We Are Pan Recounts Cuban Mass Evacuation of Children

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 3, 2026) – Family or freedom? Top Shelf Productions invites you to discover the astonishing history of the mass evacuation of Cuban children, leaving communism—and their loved ones—behind, with the unforgettable original graphic novel, WE ARE PAN, available June 2, 2026. This debut graphic novel from professional illustrator and storyteller Andre Frattino, with art by Yasmin Flores Montanez, beautifully captures the devastation and hope of those affected by the Castro regime in the early 1960s, and includes a foreword from a descendant, critically acclaimed and award-winning author Alex Segura (Secret Identity, Alter Ego).

We Are Pan is based on the true story of Operación Pedro Pan, a joint effort between the U.S. government and the Catholic Welfare Bureau to evacuate 14,000 children from Cuba to the U.S. between 1960 and 1962. With the rise of communism following Fidel Castro’s revolution, parents feared for their children’s future and, through this secret operation, secured passage for them to America. These children (later referred to as “Pedro Pans”) would be distributed across the U.S., mostly living in foster homes. In many cases, these children never saw their families again, and their lives would be changed forever. This is their story.