Oriental Heroes

Oriental Heroes is a popular Hong Kong–based manhua created by Tony Wong Yuk-long, a writer/artist responsible for also creating a number of other popular manhua titles. It was created in 1970, and it continues to be published today. The book was the first Hong Kong manhua title based on action and fighting, often borrowing from the wuxia literary world. It established a new action genre of Hong Kong manhua and spawned many imitators. The theme of its stories often revolves around brotherhood and the fight for justice. Connie Lam, the director of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, stated that the manhua was "the icon for jungle survival" and a "fantasy" in which people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds improve their standing through physical combat. Wong Yat-hei of the South China Morning Post wrote that this work was "the first manhua to feature action and fighting". Lee Wing-sze, also of the SCMP, described the series as "Wong's most crucial work." Jademan Comics published the comics in English, and these were distributed in the United States. The U.S. National Coalition of Television Violence (NCTV) rated this series "XUnfit" due to the violence it has. The 2006 movie Dragon Tiger Gate was based on this manhua.