Kato #1
I'm going to be really honest hear, mainly because i feel that i myself as an individual felt that i could really connect with Kato's character in this issue. When it usually came to comics such as the Green hornet and other stories set in the time of WWII, I always made the conscious choice to avoid them, on the basis for the anti Japanese sentiment within the stories. I myself am a full 4th generation Japanese American, and it was always hard to read stories when i looked like the enemy. Out of pure curiosity i picked up this issue to learn a little more about the Kato and Green Hornet character. To my utter surprise, i was immediately captivated. I think in many ways the Kato character reminded me of my Grandfather, who is a nisei(second generation) Japanese American and was interned at the Tule Lake internment camp during WWII. Like Kato my grandfather loves cars, my grandfather has his own black beauty in his garage an early 70's model ford mustang,(sorry i cannot remember most of the specifics). I think what pleased me the most however was that as much as this issue focused on a detective story and the battle against crime, this story was equally focused on the struggles Kato faced as a Japanese living in America after Pearl Harbor. I don't know what research Jai Nitz/ Matt Wagner did, but they really created a story i could understand. My Grandparents don't really talk to much about the internment camps or what it was like during WW2, but i get the impression that it had to be hard at times to keep their chin up. I'm really happy that writers today are willing to write stories that give different perspectives. for me it's really refreshing to read a story that gives a little insight to what my family went through to get me where i am today. If you don't wish to read a story centered on the perspectives of Asians and Asian Americans during WW2, by all means please read it for it's detective story, it is quite solid.
