Singaporean teen Jitter with special ability of ‘hyper-focus’ among new X-Men comic book characters

Jitter, or Singaporean Sofia Yong, is the latest Marvel mutant to feature in Marvel's X-Men comic book canon. Photo Gail Simone/x

SINGAPORE – A special ability to “hyper-focus”, the capacity to do anything she sets her mind to, and never slowing down, not even to sleep.

While some may feel those are everyday attributes most Singaporeans are already equipped with, in the Marvel universe, that describes Jitter, one of the latest mutants to feature in the comic book publisher’s storied canon.

Marvel officially unveiled the Singaporean teen Jitter, whose real name is Sofia Yong, somewhat fittingly on August 9, Singapore’s National Day. She was introduced in a closer look alongside three other new characters known collectively as “the Outliers” in a new iteration of The Uncanny X-Men series that first ran in 1981.

The second issue of the latest series penned by Gail Simone and drawn by David Marquez, which will feature said Outliers alongside other X-Men, will go on sale from September 11. The characters were first discussed at July’s San Diego Comic-Con.

Jitter has difficulty concentrating or prioritising things, according to writer Simone. Her hyper-focus ability allows her to attain a skill set, but not powers, for up to a minute before she “crashes”.

“She can take one set of skills, like being the top martial artist in the world, or the best lockpicker that there ever was, for one minute. And she has a timer that she sets, and she can do that thing for one minute and then it’s gone,” she told pop culture site Popverse, adding that the teenage girl has a stutter and is “very cool”.

“These new Outliers, we’ve designed them to represent invisible disabilities in that when you look at them, you cannot tell that they’re mutants.”

Jitter’s unveiling has caught the attention of fans keen on more Singaporean and South-east Asian representation in the Marvel universe. - The Straits Times