Filipino Assassin : The Forgotten Story of a Local Boxing Legend

Release Date: April 26th, 2025

Filipino Assassin: The Untold Story of Vincent Manago Hambright

In the late 1920s, Vincent Manago Hambright, "The Filipino Assassin," boxes his way to fame in the Midwest. This graphic comic book charts his rise, military service, and tragic death in 1946, highlighting the struggles of Filipino Americans against racial prejudice.

"As a Filipino American creator, I've always felt a lack of representation for individuals like me in historical narratives predating World War eras." says writer Jay B. Kalagayan, "Discovering Vincent Hambright, a fellow Filipino American who challenged the very notion of the 'American Dream' and its exclusivity, was truly inspiring."

Set to release in April 2025 at the Asian Food Fest in Cincinnati, this project explores his life, from his boxing career in the 1920s to his tragic death in 1946.

Artwork by Dylan Speeg

MeSseD Comics creators Jay B. Kalagayan and Dylan Speeg, in collaboration with public historian James Tecco, are bringing Hambright's forgotten story to light, aiming to inspire future generations and preserve this historical narrative.

"Bringing Vincent's story to life visually was a collaborative journey, and I'm deeply grateful to my long partner in comics, Dylan Speeg." says Jay, "Dylan’s creative energy and amazing artwork were the perfect complement to this project, and this exploratory experience would not have been complete without his talent."

Artwork by Dylan Speeg

"There were quite a few challenges in researching Vincent Hambright’s life. The biggest one was simply how little information there was about him. But each detail I uncovered—no matter how small—ignited a deeper drive to keep going." says historian James Tecco.

Through this work, we aim to shed light on the often-overlooked contributions of Asian Americans and Filipino Americans to the Midwest, particularly in sports and the community.

"Filipino Assassin: The Untold Story of Vincent Manago Hambright is more than a story about a pugilist." says Tecco, "It’s an act of historical recovery—restoring dignity, presence, and voice to someone who has long been missing from the record."

By showcasing Hambright's story, we hope to inspire future generations and preserve a piece of history that has been largely forgotten.

"This project is an opportunity to bridge cultural divides by acknowledging historical injustice and the limitations of traditional historical frameworks." says Jay, "We hope to put Cincinnati on the map as a city that values its diverse cultural heritage."

Artwork by Dylan Speeg

When asked about what he likes about Filipino Assassin, Dylan Speeg (illustrator) says: "The story has more ups and downs than your usual fictional story arc. It's tragic, it's uplifting, it's cautionary. This story has it all... I hope we make history come alive just a little bit more. I want people to think about how hard I worked on it."

In essence, this project will honor the past, inspire the future, and strengthen the cultural fabric of our community.

Filipino Assassin is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the annual ArtsWave

Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding.

Special thanks to James Tecco, public historian and presentor at APIA History Cincinnati. Bringing Vincent's story to light would not have been possible without the dedicated historical research of James, whose work was instrumental in uncovering the details of his life. 

Click HERE to purchase. Orders go out May 1st.

Want a PREVIEW? Click HERE for the first three pages, for FREE!