Tag Archives: harmony becker

Preview: It Rhymes With Takei

Posted on by

It Rhymes With Takei

George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger
ISBN 9781603095747 | $29.99 (US)
Full-color | HC | 6.5” x 9” | 336 pages | For young adults and up (13+)

A new full-color graphic memoir from the team behind George Takei’s award-winning bestseller They Called Us Enemy, telling the untold story of George’s journey from closeted actor to international gay icon. It Rhymes With Takei​ offers an unprecedented view into the heart of this beloved star and a celebration of the warp-speed changes he has witnessed in one lifetime.

It Rhymes With Takei

George Takei announces a new graphic memoir It Rhymes With Takei

Posted on by

Top Shelf Productions has announced It Rhymes With Takei — a new full-color graphic memoir from the team behind George Takei’s award-winning bestseller They Called Us Enemy, telling the untold story of his journey from closeted actor to international gay icon. Scheduled for publication in June 2025, It Rhymes With Takei will offer an unprecedented view into the heart of this beloved star and a celebration of the warp-speed changes he has witnessed in one lifetime.

George Takei has shown the world many faces: actor, author, outspoken activist, helmsman of the starship Enterprise, living witness to the internment of Japanese Americans, and king of social media. But until October 27, 2005, there was always one piece missing — one face he did not show the world. There was one very intimate fact about George that he never shared… and it rhymes with Takei.

Now, for the first time ever, George Takei shares the full story of his life in the closet, his decision to come out as gay at the age of 68, and the way that moment transformed everything. Following the phenomenal success of his first graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, Takei reunites with the team of Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger, now joined by the award-winning colorist José Villarrubia, for a jaw-dropping new testament. From his earliest childhood crushes and youthful experiments in the rigidly conformist 1950s, to global fame as an actor and the paralyzing fear of exposure, to the watershed moment of speaking his truth and becoming one of the most high-profile gay men on the planet, It Rhymes With Takei presents a sweeping portrait of one iconic American navigating the tides of LGBTQ+ history.

Combining historical context with intimate subjectivity, It Rhymes With Takei shows how the personal and the political have always been intertwined. Its richly emotional words and images depict the terror of entrapment even in gay community spaces, the anguish of speaking up for so many issues while remaining silent on his most personal issue, the grief of losing friends to AIDS, the joy of finding true love with Brad Altman, and the determination to declare that love openly — and legally — before the whole world. 

Looking back on his astonishing life on both sides of the closet, George Takei now presents a charismatic and candid witness to how far America has come…and how precious that progress is. 

It Rhymes With Takei

7th Annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics nominees announced

Posted on by
Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics

The Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics has revealed the highly-anticipated finalists for the prestigious 7th annual prize.

The Selection Committee included new judge, David F. Walker, co-creator (with Brian Michael Bendis) of DC Comics’ and The CW’s Naomi McDuffie, so named in honor of Mr. McDuffie.

The NOMINEES for the 7th Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics are:

  • Adora and the Distance
    Writer: Marc Bernadin, Artist: Ariela Kristantina
  • Himawari House
    Writer & Artist: Harmony Becker
  • Swim Team
    Writer & Artist: Johnnie Christmas
  • Nuclear Power
    Writers: Desirée Proctor & Erica Harrell, Artist: Lynne Yoshii
  • Girl Haven
    Writer: Lilah Sturges, Artist: Meaghan Carter

The winner will be announced, in a virtual ceremony, by returning MC, actor Phil LaMarr, who voiced both heroes Static/Virgil and John Stewart/Green Lantern in the animated Warner Bros.’ series Static Shock and Justice League Unlimited, written and produced by Mr. McDuffie.

Past Winners:

  • 2020 – They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott and
    Harmony Becker.
  • 2019 – Archival Quality, written by Ivy Noelle Weir & illustrated by Christian “Steenz”
    Stewart (Oni Press)
  • 2018 – Leon: Protector of the Playground, written & illustrated by Jamar Nicholas
    (Kids Love Comics)
  • 2017 – Upgrade Soul, written & illustrated by Ezra Claytan Daniels
  • 2016 – Ms. Marvel, written by G. Willow Wilson & illustrated by Adrian Alphona (Marvel
    Entertainment)
  • 2015 – M.F.K. written & illustrated by Nilah Magruder (www.mfkcomic.com)

2021 Selection Committee

The 2021 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics’ selection committee, led by industry legend, Marv Wolfman, consists of 10 prominent comics and animation professionals who personally knew and worked with Mr. McDuffie and/or have demonstrated a serious commitment to his vision of excellence and inclusiveness on the page and behind the scenes.

