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Reviews
The Good Asian, Vol. 1 by Alexandre Tefenkgi, Pornsak Pichetshote, Dave Johnson, Lee Loughridge
daumari's review
5.0
My friend Melissa recommended this to me a while ago, and I finally got around to it since the library has volume one. I'll definitely be picking up volume two!
The Good Asian is a noir set in 1930s San Francisco Chinatown, following Honolulu cop Edison Hark who's come to the mainland at the request of an old family friend. As the last decade before the Chinese Exclusion Act dropped, tensions run high, and an American-born generation struggles with xenophobia from the country of their birth. A lot of the historical background is in my wheel house, but I love setting this in the 1930s (as I feel like a lot of historical fiction about Chinese Americans skews towards late 1800s or post-1965). My own great-grandmother came in the 1920s, so it's startling to consider that Yeh-yeh would've been the age of one of the kids Edison talks to.
The creators definitely did their homework, and I'll be seeking out more of their work.
The Good Asian is a noir set in 1930s San Francisco Chinatown, following Honolulu cop Edison Hark who's come to the mainland at the request of an old family friend. As the last decade before the Chinese Exclusion Act dropped, tensions run high, and an American-born generation struggles with xenophobia from the country of their birth. A lot of the historical background is in my wheel house, but I love setting this in the 1930s (as I feel like a lot of historical fiction about Chinese Americans skews towards late 1800s or post-1965). My own great-grandmother came in the 1920s, so it's startling to consider that Yeh-yeh would've been the age of one of the kids Edison talks to.
The creators definitely did their homework, and I'll be seeking out more of their work.
krakow54's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ddillon154's review against another edition
5.0
I'm digging what the creators are calling their "Chinatown noir" style, and excited to see a comic tackle some of the history behind early Asian migration to the US.
Be warned, there is heavy use of racial slurs by several characters.
Be warned, there is heavy use of racial slurs by several characters.
albertico66's review
3.0
love the artwork... i think the plot if fantastic, but i find the panel and scene transitions to be choppily-written.
aches's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
brandonadaniels's review
2.0
Didn’t quite live up to my expectations unfortunately. I loved the art and the history and time period are interesting, but I found the story convoluted and confusing.
arkham's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
qpy's review
4.0
I enjoyed this a lot. Had so many anti Asian slurs my eyes twitched, so it felt fitting. I loved the art, the little moments about family or culture, etc. Really enjoyed the history notes at the end. Would recommend and am immediately picking up Vol. 2.
krupagrace's review
adventurous
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A little confused by the pacing and the narration.
The book starts strong, with the unconventional protagonist in an unfair world, a Chinese cop in a time when the Chinese were treated like the plague in America. A protagonist is constantly torn between the odds of his race and the desperate need to fit in among his peers. I see an identity confusion, deeply indebted to his rich American adopted father but not without an ingrained distrust and hatred towards his adopted siblings. The character development was exceptional, I didn't know such intricacies of personality could be conveyed so beautifully in so few words and imagery.
But the book loses you with its pacing, we see jumps in time, imaginations and narrator quite often that it often leaves you with questions. It's muddled. You often have to turn back pages to figure out who is this new character. Perhaps a few more pages would have added sufficient space for a clear circuit.
Nevertheless.....I am going to read the next one, cause I want to know where it goes.
The book starts strong, with the unconventional protagonist in an unfair world, a Chinese cop in a time when the Chinese were treated like the plague in America. A protagonist is constantly torn between the odds of his race and the desperate need to fit in among his peers. I see an identity confusion, deeply indebted to his rich American adopted father but not without an ingrained distrust and hatred towards his adopted siblings. The character development was exceptional, I didn't know such intricacies of personality could be conveyed so beautifully in so few words and imagery.
But the book loses you with its pacing, we see jumps in time, imaginations and narrator quite often that it often leaves you with questions. It's muddled. You often have to turn back pages to figure out who is this new character. Perhaps a few more pages would have added sufficient space for a clear circuit.
Nevertheless.....I am going to read the next one, cause I want to know where it goes.
capnhist's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5