'We Are Pan'

Courtesy of Top Shelf Productions

Between 1960 and 1962, over 14,000 children between the ages of 4 and 16 were sent from Cuba to the United States by parents who feared Fidel Castro’s newly-installed Communist government. Thankfully, the majority of youngsters saw their parents again, although some reunions were delayed by several years.

The mass exodus, known as Operation: Pedro Pan, was made possible through partnership between the Catholic Church and American State Department. For many opposed to the authoritarian regime backed by the Soviet Union, Castro represented Captain Hook, while the democratic shores of the U.S. stood as a shining Neverland throughout the most tense period of the Cold War.

That geopolitical pressure boiled over in October 1962, when the small island nation less than 100 miles off the tip of Florida nearly became the root cause of thermonuclear war between the U.S. and USSR.

The incredible true story of Pedro Pan takes center stage in We Are Pan, the latest graphic novel from writer Andrew Frattino (Simon Says, Tokyo Rose - Zero Hour) and artist Yasmin Flores (Stuck in a Rom-Com, Shark Girl’s Day Off).

“I used to be bored to tears in history class as a teen,” Frattino confessed over email. “Eventually, I came to discover that history is full of fantastic stories, which, if told in the right way, can be just as exhilarating as any Batman or Spider-Man comic! I especially enjoy history that is off the beaten path and deserves a spotlight, but often gets overshadowed by something else. That's where I thrive as a storyteller.”

He initially considered writing a love story based on his wife’s Cuban grandparents before she told him about her Spanish grade school teacher, who had been among the kids evacuated following the revolution.

Upon hearing about Pedro Pan, “it instantly clicked with me," he recalled. “Amongst the talk of immigration, the struggles at the border, and the ever lingering tensions with Cuba, the story of Operation: Pedro Pan was a moment in history that needed reminding. Its relevance was just too important to go amiss. My wife was still connected with her Spanish teacher and she made an introduction. Through her teacher, I was introduced to other Pedro Pans, most of whom were happy to hear of my interest in their experience nearly 70 years ago.”

In speaking with these individuals for research, Frattino realized just how high a toll the emigration took on them.

“You could see the weight of their childhood, the loss of innocence, loss of their families bubbling up underneath,” he said. “It was strongest in the pauses between questions and answers, the far off gaze as they pulled forward their memories into the conversation. I had yet to work on a historical graphic novel where the subjects were still alive, and had to navigate my questions carefully; be direct but also be conscientious of their feelings. When it came time to put pen to paper, I had to think of the best way to convey their stories, pay homage to their experiences, in a way that was mindful and respectful of their very personal pasts."

Flores came aboard project after it was already written “and was able to translate my writing in such a beautiful and thoughtful way that was unhindered by preconceptions or personal expectations,” Frattino shared. “She took the narrative and made it her own. I shared with her some visual references I had collected, both from Pedro Pans I had spoken with and my own personal research. But having grown up on Puerto Rico, she was familiar with the history and culture of her neighboring island and captured it fantastically in her work."

Despite the fact that more than half a century has passed since Pedro Pan took place, the operation still has much to say about where we are today.

“Political turmoil, family separation, immigration, revolution and war are sadly still front and center in the headlines, talked about at the dining room table and shouted on the steps of city halls across this country,” Frattino explained. “We Are Pan is a match, that when lit, will spark a fire in people who read it. They’ll see themselves in the story one way or another and be forced to ask some very difficult questions—both outwardly and inward."

Frattino, who has a little girl of his own, asked himself again and again if he’d have had the courage to send a child off to an unknown future in another country.

“Could I let go of my daughter who I may never see again if it meant that there was just a sliver of a chance (not a guarantee) that she could be safer somewhere else than she would be with me?” he mused. “That same question is what I want everyone to ask themselves after they read We Are Pan, whether they have kids or not. Could you make the ultimate sacrifice today, like so many of those parents did decades ago. Are you strong enough?”

We Are Pan is now available from Top Shelf Productions