Hand drawn and painted text for cover of "Gaijin-American Prisoner of War", a graphic novel by me, publ.d, edited by Rotem Moscovich, publ.d by Disney/Hyperion. Some folks have asked what the meaning of "Gaijin" is. Here's what the dictionary says: "Gaijin (外人?, [ɡaidʑiɴ]) is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien".[1] The word is composed of two kanji: gai (外?), meaning "outside"; and jin (人?), meaning "person" – thus, the word could also, in some contexts, be translated into English as "outsider". Back in the 1940's it was used by some as a racist slur and some people today still see this as an offensive name. I'm using it in the context of calling the hero of the book an outsider. Being half Japanese and half Irish American, he is ostracized by both cultures in the story. Pencil, water color, gouache, 2013.
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