There are some really amusing ones on YouTube. Many of them use the Secret Agent Man song as their theme. Here are some standouts:

Probably the most ambitious of the bunch. This team has created several episodes including an "Origin" episode. Done in a B+W film noir style, this pays the most homage to the spy/agent genre.

Here's an animation that looks like it was drawn by a three year old. But it manages to get in a bunch of pretty funny stuff in there.

This one looks to be a student project but the duotone colors and slick film style makes it almost pass for some indy Hong Kong flick. The dialog is pretty funny too.

This one I'm not sure what to think. I don't know if I should laugh (they flash movie critic quotes like "The flying-double-ass-kick is the sickest shit I've ever seen, son!" -some black guy from the street) or be offended (Secret Asian Man is a guy in a hideous ching-chong mask). And to top it off, they cut in footage of real violence like peope shooting themselves or being lit on fire. You've been warned.

A short slideshow of many different versions of Secret Azn Man. Some of the characters are pretty funny but the character itself reminds me of someone I've seen before...

And finally this white-guy-in-a-ninja-suit one. Definitely some time and effort put into it and it uses the Benny Hill theme song so how bad can these guys be? This one could have probably been half the length.

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12.6.07 comment
Look! It's real!
There are many mythical figures and rarities in the world. The Lochness Monster. Big Foot. Good supermarket sushi. Over the years I've scoured the globe to try and document one of the rarest sights in the world. The black girl/asian guy couple! I've seen a few in my life but was never able to capture the anomaly on film. Until now! Thanks to Alison and Shinobu for sending in their photo. I hope this will inspire others to send in their pictures of this rare combination. In all seriousness, if I get enough of these photos I just might set up a page on the site dedicated to these couples!

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12.4.07 comment
Romper Stomper
So here I am, defender of racial equality and cultural understanding. So why the hell do I love the movie Romper Stomper? It was on the other night and it reminded me how much I love it. I remember seeing it years ago and being blown away by the sheer brutality of it. But there's a lot more to the film than the boot kicks, swinging chains and the swarm of "gooks" converging on the skinhead HQ. The lifestyle the skinheads lead reminds me of the few post-college years I spent sporting a mohawk and going to hardcore shows in Boston. Now, I was far from a skinhead and we didn't go around beating the crap out of people but the parts of the movie about jumping around at a party, getting loaded and listening to the fastest, hardest music we could find harken me back to those good old salad days. I miss my combat boots...

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12.2.07 comment
The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters
I wish I could take credit for this but I could hardly do better than the folks at Cracked.com. Check out the winners. While you're at it, why not check out the 25 Most Baffling Toys from Around the World and this golden goodie.

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11.21.07 comment
Angry Asian Men Unite!
Kevin Chong over at CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) just got his piece "All the rage: Trackng the trend of angry Asian Men" published. Check it out. There are some really good quotes from people like filmmaker Tetsuro Shigematsu (Yellow Fellas), Eric Nakamura (Giant Robot) and me!

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11.16.07 comment
Deck Hit
Good times at the Hit the Deck skate board art show last night. Great to see everyone out despite the raw weather. Lots of great pieces. The show is traveling on to Burlington, VT then onward all over the world.

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11.13.07 comment
Veterans Day
I know I'm a little late but there are a couple of things I wanted to post regarding some of the people who have served our country who have not received the recognition they deserve.

Nisei WWII Stamp Campaign
Please support the national campaign to issue a commemorative stamp for the Japanese Americans who fought for the United States during WWII. While a commemorative postage stamp is a small gesture to honor these soldiers, it is a gesture worth supporting. Find out more about the Nisei WWII Stamp Campaign and be sure to sign the online petition.

Full Equity Now
The 1946 Rescission Act took away the U.S. veterans status promised to Filipino soldiers fighting for the United States. Please support the efforts to give these veterans the status they have been waiting over 60 years for. So how can you help?

1. Contact your members of Congress: FAX letters, call, and e-mail your Senators and Representatives. Call on them to cosponsor the Filipino Veterans Equity Act (S. 1315 and HR 760) and to move the bill forward.

2. Contact the Senate and House Leadership: Even if you are not in their district, the leadership of the House and Senate need to hear that this is a priority for the ENTIRE COMMUNITY!

You can find your member of Congress by calling the Capitol Hill Switchboard at 202-224-3121. More information about the House and Senate can be found on-line at http://thomas.loc.gov

While you're at it, check out this PSA from Kid Heroes Productions.

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11.10.07 comment
Well, the whirlwind southern tour is in the can. Thanks to all the wonderful people at the University of Florida, James Madison University in Virginia and Baylor University in Texas. Y'all were great!

I got to see some places that I've been wanting to see and had a lot of experiences I would otherwise never have had. I'm very excited about the south and have a renewed interest in connecting more with our friends there.

Funny thing, some of the highlights of my trip came in conversations with the drivers that brought me back and forth from the airports and universities. These people were not part of any Asian American group. They were hometown people who just worked or owned a car service in the places I went. My ride in Virginia was an hour each way and the ride from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Waco was about two hours so I had plenty of time to talk to these fine folks and there was hardly a silent minute. Both were older white men. My driver in Virginia was very laid back and conversational. If he spoke long enough I think he could have lulled me to sleep, not that he was boring. He just had a very calm demeanor. Once we got the small talk about sports, the weather and the local sites out of the way we got into conversations about local racial issues, immigration, drug reform and small town economy and politics. He told me the story about a friend who was arrested for having a joint back in the 60's and received a seven year sentence. He said he came out, no one would hire him because of the spot on his record, never could get a good job, became sickly and died at 50.

