There would be no Pineapple Man if Sam's high school art teacher, Ted Uratani, had not gotten fed up with him reading comic books in class. Suddenly Sam found himself in the position of having to create his own superheroes or receive a failing grade. Over the weekend, he jokingly designed a tropically themed team that he named Hawaiian Punch.
Over time, Pineapple Man's design was tweaked and he was given a backstory that tied him to ancient Hawaii. Sam's goal was to bring the history of the islands together with its multi-cultural heritage and local lifestyle, as experienced by this ethnically diverse character who was still finding himself. People laughed and pointed out that he could never be taken seriously. However, Sam stuck to his philosophy of "If it's something you really want to do, and you're not hurting anyone, then go for it no matter what anyone else says."
Despite not owning a computer or being able to afford quality art supplies, and the enormous difficulty of finding affordable printing back in 1994, Sam went for it. He blew through a lot of Sharpies and glue sticks, and couldn't afford to publish all the stories he had on the table, but what he did accomplish was sharing Pineapple Man on an international level and finding out that this local superhero really could be taken seriously. Sam took it right back to Mr. Uratani's classroom to speak at Career Day, and made his former teacher proud.
Not that it was smooth sailing from there. Major life changes did put Pineapple Man on hiatus, and the world of comics and self-publishing is still not an easy one. But Pineapple Man lives on; so much of his story has yet to be revealed!
Pineapple Man was published under Sam's SoloGraphics label which he has since changed to Kaaawasaki Productions.
Over time, Pineapple Man's design was tweaked and he was given a backstory that tied him to ancient Hawaii. Sam's goal was to bring the history of the islands together with its multi-cultural heritage and local lifestyle, as experienced by this ethnically diverse character who was still finding himself. People laughed and pointed out that he could never be taken seriously. However, Sam stuck to his philosophy of "If it's something you really want to do, and you're not hurting anyone, then go for it no matter what anyone else says."
Despite not owning a computer or being able to afford quality art supplies, and the enormous difficulty of finding affordable printing back in 1994, Sam went for it. He blew through a lot of Sharpies and glue sticks, and couldn't afford to publish all the stories he had on the table, but what he did accomplish was sharing Pineapple Man on an international level and finding out that this local superhero really could be taken seriously. Sam took it right back to Mr. Uratani's classroom to speak at Career Day, and made his former teacher proud.
Not that it was smooth sailing from there. Major life changes did put Pineapple Man on hiatus, and the world of comics and self-publishing is still not an easy one. But Pineapple Man lives on; so much of his story has yet to be revealed!
Pineapple Man was published under Sam's SoloGraphics label which he has since changed to Kaaawasaki Productions.
Genesis (Campos) Maya writes and letters most of Sam's books. The pair met in elementary school in 1980. They married in 1993 at which time Gen convinced Sam to do Pineapple Man even though he didn't think he was ready. (When will you ever be ready? Just jump in and go for it!) Despite divorcing in 2003, they remain creative partners.
Thank you to everyone who celebrated Pineapple Man's 30th Anniversary with tribute art. We celebrated the event at Amazing Comic Con Aloha on November 9, 2024 at the Hawaii Convention Center.
Available on IndyPlanet |
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Pineapple Man Vol. 1
A collection of Pineapple Man #0-#4. |
Pineapple Man Special 1/2
The first half of Pineapple Man's origin story. |
Pineapple Man Xmas Special
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Pineapple Man #9
The Wandering Stones part 1 of 2. |
Pineapple Man #10
The Wandering Stones part 2 of 2. |
Characters & Art
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Merchandise Past & Present
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Guest Art & Commissions
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Adventures with
Pineapple Man |
Events
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Have questions? Contact Gen at [email protected] or use our contact form.