Colleen Doran is a cartoonist, writer/artist whose works include writing/drawing Sensational Wonder Woman, the multi-award winning adaptation Neil Gaimain’s Snow, Glass, Apples, and art for The Sandman, The Vampire Diaries, The Clock, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, The Walking Dead, and hundreds of other comics. She also illustrated Stan Lee’s New York Times best-selling autobiography Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible Stan Lee. Among her numerous awards and nominations are Eisner awards, the Harvey Award, The International Horror Guild Award, the Ringo and the Bram Stoker Award.

Heidi MacDonald is the editor-in-chief of Comicsbeat.com and has edited comics for Disney, DC Comics, Vertigo, HarperCollins and Z2. She can be heard on Publishers Weekly’s weekly podcast More To Come and found regularly on the Beat’s YouTube channel.

Jamal Igle is the writer/artist/creator of Molly Danger for Action Lab Entertainment, the co-creator/artist of The Wrong Earth for Ahoy Comics, co-creator of Dudley Datson and the Forever Machine for Comixology, and the penciller of the critically acclaimed series, BLACK from Black Mask Studios, as well as many titles for DC, Marvel and Dark Horse. He’s been a storyboard artist for Sony Animation and is also a popular guest lecturer on the subjects of comics and animation.

Joseph Illidge is the Executive Editor for Heavy Metal, the leading illustrated magazine and company for science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Joseph’s first job in the comic book industry was at Milestone Media, the groundbreaking publisher responsible for the popular teen hero “Static”. The first editor of color for DC Comics’ Batman franchise, Joseph is the founder of Illuminous, LLC and is co-producing the film Xero with 50 Cent’s G-Unit Film and Television, writer Christopher Priest, and Color Farm Media.

Kevin Rubio is a writer/producer who has contributed to Justice League
Action, Avengers Assemble, Thunderbirds Are Go!, Green Lantern: The Animated Series and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. He is also the creator and writer of the Star Wars graphic novel, Tag & Bink Were Here, and Red 5 Publication’s Abyss Vol. I & II. He is an inaugural recipient of the George Lucas Film Award for his Star Wars short film, TROOPS, is a Promax Award winner, and is an Emmy nominee.

Geoffrey Thorne is the writer/creator of Mosaic for Marvel Comics, Prodigal for Genre 19 and writer of Green Lantern for DC Comics. He was also the head writer and showrunner of Marvel’s Avengers: Black Panther’s Quest as well as a writer-producer on such hit series as Leverage, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Power: Book II: Ghost, co-executive producer on Magnum P.I. and executive producer of the podcast sci-fi anthology series Geoffrey Thorne’s Dreamnasium. He is also writer of the upcoming Blood Syndicate comic book reboot for Milestone Media.

David F. Walker is an award-winning comic book writer, filmmaker, journalist, educator, and creator of the pop culture fanzine BadAzz MoFo. Perhaps best known for his work in comic books, he’s written such titles as Luke Cage and Power Man and Iron Fist for Marvel, Cyborg and Naomi (which he co-created) for DC Comics, the Eisner-winning Bitter Root (which he also co-created) for Image Comics and other titles for Dark Horse Comics, BOOM! Studios, Dynamite, and more.

Will J. Watkins (Director of the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics) is a freelance TV, film and animation writer who is also comic book story/world-building consultant on The Protectors graphic novel published by Athlita Comics. He had a stint as an assistant editor at DC Comics and, before moving to LA, he co-owned Chicago’s first African-American-owned comic book shop. He’s currently a writer on Freeform’s Motherland: Fort Salem.

Matt Wayne has written for many highly-regarded animation projects, including Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, Cannon Busters, Niko and the Sword of Light, the Emmy- nominated Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms, and Hello Kitty: Supercute Adventures. His comics work includes Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Static/Black Lightning, and writing and editing for the original Milestone Media comics line.

Marv Wolfman is the multi-award-winning writer who created Blade for Marvel Comics, The New Teen Titans for DC Comics, and legions of other iconic characters and stories. In addition to comic books, he’s written for animation, videogames, novels and more. It’s been said that he’s created more characters who’ve made the jump to movies, TV shows, toys, games and animation than any other writer save Stan Lee.

Preview: They Called Us Enemy Expanded Edition

Posted on by

They Called Us Enemy Expanded Edition

(W) George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steve Scott (A/CA) Harmony Becker
In Shops: Aug 26, 2020
SRP: $29.99

The New York Times bestselling graphic memoir from actor/author/activist George Takei returns in a deluxe HARDCOVER edition for the first time with 16 pages of bonus material! Experience the forces that shaped an American icon — and America itself — in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love.

George Takei has captured hearts and minds worldwide with his magnetic performances, sharp wit, and outspoken commitment to equal rights. But long before he braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father’s — and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future.

In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten “relocation centers,” hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard.

They Called Us Enemy is Takei’s firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the terrors and small joys of childhood in the shadow of legalized racism, his mother’s hard choices, his father’s tested faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.

What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide? George Takei joins cowriters Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott and artist Harmony Becker for the journey of a lifetime.