My driver in Texas was a lot more animated. He had a slight slur on top of the Texas accent and all my Texan stereotypes immediately came rushing forward. I expected an aggressive, Bible thumping Republican who had a gun under his front seat. Not sure about the gun but I was very surprised at the man's views on religion, immigration (he used to drive buses that dropped illegals off at the border), law enforcement (he used to be a police officer) and (yet again) drug reform. When he started a sentence with "You know, there's got to be about 30,000 illegals in Dallas." I was expecting a landslide of "Go back to Mexico" statements. Instead he said, "They should help them find housing, teach them job skills and offer them English lessons. Then we could stop spending money driving them back to the border over and over again or putting them in jail where we have to pay for them to be in there! At least then we could get tax money out of them!" It was a very practical idea.

Happy to be back although I feel crappy that I missed the biggest party of the year at the Dig (newspaper where I art direct). I'm sure I'll hear the stories. Only got to read half of Frank Wu's Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White on my trip but so far it's a pretty interesting read. Lots of great insights and ahead-of-the-curve thinking regarding race relations. It also got me a lot of odd looks on planes and at airports.

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10.30.07 comment
Crazy, crazy, crazy
A lot going on right now between some big issues at the Weekly Dig where I'm the art director, putting together the November issue of BeerAdvocate Magazine where I am also the art director, coming down off the Red Sox winning the World Series, getting ready for a solid week of speaking engagements and gearing up for trick-or-treating tomorrow! And you know what? I love it! So real quick...

Winston-Salem Journal Interview
That interview I mentioned a couple weeks ago is now online.

Yellow
Got my copy of Frank H. Wu's Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White. Looking forward to reading this on my travels next week and scaring people around me.

Nile in Allston, MA
Boston folks, go and check out this new hookah lounge in Allston called Nile with tasty snacks, wide screen TVs, assorted teas and shisha. It's a pretty chill spot to hang out and my wife has some really cool paintings on the walls too!

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10.25.07 comment
GO SOX!!!

Hit the Deck!
Thursday, November 15 at the Estate in Boston I'll be in a group skateboard art show called Hit the Deck. Graffiti writers, graphic designers, clothing designers and fine artists are all going to throw down and showcase our work on skate decks. Check out the line up.

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10.19.07 comment
The Civil Tour 2007!
I've recently finalized a string of speaking engagements in three southern states that I am dubbing The Civil Tour. I'm very excited to meet all the students and the people in the towns and cities I'll be visiting. I'm especially excited to be speaking at some states that I haven't been to since my family drove around the country in a little green camper van when I was five years old. Here's the itinerary:
November 6 - University of Florida in Gainesville, FL
As part of their Kaleidoscope month celebrations.
1:30pm lecture/visual presentation/Q+A
November 7 - James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA
For the Center for Multicultural/International Student Services
7pm lecture/Q+A and dinner
November 8 - Baylor University in Waco, TX
For their Asian Festival banquet
7pm lecture/Q+A and reception

I'm looking around for any suggestions of cool things to do in any of those cities/towns as well as a good book to read while traveling. Any suggestions?

Winston-Salem Journal
At the end of the month SAM will start its one month tryout in North Carolina's Winston-Salem Journal. They are having a Test Comics section where they will rotate comics and perhaps pick them up long term based on reader response. If you're in the area and would love to see SAM daily, that would be the time to let them know!

Tori Amos
So I went and saw Tori Amos last night at the Orpheum here in Boston. It was an amazing show and made me jealous that I didn't have a vagina. As much as I enjoyed the show I just kept feeling that the women in the audience were somehow enjoying it more. The audience was a healthy mixture of young and not so young. I even saw a couple moms with their tween kids. There was also a good number of gay men and lesbians in the crowd. During the show my mind kept drifting as I wondered what is it about Tori Amos and her music that draws this kind of fan base? Is it her strong feminine presence? Is it the message of the music that somehow appeals to the feminine side of us all? Then I started to wonder what would be the male equivalent of that experience. Something a lot less ethereal and pretty I'm sure. Like a Metallica show during the 80's. Nothing wrong with that!

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10.14.07 comment
White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
What is it about depressing documentaries that I find irresistible? Well, my latest bender was Steven Okazaki's White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from HBO Documentary Films. 85 minutes of heart wrenching stories from atomic bomb survivors and stomach turning historical footage from ground zero. Why do I do this to myself?

By now, most people have heard the arguments for and against the use of the atomic bomb. This film doesn't harp on either side. It's a very straight-forward presentation of personal experiences from both the survivors as well as some of the crew of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. There really aren't any surprises here but what I thought was very interesting was seeing people from historical footage in the present day. One of the Hiroshima Maidens (25 women who were flown to NYC to receive free plastic surgery for their atomic bomb scarring) talked about her experiences and the life she may have had. Then there was a guy who had his medical treatments filmed while he was still a child. The look of utter agony on his face while the doctor's peeled back layers of gauze from what was left of his back at the same time, listening to him talk about how he begged the doctors to kill him was pretty powerful.

The strangest thing about this film was the lack of emotion from the people interviewed. I believe only one of the survivors actually shed a single tear. Equally strange were the dry responses from the Enola Gay flight crew. Responses like "I've never had a dream or a nightmare about this particular event". It almost seemed like people from both sides of the fence had developed personal defenses against the enormous emotional impact of the event. The survivors went on and on about all the people they saw die and the horrific conditions after the bomb with either a very matter-of-fact delivery or with nervous resolve. The flight crew seemed to have their lines pre-programmed and well rehearsed.

To anyone interested in learning more about this chapter of history I can't say I'd recommend this film. It's not a historical take on the bombings. It is however a very powerful collection of stories that help to humanize the event. If you're a glutton for emotional punishment, check this film out. Then go rent Grave of the Fireflies and try not to throw yourself in front of a train.

