program’s 2024-2025 cohort. This initiative champions literary freedom and access and stands up to the recent challenges and bans that have been occurring in libraries across America. Young Grandmaster Choi has been selected as one of twenty outstanding books nationwide.

We created this book series to be used as a tool to help increase childhood literacy and to help address the horrible acts of bullying that take place in schools around the globe. Despite our good intentions, the book series delves into African American and Korean history, which makes our book a target for being banned.

Being selected by the “We Are Stronger Than Censorship” program, a beacon of support for diverse and inclusive narratives, gives our book series a much-needed boost and assures that this story and the history lesson that it provides will not be silenced!

Learn more about We Are Stronger Than Censorship here: www.wearestrongerthancensorship.org

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YOUNG GRANDMASTER CHOI II IS LIVE ON KICKSTARTER

SheroSquad — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 14:15:35 +0000

The day is finally here! We’re live on Kickstarter with the sequel to “Young Grandmaster Choi!” The whole team is geeked to bring this type of representation to the world of manga and we hope you’re just as excited and eager to support us as we continue to build a world of Sheroes of color in the geek space!

This campaign features the new book with two different covers. The first cover features Rayven holding short sticks in from of the “Suguska Temple” a famous landmark in South Korea.

The variant cover features Rayven posing in front of the “Olympic Park World Peace Gate,” another famous landmark in South Korea. This landmark was built to host the 1988 Summer Olympics and this cover is an ode to the 2024 Olympics and Paralympic Games which featured Taekwondo. This variant copy of the book is a Kickstarter exclusive that will only be sold during the campaign.

In addition to the Young Grandmaster Choi sequel, we are offering a new 40-page comic book that features Rayven and her classmates practicing their martial arts stances. The coloring book set includes a pack of custom Young Grandmaster Choi crayons.

The campaign also features a few Kickstarter exclusives like the Young Grandmaster Choi T-shirt, which features the Golden Temple cover. A Young Grandmaster Choi branded headband. A Little Dragons iron-on patch. Sticker sheets, and the limited-edition Young Grandmaster Choi doll, a collector’s item that will NEVER be made again!

Below is the NEW butt-kicking trailer that our animator finished in the wee hours of this morning, and it’s not only a MUST SEE, it’s a MUST SHARE!

We NEED YOU to not only back the campaign but to help us spread the word about this campaign! Check us out on Kickstarter before the campaign ends on October 11, 2024!

Young Grandmaster Choi II

Https://Kck.St/4bWUfLy

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WIN A FREE AUTHOR VISIT & COMIC BOOK WORKSHOP FROM SHERO COMICS

SheroSquad — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 06:59:04 +0000

Back at North Rowan Elementary School, around the first or second grade, one of the greatest storytellers of all time, Jackie Torrance, came to my school for an author visit and told us ghost stories in the school library.

Years later, at North Rowan High School, my teachers began grooming me to become a school teacher, even though I was headed to college to become a pediatrician. After graduating from North Carolina State University, and passing up an opportunity to teach English in South Korea, I fulfilled the wishes of my high school teachers by becoming a substitute teacher for two years in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools.

Over two decades later, just like Jackie Torrance, I’ve become a great storyteller. However, instead of telling ghost stories, I tell my stories through adventurous screenplays and colorful, educational comic books. Still, the teaching part of me is very much alive, and I’ve spent the past Seven Years speaking to students, and in more recent years, teaching them the process of writing and outlining comic books!

Today, in honor of it being a back-to-school week, and with our newest manga, Young Grandmaster Choi II, dropping on September 10th, I wanted to kick off the 2024-2025 school year by giving away TWO FREE comic book workshops!

For schools in Los Angeles County, you can nominate a teacher or school for a FREE IN-PERSON comic book workshop. The lucky winner will receive an author visit from me that includes four 1-hour comic book workshops for their school PLUS 25 copies of Young Grandmaster Choi Book I. Click HERE to nominate a teacher or school located in Los Angeles County.

For all other schools – worldwide – you can nominate a teacher or school for a FREE VIRTUAL comic book workshop. The lucky winner will receive a virtual one-hour comic book workshop for their school, PLUS 10 copies of Young Grandmaster Choi Book I. Click HERE to nominate a teacher or school located worldwide!

AND THE WINNER IS…Drumroll please…

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THE PROBLEM WITH KICKSTARTER

SheroSquad — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 09:34:37 +0000

This week I’m back on Medium with a new article about Kickstarter. I use my previous Young Grandmaster Choi campaign as a case study while breaking down how Kickstarter has evolved for indie comic book creators who now use the platform to distribute their books since mainstream distributors focus solely on the big two: Marvel & DC.

CLICK HERE to check out the article and please share it with others!

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