The Met Gala hosts a classic superhero battle in House of Slay chapter 9 preview

House of Slay chapter 9 excerpt (Image credit: Soo Lee/Kimi Lee/AndWorld Design (Tapas))

The new Tapas series House of Slay mashes up superheroes with high fashion, and January 6's House of Slay chapter 9 finally shows the series' enigmatic big villain making his move - and of course, he's doing it somewhere big.

House of Slay cover (Image credit: Kevin Wada (Tapas))

"OK, so the Met Gala is the biggest cultural event in America – in the world, really – it rivals the Super Bowl. It's one moment when all artists gather to celebrate art and support an institution that's such an important part of our lives," fashion designer (and House of Slay co-creator) Prabal Gurung tells Newsarama. "It's glamor with a purpose. When you're there, that is not your normal life, but for one night you can pretend it is."

The Met Gala even inspired the recent 'Hellfire Gala' event in Marvel Comics' X-Men books, but in House of Slay they're going to the original.

"With this scene, we wanted to add something of where we come from in the fashion world and bring that cultural experience to our readers; bridge the two worlds by blowing up the Met Gala!" Gurung continues In all my favorite action films there's always a big set like this – a gala, a huge affair, that's a backdrop for a throwdown with the villain – and once a year we get to go to one in real life. It takes a while to get there in the comic, but it's worth the wait – it's like a crescendo in a symphony."

Check out this preview of House of Slay chapter 9:

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House of Slay chapter 9 preview

House of Slay is an initiative by Gurung, along with fellow designers Phillip Lim and Laura Kim, along with style maven Tina Leung and restauranteur Ezra J. William to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the fashion world. Part of the initiative includes this House of Slay digital comic series with Tapas, telling a story where the five founders get superpowers and turn into actual superheroes. Tapas' House of Slay comic is created by AAPI creators Jeremy Holt, Soo Lee, and Kimi Lee.

House of Slay variant cover (Image credit: Soo Lee (Tapas))

"I grew up watching cartoons, reading comics, and dreaming of possessing a secret superhero power to get through my own childhood," Lim tells Newsarama. "The difference was that I never felt like part of the storyline because the characters never looked anything like me nor were there shared experiences and environments that I could relate to.

"When the chance came to become my own superhero living my own authentic life, it felt like an important opportunity to ensure representation and be an inspiration to a new generation. The House of Slay creates a new cast of heroes for an evolved, modern society, one where we've come to see cultural differences as things to be celebrated and proudly share. Our mission is that everyone can become their own superhero."

House of Slay chapter nine debuts January 6 on Tapas.

The House of Slay enters a rich history of superhero groups. Here's our list of the best superhero teams of all time.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)