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10.13.07 comment
Go Blacklava!
Here's an interview with Blacklava founder Ryan Suda. The interview is from Fresh Off the Box. Ryan works with a lot of great people and produces shirts with an Asian American flair. See the whole interview here.

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10.7.07 comment
Just came back from a great trip to NYC. Hung out with my folks, saw some old friends, made some new ones. The opening of Finishing the Game was a lot of fun and an enthusiastic crowd was out front for multiple screenings at the IFC Center. It was good to see Justin Lin and Roger Fan again as well as meet Sung Kang for the first time. Some of the most down to Earth guys you'll ever meet. If you haven't seen it yet or it isn't showing at a theater near you, no fear. You can order it on On Demand! If you're curious to see a little more or Roger Fan, check out his short (no pun) film The Quest for Length.

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10.3.07 comment
Greatest Letter Ever!
I LOVE getting letters. Fan mail, hate mail, people calling me out on things... Every now and then I get a letter that goes that extra mile. Here's a recent one:

Hello, Mr. Toyoshima,

I just wanted to give you some praise on your comic strip, Secret Asian Man. I found the strip while browsing Comics.com and fell in love with it. On a whim, I googled the comic and found your website, which is just awesome.

Honestly, until I started following your strip, I didn't realize how badly Asian Americans were persecuted by other races. I knew there was racism and stereotyping that all races were forced to endure thanks to ignorance and basic human stupidity, but beyond the classic white vs. black and the persecution the Middle Eastern minorities go through since 9/11, I was pretty much in the dark. Well, it was more like I didn't realy give much thought to it. I lived in my own happy bubble in which I pretty much ignore the ugliness that often surrounds us all.

Yes, I'm a very ignorant and naive individual. But I was raised in such a way that I never really considered ethnicities, and until I became an adult and went into the "real world" I never encountered much more than the tension between whites and blacks, and even that was rare. (That's quite an achievement being that I live in south Mississippi and have since I was a kid.) But, really, I have had friends of all ethnicities all my life. I lived with my Vietnamese co-worker and her cousins for a couple years, winning quite a few laughs when everyone found out that Kim (me) wasn't Asian but white. My favorite boss of all time was a gay black man with a penchant for dressing in all things leather who use to tease me because I was the whitest white girl he knew. And though many of my friends are white, most of them part from the majority due to alternative life styles, and not the sort you can follow by dying your hair lime green or shopping at Hot Topic. There are countless more examples, but the point is, I just never thought in terms of skin color or religion or anything else, for that matter, and the only conflicts I ever encountered were the classic Southern battles between whites and blacks, which, by the way, is greatly exagerated north of the Mason-Dixon line, I promise you. Heck, the worst persecution I've encountered isn't over ethnicity at all, but religion! Your strip reminded me of the reality of the situation, though, at the same time bringing some humor back into my life at a time when I really needed it.

I directed some of my friends to the strip, and it's spreading like wildfire, at least amongst us. It's really a great strip. It's hilarious, and at the same time it brings out a lot of points I never really considered concerning racism. I really appreciate your honesty and your brilliance, and hope you keep up the good work. Furthermore, I wanted to let you know that you have broken ground and found firm footing in the Mississippi back woods. Hopefully we'll see your strip in publication down here!

Thanks for brining us all a little laughter,
~ Kim

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9.30.07 comment
October 2nd event in Harvard Square!
A last minute event has popped up for me and this one should be interesting. For everyone on the Boston area, come down to Rendang Asian Restaurant for their grand re-opening on Tuesday, October 2. Why? Well, besides the fact that they have tasty Malaysian/Thai food and cocktails there will be a video projection of classic Secret Asian Man strips on their flatscreens. I'll be on hand signing stuff and taking general abuse from the haters. And get this, they're even coming up with a drink in honor of Secret Asian Man for the night. Maybe it should be called the Red Face. I'd love to watch Asian people walk up to the bar all night asking "Can I get a Red Face?" The party goes from 8-11pm but you MUST RSVP. Just put Rendang Party in the subject line. Rendang is located at 57 JFK St. (second floor), Harvard Square, Cambridge.

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9.22.07 comment
Dr. Slump
When I was growing up I read a lot of comics. Some were good old super hero comics from Marvel. The other stuff I read was Japanese comics like Doraemon, Kamen-Raider and Raideen. But the Japanese comic that made the biggest impact on me had to have been Akira Toriyama's Dr. Slump. These days, Toriyama is probably known more for his manga Dragon Ball or video game character designs on Dragon Quest and Blue Dragon. But to me, Toriyama will always bring me back to being a kid, reading Dr. Slump. The series has been recently re-released through VIZ Media. Do yourself a favor and read this series. I have to admit, some of the humor doesn't translate well from Japanese to English but the artwork alone is worth it. If the chapter breaks and pin-ups look familiar to you, think Jamie Hewlett on Tank Girl (Gorillaz). If he wasn't doing his version of Toriyama it's a pretty freaky coincidence. I love Hewlett's work, I'm just sayin'...Check out the comparisons:

Tezuka Osamu
I've also read Tezuka Osamu's Apollo's Song. 544 pages of pretty intense reading with a cover design by Chip Kidd to boot. The artwork is so lively for straight black and white line art. And when it comes to detail, Osamu is a monster. Put it this way, the book opens with a shot of millions of sperm (in the form of humans) getting ready for the big race to fertilize an egg (in the form of a queen).

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9.13.07 comment
Wow! Two weeks without an update!
Am I a lazy ass or what? Actually, I was insanely busy for a spell there. A bunch of major projects and events have passed so I have a little breathing room again.