They Called Us Enemy Expanded Edition

Preview: They Called Us Enemy Spanish Edition/Nos Llamaron Enemigo

Posted on by

They Called Us Enemy Spanish Edition/Nos Llamaron Enemigo

(W) George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steve Scott (A/CA) Harmony Becker
In Shops: Jun 24, 2020
SRP: $19.99

The New York Times Bestseller, now in Spanish!

En estas impactantes memorias en formato de novela gráfica, el actor/autor/activista George Takei rememora sucesos imborrables de su infancia en los campos de concentraci n en América.

En 1942, bajo rdenes del presidente Franklin D. Roosevelt, cada persona de ascendencia japonesa en la costa oeste fue capturada y enviada a uno de diez “centros de reubicaci n”, a cientos o miles de millas de sus hogares, donde permanecer an durante años bajo vigilancia armada.

Nos llamaron Enemigo es la historia en primera persona de Takei sobre esos años detrás de una alambrada de p as.

Qué significa ser americano? Quién puede determinarlo? Cuando el mundo está en tu contra, qué puede hacer un solo individuo? Para contestar a estas preguntas, George Takei se une a los escritores Justin Eisinger y Steven Scott y a la artista Harmony Becker en el recorrido de toda una vida.

They Called Us Enemy Spanish Edition/Nos Llamaron Enemigo

They Called Us Enemy Gets Two New Editions in 2020

Posted on by
They Called Us Enemy

Since the July release of They Called Us Enemy by actor, author, and activist George Takei, this heartfelt graphic memoir has been met with outstanding success and acclaim: spending over 10 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list; placing on numerous “Best of 2019” lists from Amazon, Forbes, NPR, and Publishers Weekly; winning the 2019 OWL Book Award for Biography; and much more!

Looking ahead to 2020, They Called Us Enemy has also been chosen to reignite the popular community reading program Long Beach Reads One Book, welcoming Takei as a special guest on March 19th. They Called Us Enemy will also be available to Spanish-speaking readers in June with the debut of IDW’s Spanish language program.  It will be the first comprehensive in-house Spanish language program from a major U.S. graphic novel publisher, bringing a wave of translated graphic novels to Spanish-speaking communities. 

A deluxe hardcover edition of They Called Us Enemy, expanded for the first time with 16 pages of bonus material, will also be available in June 2020.

Written by Takei with Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott, drawn by Harmony Becker, and published by IDW’s Top Shelf Productions imprint, They Called Us Enemy is Takei’s firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother’s hard choices, his father’s faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.

To assist classroom use of They Called Us Enemy, IDW offers a 12-page teacher’s guide developed by the Education Department at the Japanese American National Museum, available at http://idw.pub/TCUEguide.

IDW Publishing Launches a Spanish Language Graphic Novel Program in North America

Posted on by

During a keynote presentation at yesterday’s NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) opening ceremony, author, actor and activist George Takei announced that his New York Times bestselling graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy will be published in Spanish in North America as part of a new Spanish language initiative from IDW Publishing.

They Called Us Enemy will join SEGA ‘s popular Sonic The Hedgehog and Red Panda & Moon Bear by Cuban American cartoonist Jarod Roselló as the debut wave of translated graphic novel titles, slated for release in June 2020. The first comprehensive in-house Spanish language program from a major American graphic novel publisher, this initiative is especially fitting for IDW Publishing, a company headquartered in San Diego, CA, just miles from the U.S.-Mexico border—a crossroads of nations, languages and cultures.

Nos llamaron Enemigo

Nos llamaron Enemigo (978-1-60309-483-2), the Spanish language translation of They Called Us Enemy, is Takei’s stunning graphic memoir, co-written with Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott and illustrated by Harmony Becker. Revisiting Takei’s haunting childhood as one of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II, this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love is “a thought-provoking, critical look at the history of racism in American policies and culture” (Booklist). Nos llamaron Enemigo will be released on June 2, 2020.  Nos llamaron Enemigo Nos llamaron Enemigo (978-1-60309-483-2), the Spanish language translation of They Called Us Enemy, is Takei’s stunning graphic memoir, co-written with Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott and illustrated by Harmony Becker. Revisiting Takei’s haunting childhood as one of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II, this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love is “a thought-provoking, critical look at the history of racism in American policies and culture” (Booklist). Nos llamaron Enemigo will be released on June 2, 2020. 

Sonic the Hedgehog Volumen 1: ¡Consecuencias!

Sonic the Hedgehog Volumen 1: ¡Consecuencias! (978-1-68405-749-8) is the Spanish language adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog Vol. 1: Fallout, the first volume in IDW’s wildly popular series based on SEGA’s global video game phenomenon. Sonic the Hedgehog has long been a favorite in Spanish-speaking communities worldwide, so the debut of the ¡Consecuencias! storyline, written by Ian Flynn and illustrated by Tracy Yardley, Adam Bryce Thomas, Jennifer Hernandez, and Evan Stanley, promises to satisfy an eager Spanish-speaking audience in North America, arriving in stores on June 9, 2020.

