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The Good Asian
The Good Asian, Volume One
Writer PORNSAK PICHETSHOTE's long-awaited follow-up to the critically acclaimed INFIDEL with stunning art by ALEXANDRE TEFENKGI (OUTPOST ZERO)!
Following Edison Harki, a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective on the trail of a killer in 1936 Chinatown, THE GOOD ASIAN is Chinatown noir starring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban, the Chinese, as they're besieged by rampant murders, abusive police, and a world that seemingly never changes. Collects THE GOOD ASIAN #1-4, plus covers by SANA TAKEDA, ANNIE WU, JEN BARTEL, DAVE JOHNSON, and more.
Following Edison Harki, a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective on the trail of a killer in 1936 Chinatown, THE GOOD ASIAN is Chinatown noir starring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban, the Chinese, as they're besieged by rampant murders, abusive police, and a world that seemingly never changes. Collects THE GOOD ASIAN #1-4, plus covers by SANA TAKEDA, ANNIE WU, JEN BARTEL, DAVE JOHNSON, and more.
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2021
27 people are currently reading
794 people want to read
About the author
Pornsak Pichetshote
63 books105 followersPornsak Pichetshote was a Thai-American rising star editor at DC’s Vertigo imprint where he worked on such comics perennials as The Sandman and Swamp Thing. His books have been nominated for dozens of Eisner awards—be it the award-winning Daytripper, the New York Times bestseller The Unwritten, or critical darlings like Sweet Tooth and Unknown Soldier. He left Vertigo to become an executive in DC Entertainment’s media team, where he started and oversaw DC TV’s department. Infidel marks his first major comics work as a writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews
May 27, 2022
The Good Asian is a 2022 Eisner-nominated title, which is why I read it. This is the first volume of a comics series written by Pornsak Pichetsote, a Thai-American, and illustrated by Alexander Tefenkgi, of French-Vietnamese-Djiboutian descent. Deeply researched, its story depends on historical truths about immigration policy in the U.S., particularly with respect to Chinese-Americans living in Chinatown in the thirties. We What was it like then and there to be Chinese? Featuring the only Chinese-American cop on the San Francisco police force, Edison Hark--a detective--assigned to Chinatown. What’s it like for a Chinese cop in Chinatown in 1936? Well, it’s complicated.
In 1882, as anti-Chinese riots erupted across the country, the U.S. passed a ban on Chinese immigrants, The Chinese Exclusion Act, blaming Chinese-Americans for the 1874 Depression (they were reportedly willing to work for pennies, so were unjustly blamed for driving down wages); in 1924 the act was expanded to include other Asians and Arabs. So we learn this background in some early panels and throughout the volume and then much more--with references--in an elaborate and useful appendix.
The story is noir in, as we learn from various sources, "the classic tradition of Chandler and Hammett," but with an updated eye to racism and historical accuracy. And you know, it is only in the last decade that we have had comics It also acknowledges that Chinese Americans in Chinatown had its corruption, its gangs. There’s a killer nicknamed Hatchetman (yup, this is how he does it) maybe named Hui Long (not Huey Long, the politician from Louisiana).
Hark, originally from Honolulu, was brought in by a rich white guy who had a relationship with his upstairs maid, Lily Chen, who disappeared. Hark agrees to find her but discovers in the process that his mother didn’t just die, she was murdered, and the plot, as they say, thickens. Hark is not a saint; he is in a tough political position, distrusted by both whites and Chinese. He likes white women. Lily Chen liked white guys. White American notions of power and beauty complicate life for some Chinese Americans. So I like the complexity of this. It's not simply either-or, or right/wrong.
A couple things:
*I like it that Hark’s into drawing (echoing some characters in Ed Brubaker-Sean Phillips crime comics).
*I like it that in addition to The Hathetman there are other noir characters: The Bogeyman, and the Bing Hip Tong gang.
I appreciate the very useful appendix where we learn of the 1790 Naturalization Act offering citizenship to free white persons of character, though excluding Native Americans, blacks and Asians. A very long and complicated and never completely innocent relationship between white Americans and people of color.
