The white Marvel Comics editor claimed to be Japanese. A colleague wants him to be held accountable.
Writer and director Steven DeKnight is quitting working with Marvel Comics after learning that editor CB Cebulski has previously claimed to be Japanese to pursue his career.
“How does this man still have a job?” Completely unacceptable ”, DeKnight wrote on Saturday, starting a series of tweets in which he finally announced his resignation. “I love working with Marvel, but I will not pursue or accept future work until this issue is resolved. I hope other more prominent comic book creatives will follow.
DeKnight has written for several Marvel comics, such as “Wolverine: Black, White & Blood”. A representative said Marvel had nothing new to share on this matter.
Cebulski admitted in 2017 that he used the name “Akira Yoshida” and had published several Marvel comics in the early 2000s, many with Asian characters and themes.
“It’s just another example of non-Asians feeling more authoritarian than real Asians,” Keith Chow, editor of The Nerds of Color, a cultural critic site, told NBC News in 2017. ” People of color aren’t costumes you can just wear when it’s convenient for you.
wonder still has a page online crediting the work to the pseudonym, attributing dozens of projects to “Yoshida”. Cebulski told an elaborate story that Yoshida was a translator who previously worked in the manga and was friends with artists like Pat Lee. He even gave interviews under the pseudonym, according to Bleeding Cool, the comedy news site that broke history.
Marvel confirmed the claims to NBC News in 2017, and after years of denial, Cebulski admitted to Bleeding Cool that “Yoshida” was, in fact, him.
“It wasn’t transparent, but it taught me a lot about writing, communication and pressure. I was young and naive and had a lot to learn at the time. But it’s all old news that has been dealt with, ”he said.
Marvel also provided a statement it made during the initial controversy in 2017.
“I am very sorry for the pain, anger and disappointment I have caused because of my poor pseudonym choice,” Cebulski said. “That was never my intention. Throughout my career in anime, manga, and comics, I managed to make a point to listen and learn from my mistakes, which is exactly what I do. tried to cope with this misstep. ”
Explanation and apologies are not enough for DeKnight.
“Personally, I’m not trying to destroy the guy’s life. But I don’t think he’s worthy of being an editor either, ”he said. said on twitter. “His actions – which, for those who have just joined us, go far beyond adopting a Japanese pseudonym.”
Although DeKnight mentioned in his tweets that he did not believe Cebulski had any racist intentions, he said the publisher’s actions showed a “profound lack of ethics.”
“At the very least, I think Cebulski needs to sit down with representatives of the Asian community and have a really honest discussion about his actions,” he said. tweeted.