Panda Roja y Oso Lunar

Panda Roja y Oso Lunar (978-1-60309-484-9), by Cuban American writer/artist and educational researcher Jarod Roselló, is the Spanish translation of Red Panda & Moon Bear, a whimsical and tender-hearted adventure of two brave siblings who battle supernatural threats to their vibrant Latinx neighborhood with the powers of science, magic, and some very special hoodies. Slated for release on June 16, 2020, Panda Roja y Oso Lunar will be an instant favorite for young readers, packed with Saturday-morning action and practically glowing with Caribbean sunshine. 

IDW Publishing’s Spanish language editions will be released in June 2020 and are now available for pre-order via booksellers and comic book specialty retailers.

Review: They Called Us Enemy

Posted on by
They Called Us Enemy

When it comes to how the world treats people of color, every country has a long resume of sins that they’d rather hide. America, most of all has a list that it likes to downplay no matter how serious the crime.

There are the crimes done to our own citizens, starting with the country’s original peoples, the Native Americans, and their eradication through the establishment of reservations and the Trail Of Tears. What is and still is one of the worst acts by the United States was the establishment of the Japanese Internment camps. Scars of that time stay with us even more now as we repeat the sins of the past with modern-day detainment camps holding refugees. George Takei, with a supremely talented team of contributors, has put together a penetrating narrative of that time and his experiences in They Called Us Enemy.

We meet George and his brother, as they are awakened by their father to get dressed. Soldiers soon show, rattling Executive Order 9066, sending thousands of Japanese Americans into internment camps. The heartbreak that comes across his mother’ face, becomes a memory of that day that he will never forget. Takei gives us his family history, how his parents met, and the discrimination they faced soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, similar to the harassment many Muslim Americans faced after 9/11. As after the order was executed, many Japanese American families were forced to sell many of their possessions for pennies on the dollar, as their properties were seized and bank accounts frozen leaving many of them still destitute.

Takei’s family were sent to a converted racetrack in Santa Anita, California, where the smell of manure still permeated the stalls. Eventually, his family would be moved another internment site, Camp Rowher, in Arkansas, far from everything his family knew and loved. He would get to know the other families that lived in his block of the camp, all from different backgrounds, jobs, and situations, but all were Japanese Americans. As their block needed a leader, his father stepped up, eventually finding common ground amongst the different leaders on the camp.

In January of 1943, their loyalty was challenged, as questionnaires were circulated, leaving many enraged. While some joined the Army with the 442nd Battalion, others were conscientious objectors and sent to Leavenworth. Due to his parents’ answers to the questionnaire, they were relocated to an even harsher internment camp in Tule Lake, California. Tensions between the guards and the internees increased daily.

The graphic novel explores his memories of these times and the impact upon not only himself, but the hate he witnesses, and the discovery of his identity.

Overall, the graphic novel is a sobering and relatable memoir of an American family, and the tragedy Japanese Americans faced during that time. The story by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott is heartfelt, melancholic, and true to life. The art by Harmony Becker is gorgeous. Altogether, a story you will not soon forget nor should ever.

Story: George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott
Art: Harmony Becker
Story: 10 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.7 Recommendation: Buy

Preview: They Called Us Enemy

Posted on by

They Called Us Enemy

George Takei, Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott (w) • Harmony Becker (a & c)

George Takei has captured hearts and minds worldwide with his captivating stage presence and outspoken commitment to equal rights. But long before he braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father’s—and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future.

In a stunning graphic memoir, Takei revisits his haunting childhood in American concentration camps, as one of over 100,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon—and America itself—in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love.

TPB • B&W • $19.99 • 192 pages • 6” x 8-1/2” • ISBN: 978-1-60309-450-4

They Called Us Enemy

George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy Will Be Released in 2019, Focusing on Immigration, Incarceration, and Family Separation

Posted on by

As nations around the globe confront new versions of old debates about immigration, incarceration, and family separation, actor/author/activist George Takei is preparing a beautiful and powerfully resonant graphic memoir of his own direct experience with American xenophobia.

In summer 2019, Top Shelf Productions will publish Takei’s They Called Us Enemy, created in collaboration with co-writers Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott and artist Harmony Becker. George Takei revisits his haunting childhood in American concentration camps, as one of 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II. Readers will experience the forces that shaped an American icon — and America itself — in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love.

In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten “relocation centers,” hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard.

They Called Us Enemy is Takei’s firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the terrors and small joys of childhood in the shadow of legalized racism, his mother’s hard choices, his father’s tested faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.

What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide? When the world is against you, what can one person do?