Thread by @Joshua_Luna

Thread: For #APAHM I'd hoped to announce the release date of AMERICANIZASIAN, a book collecting my online comic strips about Filipino American & Asian American identity & experiences, but since my publisher @ImageComics doesn't seem comfortable publishing it, I need your help. 1/

When I pitched AMERICANIZASIAN, a Partner compared it to a female cartoonist's collection of political cartoons—many of which are anti-Trump—& described both of our books as "angry" & with "no story for people to relate to," implying her book was a mistake & mine would be too. 2/

The Partner—a white man—said my work should be "more positive" & implied that my AsAm experience would be more relatable if it was like PEN15, a show that reminds his half-Japanese wife of her childhood (the protagonist is half-white, half-Japanese—I'm neither, I'm Filipino). 3/

He showed my strips to AsAms he knew, incl. 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 & every fan who's explicitly told me they want to buy this book (most are Asian/POC & educators). 4/

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. 5/

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 & got a lawyer. 6/

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. 7/

Two days later, I was informed that my bestselling comic previously published through Image would be removed from Comixology, & 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. 8/

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 & offered to modify them based on their recommendations, but they haven't been forthcoming with answers or guidance. 9/

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. 10/

It's hard not to believe Image's behavior is discriminatory, esp. when there's a double standard. When Howard Chaykin's comic was criticized for being harmful towards trans women & Pakistani men, Image defended & celebrated him for making people "angry" & "uncomfortable." 11/

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" & "negative?" Suddenly Image's credo of publishing comics "no other publisher would dare take a risk on" no longer applies? 12/

I was inspired to join Image years ago because two of its co-founders, Jim Lee & Whilce Portacio, are Asian. I wanted to pay that forward & 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? 13/

I still intend to publish AMERICANIZASIAN, but I need a publisher who is POC-friendly & 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. 14/

Speaking out about this is risky & 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.
patreon.com/joshualuna
paypal.me/JoshuaLunaComi… 15/15