Miko Hayashi

Origin

Miko appears in issues 9 - 11 of the Drawn & Quarterly comic book series, Optic Nerve.

Creation

Miko was created by Adrian Tomine.

Character Evolution

Miko is in a relationship with Ben Tanaka, and initially lives with him in Berkley, California. She leaves him when his obsession with white girls gets out of hand. Although he denies that it is a problem, Miko confronts him with pornography she has found hidden in his room, and tries to explain to Ben how insecure he is making her feel. The two agree to a trial separation, but after Miko is offered a place at a prestigious Asian-American Film Institute in New York, she decides to start afresh, and the two quickly grow apart as a result.

While Ben sees no problem with his own interracial preferences, Miko soon discovers when she begins dating a white man that these views are hypocritical. In stark contrast to Ben's superficial, physical compulsion toward white women, Miko's new partner goes to great lengths to understand her by learning the same language and studying her culture. Even so, Ben is outraged, and later claims that there is something wrong with any white man who has a specific preference for Asian women. Ben's argument falls apart when Miko points out that her new partner is not Caucasian at all - he is half Jewish, half Native American.

Miko struggles to make Ben recognise any kind of fault in himself. While she explains to him that she can no longer stand his constant negativity, Ben still insists that she is leaving him for someone else.

Major Story Arcs

The three issues featuring Miko were later collected into a single volume, Shortcomings.

Powers And Abilities

Miko is a human character with no special powers or abilities.