For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I had hoped to announce the release date of AMERICANIZASIAN, a book collecting my online comic strips about Filipino American and Asian American identity and experiences, but since my publisher Image Comics doesn't seem comfortable publishing it, I need your help.

When I pitched AMERICANIZASIAN, a Partner compared it to a female cartoonist's collection of political cartoons—many of which are anti-Trump—and described both of our books as "angry" and with "no story for people to relate to," implying her book was a mistake and mine would be too. The Partner, a white man, said my work should be "more positive" and implied that my Asian American experience would be more relatable if it was like PEN15, a show that reminds his half-Japanese wife of her childhood (the show’s protagonist is half-white, half-Japanese—I'm neither, I'm Filipino).

He showed my strips to Asian Americans he knew, including one on his staff, to co-sign his belief that my book wouldn’t sell. He used their opinions to justify ignoring my online following and every fan who's explicitly told me they want to buy this book (most are Asian/POC and educators).

He begrudgingly greenlit the book, even though it was clear he didn't want to, and I submitted my cover a month later. I was immediately told it could not be used due to legal concerns over its parodying of trademarked characters. No suggestions were offered to make it usable. I asked for more details, as my strips also parody/criticize trademarked characters. Image insisted the interiors were fine because—unlike a cover—they're not used to promote the book. I offered to modify the cover (the version you see here) but they ignored me and got a lawyer.

They then said the interiors were a problem because my criticism of Marvel's anti-Asian narratives was "so negative" within the book's overall context. Our exchange got heated, as I said I felt they wanted to reject the book all along & were using a legal angle to justify it. Two days later, I was informed that my bestselling comic previously published through Image would be removed from Comixology, and any remaining copies burned. Burning books to reduce inventory costs is normal, but I've never been told it would put an end to digital sales.

Concerned they were going to erase all my books, I tried again to work with them. I gave them a detailed list of all of my strips with potential legal risks and offered to modify them based on their recommendations, but they haven't been forthcoming with answers or guidance. One cover change the Partner did suggest, though, was to exclude "other characters & focus on you." As a light-skinned Fil-Am, it's important to me to uplift dark-skinned Filipinos, yet he was implying I should erase two characters that are my own IP—that’s not a legal issue.

It's hard not to believe Image's behavior is discriminatory, especially when there's a double standard. When Howard Chaykin's comic was criticized for being harmful towards trans women and Pakistani men, Image defended and celebrated him for making people "angry" and "uncomfortable." (https://www.polygon.com/2017/7/18/15960690/howard-chaykin-divided-states-of-hysteria-image-comic) Yet when a marginalized person speaks truth to power, speaks about the harm of anti-Asian narratives, it's condemned as unpublishable for being "angry" and "negative?" Suddenly Image's credo of publishing comics "no other publisher would dare take a risk on" no longer applies?

I was inspired to join Image years ago because two of its co-founders, Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio, are Asian. I wanted to pay that forward and use AMERICANIZASIAN to invite other creators of color to tell their story, but how can I invite anyone when my own story isn't wanted?

I still intend to publish AMERICANIZASIAN, but I need a publisher who is POC-friendly and supports the book's message and tone. In the meantime, I need your support. I’ve been putting out these strips for free for 3 years, and was counting on book sales as a source of income.

Speaking out about this is risky and terrifying, but silence would only add to the pain this has caused. So if you've enjoyed my comics, please pledge to my Patreon and/or donate via PayPal so that I can continue making them.

For the final day of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, we are featuring a service record from our National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.

Hazel Ying Lee was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1912. In 1933, she became one of the first Chinese-American women to receive a pilot's license.

That same year, she moved to China to help defend the country from attacks by Japan. She attempted to join the Chinese air force that year and again in 1937, but was rejected both times. However, she was able to fly for private airlines and became an experienced pilot.

In this photo, President Truman salutes members of the 442nd Color Guard on the Ellipse in Washington, DC, in July of 1946.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team fought primarily in the European Theater. The unit was mostly composed of Japanese Americans, many with families in internment camps.

About 14,000 men served in the 442nd, and were awarded 9,486 Purple Hearts, seven Presidential Unit Citations, and 21 Medals of Honor.

it’s an honor just to be asian.