Ebony Taña Soy is a self-taught illustrative storyteller based in Van Nuys, California. Since 2019, she has developed a distinctive visual language blending bold minimalism with rich narrative depth. She has created art for Kid Heroes and Kwento Comics, and her work has been featured in several gallery art shows, most recently Spirit Beside Us in partnership with the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk. Through her art, she explores power, identity, and cultural resilience—honoring marginalized voices and creating spaces where beauty and struggle coexist.
Maloles: The Reckoning Vol. 1 – Keeper of the Underworld
(at Hot Tropiks)
She spoke with DILIM Press about her creative process and shared the roots of her inspiration:
“I remember that my first love was poetry and art in high school, but I put that aside. My background has been completely different: I was in the military, and did healthcare management, and social work.
“For the origins of Maloles: The Reckoning Vol. 1 – Keeper of the Underworld, I started primarily in tattoo art, then expanded to illustrating comics. I produced my first ashcan, a 16 page comic, in 2021 while I was living in Honolulu, then started doing more and more artwork. I quickly realized that it takes some time to do this work. I knew I had a story to put out there, but I thought doing it through illustration would take longer, so I went back into prose, with some illustration.
“In 2018, my grandmother passed, and I was the last person she spoke to. My grandmother told me to follow my passion, basically saying, “don’t worry what the family thinks.”
“Life changed, I went a different route, but now my son is older, and I felt I could restart a passion that I had so many years ago. Going back to that time with my Lola, I started to question, “what’s carried, what’s inherited, and what do I carry within me?
“I wanted to learn more about my culture, my mythology, and beliefs, including pre-colonial folklore. Then from those questions, I’m able to dive into my research and creativity.
“My Lola would even tell me stories when she was back in the Philippines, and I would see if I could find out more about those, even if it was an oral story– I could go back and get more individuals who know that.”
Connect with Ebony on Instagram (this is currently the only social media to connect): @ebytsoy
Find Maloles: The Reckoning Vol. 1 – Keeper of the Underworld [English, Softcover] at Hot Tropiks
https://hottropiks.com/products/maloles-vol-1
If you’re in the greater Los Angeles County area, Ebony is exhibiting artwork, so if you’re local, please follow https://www.instagram.com/ebytsoy/ for upcoming exhibitions.