Visual retelling of the Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team

Chinese American Tony Moy is using his talent and creative passion for art to share the story of the Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II.

The team, who fought against prejudice and discrimination, is the most decorated unit in U.S. military history, earning more than 18,000 awards within a two-year period.

“It’s a story for anyone who has struggled unifying their cultural and national identities.” said Moy, who exhibited at Denver’s Fan Expo in July 2023. “Attending these shows allows me to connect one on one with new fans and supporters.”

Discovering the History | Moy, a mixed-media comic and fantasy artist specializing in watercolor and gouache, learned about the story of the 442nd during the pandemic. In early 2021, he painted a series of Asian American portraits in response the rise of Asian hate crime, especially towards the elderly.

“The coronavirus made it easy for others to lump all Asians into one group, but we are each unique,” said Moy.

During the pandemic, he discovered the story while watching a historical Asian American documentary that briefly mentioned the accomplishments of the 442nd. While aware of the internment camps, Moy, like many others, was not aware of the extensive role played by the Japanese Americans.

“As a country that celebrates our military at every opportunity, like Super Bowls, parades and other events, it’s astonishing how few people know about the most decorated regiment in U.S. history,” said Moy.

Inspired to Share the Stories | What started as curiosity, became a passion. However, the more Moy researched about these patriotic soldiers, the more frustration he felt that the story was still relatively untold.

“I needed to do something or let it go,” he said.

After some soul searching, Moy decided to take on the challenge of creating the comic to document their story. He was initially worried, being a Chinese American telling a Japanese Amer-

By Mary Jeneverre Schultz

ican story, but the response within the community soon would assuage any concern.

Taking on this project, doubled his research. Not only to research the historical events and individuals, but also the visual research required to illustrate the book as well. Overtime, organizations such as the WWII Museum, Japanese American Veterans Association, Northwest Nikkei Museum, and the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans helped expand his research and separate the myths from facts.

As a visual storyteller, he looks to war movies and YouTube videos to learn the nuances of language and military jargon. His talents of creating poster-sized superheroes such as Dungeons & Dragons, X-Men, DC allows him the ability of drawing huge battles for this project.

He also confesses that telling the story as a Chinese American might not be the right job to tell the narrative of a Japanese American. He wonders how this will be perceived within the community. Nevertheless, he is plugging forward with this project.

“It’s the story I want to tell,” he said. “I fully understand the responsibility.”

Journey into Art | Moy quit his day job in 2019. His last position title was director of technology for a finance company in Chicago.

“Art was my escape from daily life,” he confessed. “I’m lucky. What I thought was a hobby became my career.”

He now plays the piano and plays sports such as volleyball to destress.

The majority of his income comes from participating in conventions like Denver’s Fan Expo. Last year alone, he showcased at 23 conventions in four other countries.

“Since the 4Forty2nd comic is free online I still need to sell art in order to create the art I want to,” he said.

So far, he has created nine chapters. Learn more at tonymoy. art or on Instagram @tony_moy. Links and information about the 4forty2nd watercolor comic are at the4forty2nd.com