Alissa Sallah’s debut graphic novel Weeaboo—a term that refers to a non-Japanese person who is obsessed with Japanese culture—is an engaging portrait of three high school friends about to graduate and struggling with the full-range of familiar teen academic, social, and personal challenges. The three friends—James, an Asian American dealing with a dysfunctional family situation; Maya, an African American girl in an all-white communty; and Danielle, an ambitious aspiring young actress, are also huge fans of anime, manga and Japanese pop culture in general, which nurtures and bonds this trio as they examine their lives and struggle to plan for their immediate future. In this ten-page excerpt, the three friends are focused on finding a shojo manga that they can cosplay at the local anime festival, eventually choosing a series of characters that individually highlight the personality of each of them. Weeaboo by Alissa Sallah will be published by Oni Press this month.