Cut & Paste - post-show update
Had a blast. Thanks to everyone who came out to this great event. It took all my willpower to not walk away with one of these Wacom Cintiq 21UX Pen-Based Displays. Here are some shots from the event. I'm the guy in the blue vintage SAM shirt.

WHDH-TV interview update
Did the taping for that Asian Focus program. Pretty cool. I was on with a local chef and a justice advocate who works with kids. The food smelled pretty tasty. The program won't air until late April 2008 so you have time to get your popcorn.

Fortune Hunters
I was contacted by filmmaker Thom Harp. He wrote a letter in response to some criticism SAM got in a paper in Washington. Turns out he made this cool short film called Fortune Hunters. It features Kelvin Yu, Jessica Skerrit and Gedde Watanabe. Check out the site and catch it at a film fest near you. While you're at it, check out this other short film by Harp called 8 Minutes to Love featuring Sandra Oh.

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8.31.07 comment
Work, work, work, work
Quick update then back the the grind! For everyone in Boston, I'll be taping for an episode of Asian Focus on WHDH-TV (NBC) the first week of September. I think it's a pre-recorded program so it should air shortly after that. SAM got picked up by a couple more papers too which is nice.

Cut & Paste
I'm also going to be judging a design competition called Cut & Paste. It has travelled around the world and now it is coming to Boston. Think Iron Chef for graphic designers, add some DJs and drinks for the crowd. It's going to be a great time. Saturday, September 8 at the Roxy (279 Tremont St., Boston). 6pm doors. $10 adv. tix/$15 at the door. 21+. Check it out.

Transformed
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I finally went and saw Transformers a couple weeks back. To everyone who said I should go and not worry about the commercialization of it, you were right. Good times. As soon as I heard Prime's voice, I was back. I wonder if George W. Bush got "Let's roll!" from the Transformers...

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8.21.07 comment
I haven't received any e-mails about this yet but thought I'd beat everyone to the punch and discuss: repeated strips. There have been a couple of older weekly strips that have been retooled to fit the Sunday comics format. Some literally re-pieced together others redrawn. I did this because they were strips that I was dying to get out in front of the daily comics crowd. Not getting lazy in my old age! Just thought I'd clear that up.

So there are a few movies out and soon to come out that are having some interesting effects on the Asian American community. People are in a tizzy about Rob Schneider's yellow face performance in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Despite his part Filipino heritage, Asians are calling him out left and right. I just keep thinking he was a host for AZN network's Asian Excellence Awards show just a little while ago. Then there's Balls of Fury. More fuel for the Asian frenzy. Christopher Walken playing a dude named Feng? Chinese dragon ladies? But then you look at the cast and there are people like Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Jason Scott Lee, James Hong, Masi Oka etc. in it. And who can forget Rush Hour 3? Well, I guess I can. How about Jet Li's Chinese vs. Japanese gang bang War? Then there are the returning heroes Harold & Kumar.

Whether or not you support these movies depends on personal limits. To me, these movies are small steps on a long journey towards a much better place. Like the first awkward steps of newborn fawn. Soon we'll have our legs under us and we'll be kicking much ass. But right now it looks like this is where at. At least in that part of the film industry. On the independent scene and internationally, I've seen more incredible looking films coming down the pipe than I've seen in a long time. Asian film festivals seem to be thriving and more and more Asian actors are landing better roles.

So love 'em or hate 'em, they are creating a lot of dialog. And dialog is always good.

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8.13.07 comment
Chinese products seem to be on everyone's minds lately. Millions of products recalled in the past few weeks. How many other products are potentially hazardous? We had some in our own house! But it makes me think long and hard about who is ultimately responsible. I can't imagine that Chinese factories want to spend more money to poison the rest of the world. What good would that do? There would be no one left to place big fat orders for plastic fast food toys. So I have to assume that money is a the root of this. Companies who have their products made in China do so because NO ONE can beat their price. Most products are not made in America because they are generally more expensive than what the majority of Americans are comfortable paying.

So am I blaming America for poisoning its own children? Of course not. I think we need to apply the same logic to this as we should for terrorism. That's right. The lines are drawn by ideology, not national boundaries. We're probably talking a few hundred people on both sides of the equation who are aware of what is really going on. And unfortunately it's all the rest of us who pay the price. Assholes come in all sorts of colors. That's really kind of gross.

If you've never heard of Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price, give it a few minutes of your time. It came out a while ago but it's eerie how relevant it is to this recent turn of events.

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8.9.07 comment
It was only a matter of time. Check out SAM on YouTube. Thanks to the King of K-Town.

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8.7.07 comment
Went to NYC this weekend to see my family and some old friends. Since the syndication, people from my past have been coming out of the woodwork! Friends from summer camp, elementary school, comic books shows…etc. Pretty cool.

While I was down in NYC, a few things helped me remember what a wacky city it really is:
- police show of force consisting of at least 50 cop cars rolling down Broadway, lights flashing
- Hare Krishna parade
- a really pissed off gothy/punk guy jumping up and down screaming at some kids “You stupid nigger! You stupid spic! You stupid heeb! I hate you all!” Meanwhile I’m thinking, “Then why are you in New York?”
- the guy in front of me didn’t exit out of his ATM bank transaction. The screen was asking “Another Transaction?”. I won’t front. I thought about it, but I did the right thing. I only took out a twenty.

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7.27.07 comment
Just a quick note about some recent coverage. I got a very nice write up at IMDiversity's Asian American Village. IMDiversity has been supporting SAM pretty much since the beginning and has a deep archive of strips. If you haven't checked out their site please do. There are tons of articles, columns and opinions to browse through. Plus, they're a job bank so go get a job while you're at it!

Also got a cool e-mail from the folks at the University of California at Riverside. SAM is their "Flavor of the Month"! Thanks guys!

