When I was in grade school, we were taught about World War Two, but from a Canadian perspective. Some of the broad strokes of that period of history were understandably left out, and you may not believe this, but comics helped me to fill in some of the gaps. Roy Thomas's All-Star Squadron opened my eyes to events of the time, and one of the most surprising was the reality that America -- a country lauded for its embrace of freedome and equality -- locked up Japanese citizens in a reactionary and paranoid effort to calm a fearful populace.
What does that have to do with this new comic book? Well, I just wanted you to know where I was coming from when I approached this story, which delves into the aftershocks of a racist policy of war. This is far from a perfect comic book, but the subject matter and backdrop of racism make for a fascinating read. The book lacks clarity, but is compensates for it with smarts and unconventional artwork.
The Second World War has come to an end, and at the Minidoka Detention Centre, 8,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans are released after what seems like ages after being locked up for no greater crime than having the wrong color skin and the wrong shape eyes. A U.S. soldier of Japanese descent is reunited with his family, but a sense of betrayal burns in his heart. And Ken Takashi is among those released, but he finds himself going from one unpleasant situation to another. An old "friend" from a previous life looks him up and assigns him a dark task. His mysterious mission takes him to Chicago, and into the path of a nation's anger, hatred and prejudice.
Hamilton's artwork here strikes me as a cross between the styles of Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz. The darkness of the black-and-white linework and the grey tones really brings out the ugly and mature side of the story. There's a hazy, dream-like quality to the visuals, which serves as an asset and a hindrance to the storytelling. On the one hand, it reinforces the tension and maturity of the story, but it also makes the action and characters difficult to follow.
Mind you, had the script been clearer about introducing and differentiating among the characters, the vagueness in the art might not have been such a problem. This is a confusing script, so it's a testament to the strength of the premise and themes that I was nevertheless fascinated by this comic book. The Japanese-American soldier's story is particularly gut-wrenching.
Note: This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