I had a hard time following the story at some points. I wonder whether the team wants to tell a crime story or talk about racism. It doesn't have to be one or the other, of course, but since this is a comics series, I prefer the history to be more in the background so the tale can tell itself. Sometimes the historical work helps, sometimes it slows things down. I am revising this review one day after I read and reviewed it because I am reading a noir novel, Tardi's The Bloody Streets of Paris that is set during 1941-45, the German Occupation of Paris. It's about fascism, anti-semitism, corruption, an ugly story, but these important historical topics emerge fluently out of a better and clearer and more entertaining story than I am encountering in The Good Asian--so far. Pichetsote, read Tardi! And Brubaker and Phillips, for how to tell great stories that also happen to be about racism.
So I liked a lot of this, and I'm maybe interested in how it turns out. I like the historical frame and the anti-racism, and the art is great. But I am hoping that in subsequent volumes we can focus on the story, now that we know the background. There seem to be nods to Brubaker and Phillips, in the art and the story, but in the comparison this volume fades a bit. I'll probably read on, in part because of all the critical attention and great press.
In 1882, as anti-Chinese riots erupted across the country, the U.S. passed a ban on Chinese immigrants, The Chinese Exclusion Act, blaming Chinese-Americans for the 1874 Depression (they were reportedly willing to work for pennies, so were unjustly blamed for driving down wages); in 1924 the act was expanded to include other Asians and Arabs. So we learn this background in some early panels and throughout the volume and then much more--with references--in an elaborate and useful appendix.
The story is noir in, as we learn from various sources, "the classic tradition of Chandler and Hammett," but with an updated eye to racism and historical accuracy. And you know, it is only in the last decade that we have had comics It also acknowledges that Chinese Americans in Chinatown had its corruption, its gangs. There’s a killer nicknamed Hatchetman (yup, this is how he does it) maybe named Hui Long (not Huey Long, the politician from Louisiana).
Hark, originally from Honolulu, was brought in by a rich white guy who had a relationship with his upstairs maid, Lily Chen, who disappeared. Hark agrees to find her but discovers in the process that his mother didn’t just die, she was murdered, and the plot, as they say, thickens. Hark is not a saint; he is in a tough political position, distrusted by both whites and Chinese. He likes white women. Lily Chen liked white guys. White American notions of power and beauty complicate life for some Chinese Americans. So I like the complexity of this. It's not simply either-or, or right/wrong.
A couple things:
*I like it that Hark’s into drawing (echoing some characters in Ed Brubaker-Sean Phillips crime comics).
*I like it that in addition to The Hathetman there are other noir characters: The Bogeyman, and the Bing Hip Tong gang.
I appreciate the very useful appendix where we learn of the 1790 Naturalization Act offering citizenship to free white persons of character, though excluding Native Americans, blacks and Asians. A very long and complicated and never completely innocent relationship between white Americans and people of color.
I had a hard time following the story at some points. I wonder whether the team wants to tell a crime story or talk about racism. It doesn't have to be one or the other, of course, but since this is a comics series, I prefer the history to be more in the background so the tale can tell itself. Sometimes the historical work helps, sometimes it slows things down. I am revising this review one day after I read and reviewed it because I am reading a noir novel, Tardi's The Bloody Streets of Paris that is set during 1941-45, the German Occupation of Paris. It's about fascism, anti-semitism, corruption, an ugly story, but these important historical topics emerge fluently out of a better and clearer and more entertaining story than I am encountering in The Good Asian--so far. Pichetsote, read Tardi! And Brubaker and Phillips, for how to tell great stories that also happen to be about racism.
So I liked a lot of this, and I'm maybe interested in how it turns out. I like the historical frame and the anti-racism, and the art is great. But I am hoping that in subsequent volumes we can focus on the story, now that we know the background. There seem to be nods to Brubaker and Phillips, in the art and the story, but in the comparison this volume fades a bit. I'll probably read on, in part because of all the critical attention and great press.
October 1, 2021
The detective story gets lost in the need to tell of the racism and injustice Chinese immigrants went through in the 1930's. There's a lot of interesting historical tidbits about how the U.S. government passed laws specifically against those of Chinese ancestry and then the larger Asian population. The art and coloring very much added to the noirish setting.