If any of you are going to be at Comic-con on Saturday, be sure to get your butt to Comic Book Club. It's a live talk show that they will air from Comic-con. The show will feature Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett (Mystery Science Theater 3000) and Kevin Chesley (National Lampoon) all geeking out about comics. Plus a bunch of surprise guests! More info at their site. Saturday at 7:30-8:45PM, Room 5AB.

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7.24.07 comment
A week into the dailies and I'm feeling pretty good. I'm now up to pace with producing 7 strips a week (compared to the one a week I've been doing for years!). Been getting a lot of great feedback and support from readers (as well as a couple of fellow strip artists) from all over. Even got the obligatory hate mail. Yay!

So to the hordes of people heading out west to the San Diego Comic-Con International, I extend a heart-felt one finger salute. OK, fine, I'm just jealous. The last time my wife and I went to Comicon I was still inking for New England Comics' The Tick comic book which was, well, years ago. My favorite thing about that show is all the surreal experiences we had just walking the floor and walking around town after the show gets out. Most of the artists, writers and comic industry notables are staying right near the convention center so they are milling about town. For the most part, these are people that non-comic fans would think are everyday people, but if you are a comic geek, it's a pretty big deal to be crossing the street with Bernie Wrightson. As well as it being sad to see someone like Oscar nominated animator Bill Plympton standing around a bar with no one to talk to. I remember sitting at a sidewalk cafe and Peter David is sitting at a table when along comes Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) down the street. Or walking the floor and a soon-to-be Magneto Ian McKellen struts by. Glenn Danzig selling original comic art at a table under the name Sam Hain, Kevin Smith trying to break a 20 at the Oni Press booth.

And then there's my favorite story. I'm in the bathroom at Comicon (not a pleasant place really) at a urinal. I realize to the right of me is Chaos! Comics publisher Brian Pulido (kind of a big deal back then). Suddenly security rushes in and announces, "If you're not using the bathroom right now, get out!" Out of the corner of my left eye, I see something that resembles a heavily tattooed leg pull up beside my head. I chanced a peek and saw it was the WWF's Undertaker taking a leak right next to me. I would have paid someone to take a picture from behind right then. I definitely want to go again next year and bring the whole family!

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7.17.07 comment
Hi everyone. Judging by the traffic spike, a lot of new eyes are coming to see what SAM is all about so welcome and thanks for coming. I've been working on this strip since 1999 and a lot has changed for Asian Americans since then. We are a lot more visible in the mainstream media now (although we're not quite at the promised land yet). And with the addition of SAM to the line-up of comic strips available for daily syndication, we now have the first Asian American lead in a comic strip since the days of Bruce Lee (yes, he was Asian American) and Charlie Chan. Why is this a big deal? Maybe it isn't for some, but for me it's huge. And as one of those kids who grew up wondering where the Asian faces were in comics, besides the wonderful role model Ming the Merciless (WARNING! Rated R link!) it is an honor to provide one.

At the same time, I am prepared to face the doubtless waves of scrutiny and criticism from Asians and non-Asians alike. Good thing I developed a thick skin growing up in New York City (Hi, Mom and Dad!). Some of the most common criticism comes from people who feel that the strip is where it is because of what it represents and not based on the quality of it. I think the strip is where it is because it speaks to a wider audience than most people assume it does. At first I also thought that SAM's readers would be only Asian Americans and people who are into anime culture. But as the strip continued and the readership grew, I was amazed to see the range of the audience. I was also amazed to see the wealth of knowledge and the strength of opinions readers had. Those are the best kinds of readers.

I welcome letters correcting erroneous strips as well as ones telling me flat out that I have no idea what I'm talking about. To me this strip is an invitation for dialog. The last thing I want to do is stand at a podium and talk at you (like I'm doing right now). Over the next few month I'll be changing this site to accommodate more dialog to allow readers, and myself, an opportunity to express their opinions and mix it up a little. Instead of feeling snubbed after reading a strip on the train and left to angrily yell at the paper like that guy I saw do the other day (write me, dude!).

So again, welcome and please browse the site, read older weekly strips and tell me what you think. Thanks. --TAK

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7.10.07 comment

Italians eating at an Italian place, Chinese eating at a Chinese place. It’s a universal truth. It’s a sure sign of quality. Or at least it’s a sure sign that if you do not belong to said ethnicity you will NOT like the food because it is different than what you’ve grown accustomed to that food tasting like.

Well, we’re a week away from the daily launch and realty is quickly closing in. I’ve reduced my hours at the newspaper where I’m the art director to give myself more time to focus on the strip. I’m very grateful to be able to do that. Not many places would be that supportive and I thank everyone at the Weekly Dig for that.

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7.03.07 comment

I was so excited to see the Transformers movie. When I first heard about it a year ago I was pumped. Then I saw sneak peeks of CGI animatics and I was super pumped. But now I've been crushed to death by the massive merchandising and commercialization of the movie that I don't even want to see it anymore. What the hell is that?! I feel like I deserve a refund for something I didn't see. A film like, say, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, I expect to stink like butt thunder so hit me all you want with dumb advertising and marketing. But I felt like the mighty Transformers were safe from all that and remained pure like they did when I was a kid. Back then all they had were toys, lunch boxes, sleeping bags, t-shirts, Halloween costumes, comic books, pencils, dinnerware, stickers, posters, read-a-long books with records, hats, iron-ons, View Masters and breakfast cereal. Life was so simple back then.

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6.26.07 comment

The case of Vincent Chin has brought together a community that was, at the time of the incident, very fractured. 25 years later, the Asian American community bursts with collective pride, a greater feeling of identity and sense of advocacy that is sure to bring great changes in the next 25 years. Great role models and positive media images continue to spring up despite the occasional jackass radio DJ skit or bad stand-up comedy routine. But we're definitely not out of the woods by a long shot, folks. Let's be careful out there.

