'Permanent Alien' Finds a Following
03/09/2017
Illustration seniors Hanna Cha 17 IL, Mariel Rodriguez 17 IL, Jean Wei 17 IL and Michelle Zhuang 17 IL are already clicking with Asian-American readers via their soon-to-be-published comic book Permanent Alien. A recent NBC News bit notes that their digital zine focusing on the experiences of young Asian-Americans is attracting growing interest.
We were scared that no one would want to buy it, but it really has resonated.Hanna Cha 17 IL
“It doesn’t matter what you do or where you are from,” Rodriguez tells NBC. “You’re still seen as foreign.”
Since Permanent Alien launched digitally, pre-order sales for the print version of the comic have continued to grow. “We were scared that no one would want to buy it,” Cha notes, “but it really has resonated.”
Wei’s semi-autobiographical comic about bringing a traditional Chinese dessert to a school potluck and being the only kid to try a slice, for example, hit home for many readers. “People were shouting ‘That happened to me! That happened to me!’” Rodriguez recalls.
You can order a copy of Permanent Alien for $15 or pick up a digital copy for $6.
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