September 25, 2021
A noir detective story set in 1930s San Francisco Chinatown, told from the perspective of an ethnically Chinese cop, it works better as historic fiction than it does as a mystery.
The insights into the horribly racist laws invented to keep the new immigrants down, is very interesting, although it maybe is not as well integrated into the narrative as you'd want.
The mystery is all over the place, with dead ends and sidesteps a-plenty, making the whole feel slowmoving and in the end unsatisfying, even knowing it ends on a cliffhanger.
I liked the art and especially the colouring, creating a lot of noir-ish atmosphere.
I'm not so sure I'd read a second volume, to be honest.
(Picked up an ARC through Edelweiss)
The insights into the horribly racist laws invented to keep the new immigrants down, is very interesting, although it maybe is not as well integrated into the narrative as you'd want.
The mystery is all over the place, with dead ends and sidesteps a-plenty, making the whole feel slowmoving and in the end unsatisfying, even knowing it ends on a cliffhanger.
I liked the art and especially the colouring, creating a lot of noir-ish atmosphere.
I'm not so sure I'd read a second volume, to be honest.
(Picked up an ARC through Edelweiss)
March 13, 2022
A historical fiction for which the historical end notes are much more interesting than the flat and dreary crime noir mystery that makes up the majority of the book. A Chinese American police detective from Honolulu, Edison Hark, has been called to San Francisco by the son of a white millionaire who has fallen into a coma out of despair over the disappearance of the Chinese maid with whom he has a relationship. In the course of his investigation, Hark also gets mixed up in the possible return of tong violence and the racist backlash that could possibly ignite in the police and white communities around Chinatown.
Hark's voice-over narration is dour, cynical, and full of self-loathing. It just ground me down and made me care less and less as the story progressed. There's a cliffhanger ending, and the concluding volume comes out in a few months, but I'm not sure I'll bother.
Hark's voice-over narration is dour, cynical, and full of self-loathing. It just ground me down and made me care less and less as the story progressed. There's a cliffhanger ending, and the concluding volume comes out in a few months, but I'm not sure I'll bother.
October 22, 2021
Yet another important story concerning race, in the vein of Bitter Root which I also read relatively recently and gave top marks. The Good Asian being a noir crime story, it is naturally quite different from the aforementioned steampunky modern fantasy, but nevertheless they still tackle many of the same kinds of themes, and social and historical issues - in a very real, yet engaging way.
Again, as with Bitter Root, I was very thankful to find this came with supplementary reading, on the history and context of the material.
Is it a perfect story? No. Could it have been slightly better and/or more clear? Yes. Was it still very good? Absolutely. Would I throw this at anyone even remotely interested in comics and call it required reading? Most definitely.
Looking forward to continue reading.
Again, as with Bitter Root, I was very thankful to find this came with supplementary reading, on the history and context of the material.
Is it a perfect story? No. Could it have been slightly better and/or more clear? Yes. Was it still very good? Absolutely. Would I throw this at anyone even remotely interested in comics and call it required reading? Most definitely.
Looking forward to continue reading.
December 29, 2021
A really solid noir mystery featuring an Asian-American cop in a time when they basically didn't exist. It doesn't sugarcoat the struggles faced by non-whites at the time which I'm sure will annoy some readers, although considering the resurgence of hate towards Asians in the past couple of years it feels very timely.
The art suits the style perfectly, it's moody and dark but with a pleasant style that reminds me of Sean Phillips' work. Although I could just be thinking that because this reminds me of the kind of book he and Ed Brubaker create.
It's great to encounter a new book I'm genuinely excited by.
The art suits the style perfectly, it's moody and dark but with a pleasant style that reminds me of Sean Phillips' work. Although I could just be thinking that because this reminds me of the kind of book he and Ed Brubaker create.
It's great to encounter a new book I'm genuinely excited by.
January 2, 2022
Incredibly choppy dialogue and narration and despite the decent artwork there was very little synergy between the textual and visual storytelling. It's evident how much research went into representing 30s San Francisco and the struggles of the Asian ethnic minorities authentically, but such efforts do not warrant a good book automatically on their own.