6.19.07 comment

Gay voice. It's when people who would otherwise speak normally suddenly make their speech super effeminate in the company of a gay person. Occasionally accompanied by prancing and a limp wrist wave. On the one hand I can see it being highly annoying having to put up with that. On the other hand I've definitely seen/heard (usually) gay men use it on each other as well as straight people. I feel like it's different than, say, Chinese voice, when people start rolling their "R"s and bowing a lot. Somehow that seems more offensive. Or Black voice, when sentences become riddled with "Na'm mean?" and "Na'm sayin'?" Or Latino voice when in the middle of a completely American sounding sentence, a perfectly pronounced Spanish word/name pops in.

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6.12.07 comment

United Features has released the official press release for Secret Asian Man going daily. It’s still a strange feeling to think it’s that close to becoming a reality. There’s even a paper in my neck of the woods that will start carrying it. This year is going to be a year of challenges and changes. Thanks to all of you who have been supporting the strip for years and to those who criticize me, disagree with me and tell me I’m a moron. I look forward to hearing more of the same in the future.

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6.5.07 comment

Anybody else think it’s weird that there has to be an ethnic food aisle? Why can’t the Jolly Green Giant get along with Goya? Why can’t Rice-a-Roni hang with arroz con pollo? I have a dream that one day noodles will be judged not by their names, but by the content of their packaging. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Well, D-Day (Daily Day) is just around the corner and things are really gearing up. Monday, July 16, the first daily strip should be hitting the streets and I couldn’t be more excited. If you want to see SAM in your town, keep your eyes open for reader polls and suggestion forms in your local daily paper or their web site. They do care what you think but the last thing they want is an avalanche of unsolicited e-mails and phone calls. Thanks a lot.

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5.30.07 comment

Marketing is a weird thing. It’s the business version of profiling. Whenever I get SPAM in my inbox or special offers from companies, I often wonder if they knew I was Asian because the faces on the images tend to be Asian. I get online banking offers, personals sites and retailers with happy Asian people enjoying their product or service. Has anyone else noticed this? The only thing I can think is that since my name is pretty Asian sounding, companies can somehow come up with a filter that recognize names with Asian roots and custom SPAM us. Gee, who's paranoid?

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5.22.07 comment

Anyone ever been to a multi-cultural conference? I’ve been to a few now and I always get the same feeling when I go to them. On the one hand I am very happy to be there, supporting very friendly and enthusiastic students and colleagues. I keep thinking that the next Mike Honda or Helen Zia could be standing right next to me and it makes me feel proud to be a part of it all. Then on the other hand, I keep asking myself why so many people are bothering to gather to discuss each other’s Asianess. Do we want to be treated just like anyone else or do we want special treatment for being Asian? I’m guilty of wanting to be treated like anyone else except for when being Asian somehow benefits me. Never said I was perfect. That could take days to achieve!

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5.16.07 comment
Today I had a really weird experience. I actually felt at peace with the state of Asian Americans. I didn’t feel insecure. I didn’t feel hated, shunned or marginalized. I had some really good conversations with good people about what it’s like to be marginalized and heard other people’s perspectives. I think what made me feel at peace was realizing that EVERYONE can feel marginalized. We are no different because of how we look, what religion we follow or what sports team we root for. We are individuals with an infinite number of personal experiences that inform how we choose to live our lives.

That being said…I hope Jerry Falwell is having a great time at that big gay pride parade in the sky.

5.9.07 comment

Well folks, it’s Asian American month and a lot has happened since the last one. Some good, some really, really bad. If I had to give the past year a grade, it would be a solid B. Why? Mostly because of the anti-AA stories that keep popping up, and there have been two kinds: Outright violence towards Asians and mainstream pokes at Asians by public figures. The upshot to all this has been the steadily quickening response time Asians are exhibiting against anti-Asian violence and sentiment. Instant Internet letter campaigns, more Asian writers in mainstream papers and good old-fashioned demonstrations are becoming more and more common. So for that, Asian Americans get an A.

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5.2.07 comment

Ever since I was a little kid, I always wondered about women who wore veils. First it was the occasional Bugs Bunny cartoon when he dressed up like a harem girl and seduced Elmer Fudd. Then came I Dream of Jeannie. Years later, now I have a more mature interest. I was watching a documentary series the other day and it explored many facets of the Muslim culture. The most fascinating to me were the stories of the American Muslims. From the first mosque in the Western Hemisphere built in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (!) in 1934 to a modern Muslim family with a devout son, a liberal daughter and another daughter who runs a pizza shop. Then came the inspiration for the past two strips: A young woman wearing a niqab talking like a mall rat. It blew my mind. It was like the first time I saw an Asian stand up comedian talk with a southern accent.

So like I mentioned, I went to Bermuda for a family wedding. Great time except for the kid throwing up one morning. Even on a vacation, my race-dar was in full effect. I immediately noticed the division of color. Black people were our cab drivers, bell hops, room service, housekeeping and food servers. White people were our front desk concierge, waiters, bartenders and spa staff. Front of house jobs were white. Back of house jobs were black (or Filipino like our house keeping lady who asked me if I was Chinese and told me about her four children she left in the Philippines to work at the hotel). But I have to say that the division between tourist spots and native neighborhoods seemed a lot less apparent than in, say, the Bahamas. In Bermuda, regular working class neighborhoods were spread all throughout the island, not ghettoed off. I still clearly remember being in the Bahamas in search of a beer and ending up in a little village in the middle of the woods at night surrounded by pink shacks, young children and roaming chickens with a drunk, insane Bahamian trying to throw a 10 pound rock at us. Good times.

