BRONX, N.Y. — Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez may be accustomed to signing copies of the graphic novels he writes, but signing chocolate bars is something new. 

That’s because La Borinquena, the female Afro-Puerto Rican Superhero he created in 2016, is now featured on the wrappers of bars from Chocolate Cortes, the more than 90-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican chocolate manufacturing company. 

What You Need To Know

  • La Borinquena is a female Afro-Puerto Rican comic book superhero created by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez in 2016

  • Chocolate Cortes is a more than 90-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican family-owned chocolate manufacturing company

  • The two have teamed up on special edition hot chocolate bars containing a new four-part comic strip series featuring La Borinquena
  • Proceeds from the bars and associated merchandise will go towards the Chocolate Cortes Foundation

"We are both dedicated to doing social justice work, to doing engaging programs with young people in Puerto Rico, and having the opportunity to have our art work here on display at Chocobar in the South Bronx is just a beautiful celebration of that,” Miranda-Rodriguez said.

The Chocobar is the recently opened restaurant from Cortes, the other in Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. 

Miranda-Rodriguez and Chocobar Executive Director Carlos Cortes have partnered on four limited edition chocolate bars, used to make rich hot chocolate, featuring La Borinquena in a new four part comic book series. 

"We decided to collaborate with Edgardo since La Borinquena is a Afro-Puerto Rican female super hero who fights against social injustice and fights against racism and so we thought it was kind of a perfect synergy of values and missions. That's kind of how the idea developed,” said Cortes. 

Proceeds from the bars and associated merchandise will go towards the Cortes Foundation, which aims to educate and inspire young people in Puerto Rico through the arts and Miranda-Rodriguez's own La Borinquena Grants Program. 

The comic strips tell the story of Chocolate Cortes through La Borinquena and newly launched superhero La La Liu.

"In one of them they are in the Cocoa farms in Puerto Rico learning how chocolate is made, learning about the fact that the Dominican Republic, for example, is one of the largest producers of cacao in the world,” said Cortes. 

"It's kind of like old school PSA edutainment where it's a fictional character, but she's actually telling a story around a real people and a real culture,” said Miranda-Rodriguez. 

Chocobar Cortes is located at 141 Alexander Avenue in the Bronx.