January 12, 2022
So this detective story is set in the 1930s back when America was super racist. It was crazy how these laws against Asians were being passed to keep them down. During all of this, we follow an Asian detective trying to crack a missing persons case. As we follow our detective on the case, more mysteries pop up. Like who the missing person may have been related to, the mystery of a particular hatchet man and some new revelations dealing with people our Detective grew up with. Book ends on a big cliff hanger and I will definitely read the next volume to see what happens.
May 19, 2022
When a books credits include a historical advisor you can be pretty sure the learning moments may outweigh the story.
That's what happens here..
It's a 1930s crime-noir story involving the not so good Chinese experience of the era.
The story branches off a few times...and may feel more satisfying in further volume/s??
That's what happens here..
It's a 1930s crime-noir story involving the not so good Chinese experience of the era.
The story branches off a few times...and may feel more satisfying in further volume/s??
April 16, 2023
This has a bunch going for it. The main perspective being told from a Chinese policeman and the story being steeped in American history about the systemic racism, and how he negotiates that, is completely new ground for the genre, as far as I know.
The plot itself is interesting enough, even if the impetus is quite weak. His adopted father is ill and a recluse after his long-term Chinese maid mysteriously disappears. His adoptive brother hires him to find her, thinking her return will basically wake him like Lazarus. It’s pretty thin ice. Thankfully this sandwiched after a compelling action-packed start, which forces him to act as a police officer to go along to get along. This segues into the perfect model minority and the history around the legal vilification of the Chinese, among others. And then we get the why he’s off the beaten path and another impossible position for the end of an issue, cliffhanger style—something this team likes to do immensely, judging from these first 4 issues.
The main weakness, for me, is in the artwork. It doesn’t quite match the style and atmosphere. It’s cartoony and off putting when contrasted to the cover. But, it’s well worth reading, so I will continue.
The plot itself is interesting enough, even if the impetus is quite weak. His adopted father is ill and a recluse after his long-term Chinese maid mysteriously disappears. His adoptive brother hires him to find her, thinking her return will basically wake him like Lazarus. It’s pretty thin ice. Thankfully this sandwiched after a compelling action-packed start, which forces him to act as a police officer to go along to get along. This segues into the perfect model minority and the history around the legal vilification of the Chinese, among others. And then we get the why he’s off the beaten path and another impossible position for the end of an issue, cliffhanger style—something this team likes to do immensely, judging from these first 4 issues.
The main weakness, for me, is in the artwork. It doesn’t quite match the style and atmosphere. It’s cartoony and off putting when contrasted to the cover. But, it’s well worth reading, so I will continue.
September 12, 2022
Noir detective stories mostly don't keep my attention or interest well, and this story wasn't an exception. I did appreciate the research and unflinching honesty of the portrayal of the time period in regard to Asians and Asian Americans. The main character is clearly heavily conflicted about where his loyalties should lie and the cost of having a job that often victimizes people of his own demographic. While there are a number of very different female characters that I kept separate well, there are a few secondary male characters I couldn't keep straight by name.
I read this a second time and my re-read was definitely beneficial. I noticed more details and more nuances and references in the story. One chapter was from the point-of-view of a Chinese woman who briefly helps Detective Hark. Seeing his choices from her point of view definitely hit home some of the conflicting choices Hark has to make as an officer. I also really appreciated the interior design of the book more this time, like the gold used on the issue covers. I am more like to read volume 2 after this re-read.
I read this a second time and my re-read was definitely beneficial. I noticed more details and more nuances and references in the story. One chapter was from the point-of-view of a Chinese woman who briefly helps Detective Hark. Seeing his choices from her point of view definitely hit home some of the conflicting choices Hark has to make as an officer. I also really appreciated the interior design of the book more this time, like the gold used on the issue covers. I am more like to read volume 2 after this re-read.
April 24, 2024
The historical notes at the end were more fun to read than the actual story. Great research and interesting theme, sadly lacking the dynamism and je ne sais quoi that makes a story captivating.
