Marvel's white editor apologizes for his fake persona as a Japanese author

MARVEL'S new editor-in-chief issued a statement last weekend in The Atlantic apologizing for pretending to be a comics author of Japanese descent and playing that character off as real.

After two weeks when his indiscretion was exposed, the controversy hasn't died down prompting C.B. Cebulski to issue an apology for using the pseudonym Akira Yoshida for in 2005 to sell stories to Marvel comics.

Cebulski is off to a rough start in his new position as Marvel's new editor-in-chief after it was revealed that he had been writing under the Japanese pseudonym Akira Yoshida. 

As Yoshida, he was praised for his ability to write for American audiences. 

C.B. Cebulski

“I stopped writing under the pseudonym Akira Yoshida after about a year,” Cebulski told Bleeding Cool, that broke the story on Nov. 28

The response from Asian and Asian/American writers was as it could be expected saying that the reason Marvel editors liked Yoshida's stories was because he "exoticized" his Asian characters by writing them as what white people expect Asians to be.

It should be noted that Cebulski admires Japanese culture, speaks the language and gathered his knowledge of samurais and ninjas by watching Akira Kurosawa movies.

In 2015, The New Yorker’s Hua Hsu observed that the poet Michael Derrick Hudson, who was criticized for publishing under the pseudonym Yi-Fen Chou, had engaged in the practice of “Orientalist profiteering.” 

“When it comes to such hoaxes,” Hsu wrote, “it seems somehow easier to fake Asia, a land still distant and inscrutable to many Americans; while other hoaxes work because of their thoroughness and care, the Asian-themed sort often get by with only a few details, as long as those details seem just ‘Asian’ enough.”

Although there are a couple of Asian/American writers in the business, most AAPI are employed as artists. Apparently, it is easier to draw characters of whatever color than to have stories with Asian themes.

Marvel is particularly sensitive to this with their Dr. Strange and Iron Fist as examples of white characters extracting freely from Asian cultures. Marvel has also created an alternative universe with a pantheon of superheroes of color in the lead roles including Kamala Khan, a Pakistani/American Muslim girl and the new Ms. Marvel; the queer Asian/American heroine Cindy Moon, who has the powers of Spiderman; or Ta-Nehisi Coates/Brian Stelfreeze’s Black Panther.

While the characters may be diverse racially and genderwise, the stories come from white authors with attitudes towards racial issues what they "think" a person of color would act or say.

And that's the crux of the anger directed towards Marvel and Cebulski. They might talk a good game about diversity, but they don't put it into practice.

Marvel hasn't issued an statement about the new editor-in-chief's insensitive impersonation. Cebulski issued this statement:

I’m truly sorry for the pain, anger, and disappointment I caused over my poor choice of pseudonym. That was never my intention. Throughout my career in anime, manga, and comics, I’ve made it a point to listen and learn from my mistakes, which is exactly what I’ve been trying to do with this misstep. Building honest relationships with creators has always been important to me, and I’ve continued to do that in my new position. I’ve spoken with talent close to this issue, and have had candid and productive conversations about how we can improve the industry and build better stories, while being mindful of the voices behind them. My passion has always been about bringing the best talent from across the world to work on the best stories in the world, and I’m hopeful that fans and creators alike will join us in that continued mission.

Nice words.  But those words are meaningless until Marvel lives up to its ideals in the real world.

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