Marvel‘s new editor-in-chief, C.B. Cebulski, has finally apologized for creating a fake Japanese identity and hiding the truth about it from his employers. In the grand tradition of mediocre public apologies, it doesn’t acknowledge the full extent of what he actually did. Marvel still hasn’t publicly commented on the issue.
Cebulski adopted the pseudonym Akira Yoshida in the mid-2000s, using it to write Japanese-inspired comics at Marvel. Three weeks after this revelation came out in the comics blog Bleeding Cool, Cebulski gave an interview with The Atlantic, tackling the resulting backlash.
“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.”
As we explained when the news broke last month, Cebulski’s deception was troubling for a number of reasons. First off, he was directly profiting from being perceived as Japanese, when Asian and Asian-American creators found (and still find) it difficult to get a foothold in superhero comics. Marvel is gradually hiring a more diverse pool of creators, but generally speaking, it still tends to hire writers of color to work on characters of the same race—a similar situation to the gender imbalance in superhero comics, where women are typically hired to write female characters.
In other words, the problem goes way beyond a “poor choice of pseudonym.” By posing as Akira Yoshida, Cebulski exploited discriminatory hiring practices that still exist in the industry. Then there’s the other reason why he did it. As a Marvel editor at the time, he wasn’t allowed to draw an extra paycheck as a writer. Akira Yoshida allowed him get paid on top of his regular salary, while reaping the benefits of being a “Japanese” writer who miraculously connected with American fanboy audiences. He lied to Marvel, and when Marvel found out about the deception, the publisher still decided to promote him.
This apology won’t do much to convince Cebulski’s critics. He only confirmed the Yoshida story after it went viral on social media, so this wasn’t a case of him realizing a mistake and making a candid apology. In fact, he actively continued the charade for a decade after “Yoshida” published his last comic.
As for Marvel itself, it’s not winning any prizes by failing to speak up. By allowing Cebulski to handle the controversy alone, Marvel tacitly endorses the idea that Yoshida was an embarrassing personal mistake, rather than a serious error where the publisher was also culpable.