October 20, 2022
Very hard to like main character, though that is on purpose. Still very good, and a unique tale.
September 10, 2021
This series certainly earns its reputation in terms of relevancy and historical context.
With all of the Noir tropes, this one feels unique by going into the post-Chinese immigration bans. I mean our main character doesn't even refer to himself by his birth name. That's despite the fact that he doesn't go by any name other than Edison because he settled into a lie he thrived in. But it's barely doing him or any other Chinese American any favors. The Chinese people see him as a race traitor, and his White American colleagues see him more as a pet with a special owner.
In fact the look into how the bans, repeals, and the efforts to get people to America anyway; it paints a somber picture on trying to find a better life. Between all of the risks, there are times when keeping your head down feels smothering but necessary. But doesn't this just mean waiting for things to get better when bad things keep happening? Some people like Ed's more racist detective colleague practically thrives on the Chinese people he can dominate. Just look at the villain of this series, a clear Red Scare stand-in using superstition to his advantage.
With all of the Noir tropes, this one feels unique by going into the post-Chinese immigration bans. I mean our main character doesn't even refer to himself by his birth name. That's despite the fact that he doesn't go by any name other than Edison because he settled into a lie he thrived in. But it's barely doing him or any other Chinese American any favors. The Chinese people see him as a race traitor, and his White American colleagues see him more as a pet with a special owner.
In fact the look into how the bans, repeals, and the efforts to get people to America anyway; it paints a somber picture on trying to find a better life. Between all of the risks, there are times when keeping your head down feels smothering but necessary. But doesn't this just mean waiting for things to get better when bad things keep happening? Some people like Ed's more racist detective colleague practically thrives on the Chinese people he can dominate. Just look at the villain of this series, a clear Red Scare stand-in using superstition to his advantage.
September 7, 2021
Compelling artwork and a killer premise go a long way toward making this work as well as it does. The setting is rich and packed with nasty, complex undercurrents of racism, privilege, violence, male rage, and more, and Pichetshote is hellbent on mining it for all its worth. And for the most part, it works! I love how his protagonist is shady and often unpleasant, the kind of guy you don't like but can't help but follow around. Tefenkgi and Loughridge's art is striking, too, and captures the pervading griminess of the setting really well. I also love how murky the moralities at play in the comic are and how, despite the obvious examples of The Bad Guys™️, very few good people are given a spotlight. It makes for a complicated narrative I never knew what to expect from.
That unpredictability is a double-edged sword, though, because as labyrinthine as the noir and mystery is, most of it feels disjointed. I'm sure Pichetshote has an endgame in mind, but there's an intentionality to the breadcrumb trail of clues that I felt was lacking. There's a good mystery being developed, but it gets lost in tangents and monologues that don't seem to be driving toward anything, which left me feeling a little confused, albeit never bored. I'm on board for at least another volume, especially considering how this one ends. But I hope the story is able to find a clearer sense of direction and alignment, as that will help its already strong foundations work even better.
That unpredictability is a double-edged sword, though, because as labyrinthine as the noir and mystery is, most of it feels disjointed. I'm sure Pichetshote has an endgame in mind, but there's an intentionality to the breadcrumb trail of clues that I felt was lacking. There's a good mystery being developed, but it gets lost in tangents and monologues that don't seem to be driving toward anything, which left me feeling a little confused, albeit never bored. I'm on board for at least another volume, especially considering how this one ends. But I hope the story is able to find a clearer sense of direction and alignment, as that will help its already strong foundations work even better.
September 4, 2021
I think I'm due a Second Law of Graphic Novels. I mean, the first doesn't just apply to graphic novels, but it's where I see the truth of the Law the most – that books get translated with the urgency they deserve, the best rushed out to foreign markets, and things not appearing in translation for decades never worth the wait. My Second Law then is not just based on this volume at hand, but is certainly proved by this, its most extreme example. It states that my favourable reaction will be in inverse to the quantity of puff quotes present. This one has THREE full pages of quotes before we've begun, and practically a full back cover, all stating that this noir, set between the wars in San Francisco's Chinatown, is the best thing since kung pao chicken. It's not. It's decidedly meh, despite my wanting it to show up America's racism. Who killed what and why, and what it means for the detective's past, present and future, and who's a goodie and who's not – it all just passed me by. I do wish I'd found more to engage me, beyond a lasting life lesson.
September 19, 2022
A Chinese-American police detective--unheard of in 1936 San Francisco--tries to find a missing young woman for his wealthy white step-brother. Meanwhile, a possibly-fictional, axe-wielding Chinese boogeyman begins killing people in Chinatown, raising the danger profile of Chinese immigrants and threatening to trigger a new wave of anti-Chinese riots.
Never have I read a book with such a blisteringly loaded title. It's spot on and imparts a ton of setting and theme before the cover is even opened.
Plotting, dialogue, colors, it's not bad. And I appreciate the way the illustrator uses symbols to bridge scene transitions and art to depict the detective protagonist's hyperobservancy.
I will note that Pichetshote has some problems with clarity. Brubaker's better at keeping disparate noir plot threads from coming unraveled.
Never have I read a book with such a blisteringly loaded title. It's spot on and imparts a ton of setting and theme before the cover is even opened.
Plotting, dialogue, colors, it's not bad. And I appreciate the way the illustrator uses symbols to bridge scene transitions and art to depict the detective protagonist's hyperobservancy.
I will note that Pichetshote has some problems with clarity. Brubaker's better at keeping disparate noir plot threads from coming unraveled.
March 8, 2022
I don't know how I feel about this - I love that this is representation for Asians in a time period and genre that they typically aren't represented in, but the actual story was lacking. This does have a cliffhanger that I want explained, but the characters I'm mixed on.
May 31, 2022
History and Noir!
I loved The Good Asian. I wasn’t sure what I’d think but the mix of history with an atypical noir story had me hooked. Having this “oriental” detective really lent a different feel to other noir stories. Very curious what happens next!
I loved The Good Asian. I wasn’t sure what I’d think but the mix of history with an atypical noir story had me hooked. Having this “oriental” detective really lent a different feel to other noir stories. Very curious what happens next!
July 27, 2025
This book was picked for me by a random numbers generator from my TBR (it's part of a challenge that I'm doing) and I'm very glad it was because this is one of those books that I find highly interesting but that are perhaps a little too far out of my comfort zone.
This is a Noir Mystery and while there is something highly appealing about Noir aesthetics they are also very masculine and dark and not something I usually reach for. I put this on my TBR because of the historical context this is set in - Chinese Exclusion Act - and the book definitely delivers on that, so I'm quite happy with it. If you are interested in learning more about that and about how US immigrations policies were always fucked up basically (it puts what is happening now in entirely new perspective to me), definitely pick this one up!
It does a lot of trigger warnings though, including, but not exhaustive so take care and look up the full list of content warnings if that's something you need.
I also liked the quite simple dark art style that plays with monochromatism quite a lot. Something about it really worked for me, even if some of the imagery of female body was... not my favourite, but compared to some other male artists that I know it was among the better ones. I mean
Anyway, this is quite good and I'm reading the second volume already because this is a Mystery and I don't want to forget stuff! Also, this is a duology so easy one to finish. (It helps my TBR none though, because I am absolutely adding Infidel to it now...)
P.S. Now that I wrote this review I feel like I should also talk about the MC being a cop and how that is handled but I think I will do that in my review of the second volume, because... reasons.
This is a Noir Mystery and while there is something highly appealing about Noir aesthetics they are also very masculine and dark and not something I usually reach for. I put this on my TBR because of the historical context this is set in - Chinese Exclusion Act - and the book definitely delivers on that, so I'm quite happy with it. If you are interested in learning more about that and about how US immigrations policies were always fucked up basically (it puts what is happening now in entirely new perspective to me), definitely pick this one up!
It does a lot of trigger warnings though, including, but not exhaustive so take care and look up the full list of content warnings if that's something you need.
I also liked the quite simple dark art style that plays with monochromatism quite a lot. Something about it really worked for me, even if some of the imagery of female body was... not my favourite, but compared to some other male artists that I know it was among the better ones. I mean
Anyway, this is quite good and I'm reading the second volume already because this is a Mystery and I don't want to forget stuff! Also, this is a duology so easy one to finish. (It helps my TBR none though, because I am absolutely adding Infidel to it now...)