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4.24.07 comment
Just a quick update this week. Off to Bermuda for a wedding and to work on a bitchin’ tan. Have a great week.

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4.17.07 comment
What did I say about a slow news week? So much for comedic timing. And of course on Wednesday Ed Lover aired a game called "Are You Smarter Than an Asian" on Power 105.1 in NYC. More flied lice jokes and kung fu music. I swear people are just pushing Asians as far as we'll go until something bad happens. And speaking of bad things...

There's not much one can say about the Virginia Tech massacre except that it's one the most horrible things I've ever had the displeasure of seeing and reading about. The shock waves are making their rounds to bloggers, opinion writers, student groups, national security and ethnic organizations. When the news came out that the shooter was identified as an Asian male I wasn't sure what to think. The first thing I thought of was Wayne Lo. Anyone remember him? He went on a shooting rampage back in 1992 at Simon's Rock College in Massachusetts. He killed 2 and injured 4. He's even got this creepy website where he's trying to redeem himself by selling merch and giving the money to the families of the slain. I'll never forget that picture of him in the courtroom with his shaved head and Sick of It All t-shirt, especially since I liked that band at the time.

As news reports begin to crazy glue "South Korean immigrant" in front of the Virginia Tech shooter's name, I cringe. There is a lot of attention being paid to this fact. It is an important detail but one that has a potentially polarizing effect if presented irresponsibly. Mix that with a developing White House immigration draft that will take away the right of legal immigrants to sponsor their relatives and bring them to the states and it could have disastrous results. On the flip-side, Asians (myself included) are fixating on the Asian angle of the story. Most are concerned about how this will effect them personally and the general image people have of Asians. Make no mistake, with this horrible incident, our image has been altered forever. The stereotype of the quiet Asian student will now have a bloody footnote attached. Does this mean your long time friends are going to suddenly treat you differently or avoid you when you're depressed? No. But I'll bet money that this image of the ticking time bomb is going to show up as a new stereotype for the Asian male:
"Hey, let's get that guy."
"Who? The quiet Chinese kid in the corner? No way, I ain't messing with him."
I'm telling you. It's gonna happen.

Oddly I think those who were there and are closest to the incident will think about the race angle the least. To them the event must be so horrible and traumatic that it transcends such pity details and all that remains is the realization that humans can be very frail and very dangerous. My heart goes out to all of the families and my hope goes out to all those who will handle the aftermath of this tragedy responsibly.

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4.10.07 comment

It's weird to share a birthday with an event that's so messed up. Ten years later, the whole Denny's incident still lives on. If you want the whole story and then some, just check out this link.

Are there more hate crimes against Asians or am I just more aware of them? Thanks to a bunch of great sites, publications and organizations, I feel like I know so much more about the Asian American community than I ever have. But for every Asian actor that gets on screen or elected into office, I feel like there is a hate crime or two to counter balance it. We are at a place in history where Asians are becoming a lot more visible in the media but at the same time, being victimized a lot more openly. Rosie O'Donnell, professional sports coaches, politicians, stereotypical commercials, radio DJs, that cky Chinese rap song... It just keeps coming. I'm hoping that this is just stupid people getting it out of their system. The insults and mockery are pretty played out. Nothing new or even inventive. At the end of the tunnel will be...well, probably more of the same.

All I gotta say to those people is this: Keep doing what you gotta do and so will we. Eventually people will get tired of the same old crap you dish out and realize we have a lot more to offer them than your ignorance. Hell, it's already begun. You can feel it, can't you?

4.2.07 comment

Well, the Sox are off to a pretty crappy start but the home opener is just around the corner and Dice-K fever is in full effect. There are even billboards around Boston, written in Japanese, welcoming Daisuke Matsuzaka. It's kinda weird. In this very Irish town, a Japanese hero is coming to shake things up. One of the stranger things I've noticed is that suddenly all the Japanese restaurants and sushi bars are starting to advertise more. Now to see if Dice-K lives up to the $100 million price tag.

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3.27.07 comment

If you haven't been following the debacle involving Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, here's the gist: Abe is claiming that the Japanese government had no part in facilitating the forced recruitment of hundreds of thousands of women from Korea, China and South East Asia (along with women from many other non-Asian countries) to become "comfort women" (sex slaves for Japanese soldiers) during WWII. Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) has called for an official apology from the Japanese government partially in response to the testimony of three women who brought their story to the US House of Representatives. Abe's initial refusal enraged the international community. On Monday 3/26, Abe did, under harsh questioning in parliament, apologize:

"I express my sympathy for the hardships they suffered and offer my apology for the situation they found themselves in. As the prime minister, I am apologizing here."

Not everyone is buying it.

Meanwhile, at the six party talks in Seoul, Korea, Japan is refusing to participate in the energy assistance program for North Korea in exchange for shutting down its nuclear operations. Why? Because of a controversy involving the abduction of Japanese citizens by the Koreans during the 70's and 80's. Japanese officials believe there are more abductees than the 13 North Korea has owned up to. More fuel to the fire. Now North Korea doesn't want Japan in the six party talks at all. Wonder if the creature from The Host will ever fight Godzilla?

Speaking of movies, at least SIX(!) movies about the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers at Nanking are in the works. Actually, one is about writer Iris Chang and another will show that it never happened.

All this digging up the past is really going to do a number on Japan's international image, despite it's now recovering economy. This is going to be an interesting year for Japan. Let's hope cooler heads prevail.

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3.20.07 comment

What's going on with all the Asians in the news?! How's a guy supposed to be invisible in society with all this racket! We're just a bunch of attention getting boat-rockers. This is killing our stereotype folks. Soon we'll become inefficient, lazy workers and all the chicks will want us. Horrors. HORRORS!

