It’s already May! This is a special month to me as a comic book creator for a couple of reasons.

Today marks the 2-year anniversary of when I first entered the comics scene. I’d started working on Shentu a year earlier, so in total it’s been 3 years now since I started making comics.

It’s pretty surreal to reflect on how much time has passed, since I still feel totally new, but I’ve also gotten some great opportunities recently that help me feel like I’m making forward progress.

The other reason why May is special, and also the reason why I announced Shentu in May to begin with, is because it’s AAPI Heritage Month.

Honestly, I never felt isolated from my culture when I was growing up. I didn’t have that type of experience where I was the only kid eating rice in the cafeteria. I grew up in communities with plenty of other Asians and specifically Chinese-Americans.

I also grew up consuming a lot of manga and anime, and I guess in that world there isn’t as much of a reason to specifically celebrate Asian creators.

But the western comics scene is different. Asian creators aren’t as common. There are a good number of amazing Asian voices, of course, and Jim Lee is even at the head of DC, but still. I always take notice when I come across other Asians in this space, and feel a sense of solidarity.

Back in 2024, after I’d taken those first steps into comics, I was welcomed by a group of content creators spotlighting creators for AAPI Heritage Month. I had a wonderful time talking with Katie, Namman and Otaku.

I would like to do my part too in uplifting and celebrating Asian creatives, so this year I’ll be joining the team in conducting interviews with creators. We have a really exciting month of interviews lined up already!

Here’s the current lineup, which will generally be streamed by Namman and Otaku.

• May 1, 6pm PT: Steven Yu & Seth Singleton

• May 4, 7pm PT: Ryan Odagawa

• May 5, 6pm PT: Loc Nguyen

• May 7, 1 pm PT: Cliff Chiang

• May 7, 7 pm PT: Cuevaaa Comics

• May 8, 4pm PT: Jason Loo

• May 13, 5 pm PT: John Yuan & Matthew Yuan

• May 14, 7pm PT: Arthur Ebuen

• May 15, 7pm PT: Allen Wu

• May 18, 7pm PT: Eileen Widjaja

• May 20, 5pm PT: Mog Park

• May 22, 6pm PT: SimpleSimon

• May 25, 7pm PT: CantoneseComicKid

I likely won’t be at every stream myself, but they’ll all be great conversations, so please come check us out! I’ll be hosting the interviews for Cliff Chiang, Jason Loo, the Yuan Twins and Eileen Widjaja!

Other News

Just a couple more things to share since last month’s update.

It’s been a dream to see everyone’s reactions and responses to Cruel Universe #9 this month, and I’m excited to be returning with more gory EC goodness in July!

I also recently announced that plans for a My Internet Friends physical volume are in the works! Look out for that later this year.

As a reminder, this is my manga about misfits exploring the ruins of the internet, and it’s available to read online for free. Chapter 8 comes out on May 17, kicking off the second story arc!