P.S. Now that I wrote this review I feel like I should also talk about the MC being a cop and how that is handled but I think I will do that in my review of the second volume, because... reasons.
July 29, 2024
I haven't been following the new releases for the past couple of years, except for my favorite authors, but The Good Asian was one of the few titles I've managed to hear about despite being out of the loop. When an opportunity to snag both volumes for a few bucks appeared, I did not hesitate. And boy, what an investment!
This book has everything you want from a modern noir story - a tormented main protagonist, femme fatale, murder mystery, crooked cops, danger at every corner, and most importantly, a great setting. In this case the Chinatown of San Francisco during the 1930s.
I am not sure if I read something drawn by Alexandre Tefenkgi, but his style fits the story perfectly, and the colors by Lee Loughridge are top-notch notch, as always.
The only thing I was struggling with was to get oriented in all the characters and plot lines, but I am sure it will be much easier during a re-read. Otherwise, not much to complain about, and it's now pretty clear why I was hearing about this book while I wasn't really following the industry.
This book has everything you want from a modern noir story - a tormented main protagonist, femme fatale, murder mystery, crooked cops, danger at every corner, and most importantly, a great setting. In this case the Chinatown of San Francisco during the 1930s.
I am not sure if I read something drawn by Alexandre Tefenkgi, but his style fits the story perfectly, and the colors by Lee Loughridge are top-notch notch, as always.
The only thing I was struggling with was to get oriented in all the characters and plot lines, but I am sure it will be much easier during a re-read. Otherwise, not much to complain about, and it's now pretty clear why I was hearing about this book while I wasn't really following the industry.
May 3, 2022
Comic? Yes
History? Yes
Blend of Comic and History should be a win-win, but this...isn't.
Maybe it's the lazy 'default racist' setting so many of the characters are given, but even the presence of well written endnotes pointing out real places and things mentioned, relevant to, or pictured in the story were unable to rescue it from mediocrity.
History? Yes
Blend of Comic and History should be a win-win, but this...isn't.
Maybe it's the lazy 'default racist' setting so many of the characters are given, but even the presence of well written endnotes pointing out real places and things mentioned, relevant to, or pictured in the story were unable to rescue it from mediocrity.
December 9, 2021
Pretty good detective story. The Good Asian is a great comic book noir story. It is filled with all the tropes you'd expect from a noir style mystery but the added bonus is the writer's knowledge of the Chinese American experience during the 1936. I thought the dialogue was handled well and the artwork worked well with the mood of the story. The covers were really top notch for this series and really aided the book in giving it the 30s feel. Ultimately it was the main protagonist, Edison Hark , that really steals the show in this gritty mystery. I loved the fact that there was some grit and imperfection to the character. You could really feel his inner turmoil in trying to help his fellow China men & women but having to surrender to the racist status quo of the 1930s. I always enjoy reading a good noir book and this was pretty good and hopefully we will get a volume 2. Here are a few noir style comics I'd suggest readers checkout: Kill or be Killed, Vol. 1, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, Vol. 1: The Rat Catcher and the Sunken Dead, Four Eyes, Vol. 1: Forged in Flames, The Shadow Hero Omnibus, & Batman: The Long Halloween
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December 27, 2022I found this noir, graphic novel set in the 1930's Chinatown to be intriguing and yes, dark.
I liked the historical backdrop that discussed the Chinese Exclusion Act and other social constructs. It is particularly significant that American immigration policies find their origins in racist, anti-Asian sentiments and actions. This context, of course, sees its connections to today's Covid-related, anti-Asian racism here in the US and elsewhere.
The drama and darkness of noir, and more accurately, the melodramatic tone, in this book are not my cuppa; I won't be reading more of this series.
I liked the historical backdrop that discussed the Chinese Exclusion Act and other social constructs. It is particularly significant that American immigration policies find their origins in racist, anti-Asian sentiments and actions. This context, of course, sees its connections to today's Covid-related, anti-Asian racism here in the US and elsewhere.
