If you are into comic books, then you must absolutely know Hot Tropiks, the leading distributor of Filipino comics and children’s literature in the United States. The owner and co-founder, Angelo Mendez, together with his wife, Nadine, began Hot Tropiks to bring the bold, imaginative stories of comics to a global audience. In this TFAL episode, we discuss the journey of Angelo Mendez, co-founder of Hot Tropiks. Listen as Joe and Angelo discuss their shared roots at UC Santa Barbara, his hustle as an entrepreneur in hip hop and tech both in the U.S. and in the Philippines, and his take on the Filipino American comic scene today. Be sure to take a listen to this harrowing (to borrow a common comic book adjective) episode. Same TFAL time. Same TFAL channel.

Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.

What comics are you into? If you had to create your own comic franchise, what would it be about? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected].