“We were underdogs,” Eric Nakamura says when reflecting on 30 years of Giant Robot. “There was no infrastructure. We created our own.”
At first a zine started in 1994, Giant Robot has since become an essential influence on Asian American alternative pop culture. Through the dedication, perseverance, and hard work of its founder and contributors, Giant Robot helped create a prominent voice for Asian Americans in pop culture at a time when Asian American representation was lacking. At the heart of this immense cultural symbol is Giant Robot founder Eric Nakamura. “I have at least two careers, if not three. The magazine part, the store part, and the art part,” he says. “They’re a journey that goes together but also very separate, and they have done their own important thing for society or for at least our community.”
Giant Robot Magazine
It is difficult to imagine what Giant Robot was like 30 years ago, but its significance comes in part from its humble beginnings. “Maybe today a lot of normal Asian Americans or normal people think Giant Robot was this magazine that started from some kind of a big fund,” Nakamura says. The truth is in fact quite different. “It was completely just a little bit out of pocket, [like] photocopies,” he explains. “It was really low. It started off way more raw than people might think.” Now, three decades after the magazine’s first issue, a new generation of Asian Americans may not be aware of Giant Robot’s struggles in the ‘90s. “They only see the trail that [Giant Robot] leaves and the tail end of what it looks like,” Nakamura says. “They see the gloss. They don’t see the angst, the hard part of it all, the uphill climb, and the fact that we weren’t given enough.”
When it first started, Giant Robot Magazine was heavily influenced by punk rock. To Nakamura, this punk rock “ethos” or “mentality” was part of what made the magazine possible with a low budget. “It can be done without any money. It can be done outside of the mainstream,” Nakamura reflects. “And it was a little dirtier, and it was a little more dangerous.” After all, the primary focus of the magazine was its content rather than its “gloss.” Founded in response to what Nakamura viewed as the commercialization of other Asian American magazines, Giant Robot was unafraid to be different even at the cost of being an outcast. The magazine became a dependable reporter on a wide range of subjects, including history, music, movies, and food, that were often overlooked by other media, but that had the “substance” its founder thought other popular magazines lacked.
Even more, Giant Robot dedicated its pages to accomplished individuals that popular media often missed. Nakamura says, “We would always find people who were overlooked by other Asian American media who we thought were awesome.” He adds, “Karen O, from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, for example, overlooked by all Asian American media. We featured her in our magazine.” With its raw and honest style, the magazine differentiated itself from other magazines that lacked relatable and real content. “We didn’t ever pigeonhole ourselves to be limited by being Asian American,” Nakamura says. “We only cared about being the best magazine we could be.”
Nevertheless, fate had different plans for the magazine. Despite its best efforts to continue publishing even in the face of challenges, Giant Robot released its last issue, No. 68, in 2010. “There was an economic crash,” Nakamura reflects. “All of a sudden, the wave of the Internet takes over at the same time.” He adds, “Magazines, and even books, book stores, they were all going extinct at the same time.” The technological wave was indiscriminate. Many magazines, whether big budget or punk rock like Giant Robot, succumbed to the arrival of a new digital age. “That was the end of magazines,” Nakamura says.
Giant Robot Store
Even though the magazine ended in 2010, the ethos of Giant Robot survived. As Asian and Asian American culture became more prominent in mainstream America, the voice of Giant Robot lived on in the filmmakers, writers, and creators inspired by its ideas and its courage. “We’re the outsiders that become kind of the normal thing for everybody, because pop culture normalizes a lot and Asian pop culture normalizes more,” Nakamura says.
Through its store, Giant Robot’s influence continues to expand to this day. Established in 2001, the Giant Robot Store, based in the Sawtelle community of Los Angeles, became a home for Asian and Asian American pop culture items that weren’t offered anywhere else. Just like with Giant Robot Magazine, Nakamura built the store from the ground up. “I didn’t copy anything ahead of me,” he says. “There was nothing to copy.” When the store opened, customers were able to buy products ranging from comics to toy figures and blind boxes. Even more, Giant Robot Store served as a source of inspiration for other businesses that appreciated its design. “There’s a lot of similar stores to Giant Robot all over the place,” Nakamura says. “It’s a style. It’s something to copy.”
GR2 Gallery and Art
A third part of Giant Robot’s influence survives through its art exhibitions. Starting around 2002, Nakamura began curating and organizing monthly art shows. He founded the GR2 Gallery, which opened across the street from the Giant Robot Store, and held art exhibitions there to showcase the work of illustrative artists. Through its efforts, Giant Robot helped create a new art genre, mixing distinctive forms of art in a unique style. Each placement and piece of art is purposeful. From the specific artists he picks to the thematic elements binding the artwork together, everything that Nakamura does carries an underlying meaning. “There’s a style, a look, a feel, almost a personality even by the artists that fit together,” he explains.
Even more, all the artists Nakamura picks fit into the fundamental themes he builds into his exhibitions. “It’s like putting together a puzzle,” he says. “Not just visually, but thematically.” In fact, when deciding which artists to showcase, the curator looks beyond just the artwork itself. “It’s their story,” Nakamura says. “It’s sort of hard to explain. It’s something that I feel.”
Whether through skillful intuition or pure genius, Nakamura has successfully curated over 300 exhibitions that bring not just joy to the viewers but also success to the artists. In a style paying homage to the ethos of Giant Robot, he has collaborated with incredibly talented but often overlooked artists. “[They] could be the outlier,” Nakamura says. “This person is definitely the best here, and they’re not celebrated as much as the other artists.”
Most importantly, Nakamura has created a strong community for the artists he works with. “They’ll have such a common bond, personally and even spiritually,” he says. “They understand a lot of each other's parts of their upbringings. And I think that’s unique.” Just as he is the heart of Giant Robot, Nakamura is the heart of this community, serving as an important influence in their lives. “People look always in terms of the magazine as this whole thing that’s so influential. I think the art part is even more influential,” Nakamura says. “It’s made so many careers.”
Giant Robot Biennale 5
Nakamura’s creative genius is currently on display at the Giant Robot Biennale 5 exhibition, hosted in the upstairs gallery of the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) until January 5, 2025. The exhibition’s theme honors 30 years of Giant Robot. “A lot of the artists, some of them are younger, some of them are older, but they all have this current [style] and a look backwards too at the same time,” Nakamura explains. Take, for example, Giorgiko, the artist duo whose work is currently in the exhibition. “Big paintings that are about internment camps but with their current style is really powerful,” he says. Through his work, Nakamura has created an evocative exhibition that has awed visitors with a theme many deeply feel. “It all binds together from beginning to end,” Nakamura says. “I’m pretty proud of that.”
Giant Robot: Thirty Years of Defining Asian-American Pop Culture
In addition to the biennale, Giant Robot is releasing another major project this fall to celebrate the culmination of 30 years of influence. In collaboration with renowned comic book publisher Drawn & Quarterly, Giant Robot will publish a 464-page book titled Giant Robot: Thirty Years of Defining Asian-American Pop Culture. The book will be available on October 22 and can be found in bookstores or ordered online through the Giant Robot website. JANM will be hosting a book launch on October 25, 2024, at 7:00 P.M. to celebrate the book’s release.
Nakamura thought of the idea for a book last year to recognize Giant Robot’s 30th year. “I want people to know about Giant Robot a little more,” he says. “At year 30, if they don’t know now, then they’ll never know.” He contacted Drawn & Quarterly about the prospect of a book, which the publishing company immediately supported. “That’s a huge honor,” Nakamura says when reflecting on his collaboration with Drawn & Quarterly. “There’s somebody out there really believing in [Giant Robot] and using their own staff and their own resources to make it work.”
From 6,000 pages of 68 magazine issues comes a compilation of “greatest hits” selected by Nakamura and the other editors. Notably, the book contains one of Giant Robot Magazine’s historically significant writings: 28 pages of Asian American civil rights from its tenth issue. “Just think—our magazine is pop culture, but we actually put 28 pages of civil rights in a pop culture magazine,” Nakamura says. “Nobody ever did that.” The magazine issue was published in response to the growing frustration of Asian Americans with a lack of representation in television and media. “Who were people you can look up to?” Nakamura says. “What about the civil rights activists and their messages?” The result was a section of the magazine that resonated deeply despite its lack of coverage by mainstream media and other Asian American media.
Take, for example, Yuri Kochiyama, the Asian American civil rights activist who dedicated her life to fighting for social justice. “I got to interview her a long time ago,” Nakamura reflects. “Looking back, that’s a very proud thing.” In fact, the magazine’s pages began reaching an academic setting when school classrooms started referencing it as a teaching material. “That was just a different way to look at history and culture and put it in a package that is unexpected,” Nakamura says.
For loyal fans and friends of Giant Robot, the book also serves as a reminiscence and recognition of the tremendous work invested into creating an unforgettable cultural voice. Giant Robot has always struggled against marginalization, even to this day. “It’s still this uphill thing,” Nakamura reflects. Nevertheless, even when popular culture never believed in it, Giant Robot has always had the belief of its supporters and the dedication of its contributors and collaborators to push it forward, a fact that Nakamura describes as an “honor.”
Even more, with the upcoming release of a new book, Giant Robot is faced with an opportunity to increase its publicity and reach a wider audience. “It was pretty niche,” Nakamura says. “This is something that might get a little more mainstream.” Additionally, for the rise of a new generation, especially many who have not been exposed to magazine culture, it shows them what the past was like. “There’s no repetition,” Nakamura reflects. “Giant Robot was this thing that you would go back to look at.” Just as it did when it first started, Giant Robot is attempting to bridge social gaps, specifically a growing gap between the culture of the ‘90s and modern-day 2020s. “There’s a whole generation who have not [seen it],” Nakamura says. “Hopefully the book shows how it was.” Furthermore, the book’s publication is an opportunity for the younger generation to recognize that many of the gains Asian Americans have made in mainstream culture owe to the hard work of those before. Even if it was 30 years ago, when a young, frustrated punk rocker founded the voice that would change Asian American popular culture.
“Current and a Look Backwards”
Even as we look forward to the release of a new book, it is important to remember the incredible journey that Giant Robot has undertaken. “Part of it starts with being almost disappointed that there's nothing,” Nakamura reflects. “What’s important is to make something.” Nevertheless, the task and perhaps even burden of carrying forward a project like Giant Robot is not to be taken lightly. “It’s not for everybody. Some people just don’t want to do it or don’t have the wherewithal to do it,” Nakamura says. It is important to acknowledge the innumerable hours, sweat, and tears Giant Robot’s founder and contributors have poured into creating a powerful voice that continues to resonate. For the next generation of those who still feel misrepresented by mainstream culture and filled with the necessary dedication, “I always think they should get something out there,” Nakamura says. “Whether it be a zine or a website or a TikTok, that’ll work.” He adds, “You’re just doing your own counterprogramming. That’s cool, go do it.”
As for Nakamura, at the milestone of 30 years, Giant Robot has been an incredible journey he has learned to value and appreciate. Even aside from Giant Robot’s success, Nakamura has always valued telling stories that have lived in silence for too long. “I’m just honored that people pay attention,” he says. “My story’s one thing, but there’s tons of stories of other [Japanese Americans] that are probably undertold or not told enough.” Japanese American history will always carry with it the terrible reality of incarceration. “There’s never enough,” Nakamura says when reflecting on stories of Japanese American incarceration. “It should never end.” True to its first issue, Giant Robot has carried the mantle of sharing stories and culture through a realistic perspective. “A lot of stories are going to go untold and that’s just life,” Nakamura says. “We should tell the ones that can be told.” Most importantly, Giant Robot reminds us that for those of us waiting to be saved, we only ever have to wait for ourselves.
“Get your own word out there,” Nakamura says. “Just because someone doesn’t publish it doesn’t mean you can’t publish it yourself somewhere. Even if it’s online, that’s for everyone to see.”
Interviewee’s quotes have been edited for clarity.
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On October 25, 2024, come to JANM for the book release of Giant Robot: Thirty Years of Defining Asian-American Pop Culture. Eric Nakamura will be joined by special guests Randall Park, Tamlyn Tomita, Martin Wong, and Daniel Wu to talk about the zines, stores, exhibitions, and more that redefined what it means to be Asian American. Find tickets here.
Giant Robot Biennale 5 is on display at JANM through January 5, 2025, featuring artists Sean Chao, Felicia Chiao, Luke Chueh, Giorgiko, James Jean, Taylor Lee, Mike Shinoda, Rain Szeto, and Yoskay Yamamoto.
© 2024 Kayla Kamei
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