Here's some of that news: A racial beating, Ted Turner's "Chinaman" remark, the latest on Lt. Ehren Watada, and some heavy duty denial.

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3.13.07 comment

So I'm hearing good things about the movie The Host. To be honest I thought it was just another Asian horror flick but researching the back story of the plot has been very interesting. Back in 2000, 480 bottles (about 20 gallons) of formaldehyde and methanol were poured down the drain by a civilian worker at a U.S. military base in South Korea. Those chemicals ended up in the Han River. That's pretty much where things start getting messy. South Koreans were bullshit because, well, Americans just poured cancer causing formaldehyde in their drinking water! Who wouldn't be miffed. But at the same time, it seemed that South Koreans themselves were dumping hundreds of tons of raw sewage and other harmful chemicals into the river as well with very little press or protest about it. Some say the anti-U.S. flames are being purposely fueled by groups taking advantage of the incident and is being blown way out of proportion. South Koreans get bottled water delivered to their homes and locals refuse to fish in the river because they already know it is contaminated way before the formaldehyde incident. Now, I don't live in South Korea and it's hard to figure out how all this will be resolved so go see some monster action!

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3.6.07 comment

On my travels I had another weird experience. I sat in the back of the plane next to an Asian guy and in front of an Asian couple. It was one of those moments that made me feel hyper aware that I was Asian. I kept wondering if the flight attendants thought we were together. Silly, but it happens.

So I got to sit down and have coffee with none other than Angry Asian Man. He was in Boston doing a panel over at Harvard Law. If you're not familiar, do yourself a favor and check out his amazing site. We talked about a bunch of stuff that I swear made a few people turn around.

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2.27.07 comment

I want to thank all the great people at the FUEL Leadership conference at the University of Maryland for inviting me down to speak. It was great to meet you all. Send those photos! Join MySpace! Buy t-shirts!

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2.20.07 comment

Gong Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year! As you can see by the Rosie O'Donnell mask, it is the year of the pig. My apologies to all the other pigs out there. Wait, I'm a pig too!

Well, I'm off to the University of Maryland to speak at the FUEL 2007 Leadership conference this week. Maybe I'll see you there. I plan to make a bombshell of an announcement there. I'll be making it here as well in next week's update.

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2.13.07 comment

This is actually a strip from a few years back but I still love it. People with disabilities rarely get any representation and when they do, it's usually only because they have a disability. I often wonder what some people have to go through to get through the day: Broken elevators, having to call a transport van for subway systems that can't accomodate wheelchairs, stares from children. But at least there has been a wheelchair bound president of the United States. That's one over women and minorities.

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2.6.07 comment

This strip is for all the interracial couples out there. You know you do it too. You see them from across the street. They are your dopplegangers, your evil twins. You are to them what they are to you. They have the same conversation afterwards as you do:
"Did you see them?"
"Yeah, I saw them."
"Do you think we look like that?"
"Hell, no. We're much better looking."

Later in the relationship you'll start to notice interracial kids. Then the conversation goes:
"Did you see that little boy?"
"Yeah, I saw him."
"Do you think our children will look like that?"
"Hell, no. They'll be much better looking."

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1.30.07 comment

Planning a pretty extensive retool of this site. It's going to be a lot more community based so people can interact better. Not sure how I'm going to fit that in with everything else going on but it'll happen.

Had a really weird scare here in Boston that turned out to be pretty damn funny. Police thought there were bombs stashed around the city when they received a call about an unusual box with wires hanging out of it. Turns out they were these light up signs for Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force. It's almost like we WANT to have a terrorist attack so we could have something to talk about.

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1.23.07 comment

How much do you really know about the Muslim religion? One of my New Years resolutions was to learn as much as I could about cultures I know next to nothing about. The Muslim culture is one of the tops on my list. Anyone have any good book recommendations? And speaking of books...

Read a cool book called Dear Miss Breed by Joanne Oppenheim. Basically, it's a collection of letters written by interned Japanese American students during WWII to their teacher Clara Breed. It's fascinating to see the letters grammatically degrade from a lack of the student's formal schooling. These personal accounts really bring the whole experience to life. I got it as a Christmas present and I'd highly recommend it.

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1.16.07 comment

The strip pretty much says it all. Three pretty influential Asians have passed away. To me the biggest suprise was Iwao Takamoto. Not that his passing was a suprise but how deeply involved he was with so many of the cartoons that I grew up with. So many to name, just check out his IMDb bio. Read more about him here. Then to top it all off the guy was interned at Manzanar during WWII, where he learned to draw. In a weird way, had America not been so paranoid, we may never have had Scooby Doo.

Momofuku Ando, I wouldn't have made it through college without you. In the words of Bong Soo Han as Dr. Klahn in The Kentucky Fried Movie, “We are building a fighting force of extraordinary magnitude. We forge our tradition in the spirit of our ancestors. You have our gratitude.”

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1.09.07 comment
In yet another example of self-segregation, www.aznspace.com gives Asian Americans a place to huddle and socialize. Looks like it's still being developed but after taking a quick spin around I just can't help but to think this is a step in the wrong direction. I understand the desire to come together as a group, whatever that group may be. I understand why there are on-campus ethnic student groups. Hell, I'm speaking at an Asian Leadership Conference in about a month! My brain tells me it's fine but my gut tells me it's wrong. Anyone out there a member? I'm going to stick to good ol' MySpace.

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1.04.07 comment

Sorry about the studdering updates. Holidays always mess with my schedule. My resolutions for this year include big plans for SAM. Keep checking in for updates. I'm also planning a pretty substantial change to the site. All in due time.

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