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, a division of IDW Media Holdings Inc. (OTC: IDWM).
“It’s been my life’s mission to tell the story of the cruel and unjust incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and I’m so honored by the outpouring of support for my graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy,” said Takei. “Having made this powerful tool for reaching young readers, I am thrilled to make the story accessible to a community that right now—today—is facing attacks that are all too familiar. This edition is especially meaningful to me since I was raised in the Spanish-speaking community of East L.A., which welcomed my family after our years of imprisonment.”
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.
“IDW is proud to announce our new publishing initiative that reflects the increasingly diverse makeup of American readers and expands the accessibility of graphic novel storytelling to Spanish-speaking communities throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s President, Publisher, and CCO. “Spanish is spoken by more than 40 million people in the United States, making it the second most spoken language in this country. We’re not only publishing for the readership that we have today, but also preparing for the growing readership of the next decade and beyond.”
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.
“George Takei’s memoir, the story of his family being wrongly incarcerated by the American government during WWII, is an ideal title to spearhead this new Spanish language initiative,” said Justin Eisinger, co-author and IDW Editorial Director, Graphic Novels & Collections. “Beyond the scope of their imprisonment and personal struggles, They Called Us Enemy is a story of hope. In today’s climate, facing challenges and prejudice that are in some ways similar, we felt as many young readers as possible should have access to this story.”