The drama and darkness of noir, and more accurately, the melodramatic tone, in this book are not my cuppa; I won't be reading more of this series.
November 25, 2021
The Good Asian is a fantastic noir book with a lot on its mind and the guts to go for it. Edison Hark, in the tradition of noir protagonists, is a deeply-flawed individual with enough charm and sympathetic qualities to make you root for him. The series explores racial tensions in 1930s San Franciso with maturity and care, having each character respond differently to the hand society dealt them. Pichetshote did an enormous amount of research and it shows. The mystery anchoring the story is fascinating to follow, and when you throw murder into the mix it gets even better. Hark has interesting, complex relationships with everyone he meets, and each character has something valuable to contribute. I love Tefenkgi's pencils and inks, especially mixed with Loughridge's colors, which can be dark/moody or bright/vibrant depending on the needs of the scene.
I think the volume as a whole would have benefitted from including the fifth issue. I understand they wanted to leave things off on a huge cliffhanger, but I personally believe the ending of issue five is just as tense and would work as well. Issue five also provides some answers that would benefit the volume as a whole. While this is a noir detective book with a series-long mystery, ending on issue four probably provides too little answers for the casual reader's tastes. I also think issue three halts the book's pacing a bit. I respect Pichetshote and co. for wanting to include another perspective, but since it happens over halfway through the volume and the reader is still only working off of breadcrumbs of evidence, it does slow things down a bit.
While I have minor complaints, The Good Asian volume one is a must-read for comic and noir fans, and I suspect even casual readers will enjoy it. When it comes to the best comics of 2021, The Good Asian is easily a contender. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
I think the volume as a whole would have benefitted from including the fifth issue. I understand they wanted to leave things off on a huge cliffhanger, but I personally believe the ending of issue five is just as tense and would work as well. Issue five also provides some answers that would benefit the volume as a whole. While this is a noir detective book with a series-long mystery, ending on issue four probably provides too little answers for the casual reader's tastes. I also think issue three halts the book's pacing a bit. I respect Pichetshote and co. for wanting to include another perspective, but since it happens over halfway through the volume and the reader is still only working off of breadcrumbs of evidence, it does slow things down a bit.
While I have minor complaints, The Good Asian volume one is a must-read for comic and noir fans, and I suspect even casual readers will enjoy it. When it comes to the best comics of 2021, The Good Asian is easily a contender. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
November 29, 2021
If you love this story and world, would recommend getting the single issues rather than the trade. There are a bit more notes and writeups by Pichetshote that won't be in any of the trades. These add more depth to the story.
The art style is perfect for this story and race context aside, its nice to get a noir comics story that isn't wrapped up in the supernatural (not that there is anything wrong with those stories, it just seems like that is the norm).
The art style is perfect for this story and race context aside, its nice to get a noir comics story that isn't wrapped up in the supernatural (not that there is anything wrong with those stories, it just seems like that is the norm).
November 4, 2021
The only thing keeping this from being 5 stars is that the main character had amazing perceptions at the beginning that did not continue in the book. I found that a disappointment but outside of that, wow, what a fantastic story.
After rethinking, 5 stars. Brilliant book.
After rethinking, 5 stars. Brilliant book.
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September 23, 2021It's the 1930s, and Edison Hark is the only Chinese cop on the force policing San Francisco's Chinatown. Early on, when he busts an opium addict, he tells the man's family that if the Chinese want the authorities to stop treating them like dirt, they should stop giving them reasons to do so. Privately, he knows it's never that simple, as witness the endless aggro and slurs he has to face – and it's not just whites, but the Chinese community too, who are prone to assuming his badge must be fake. He's only in this privileged yet corrosive position thanks to his family association with the tycoon Carroway, whose own family emerged from an earlier generation of racism – "Father was Irish when that meant 'job-stealing trash'". But now old man Carroway is dead, and an already constricted accommodation is looking ever shakier. Every scene provides some new tangle of the doubled identity, whether it's Hark bridling when he meets someone else trying to play the well-assimilated part, or the addition of a female narrator to the mix, which brings a whole additional layer of complications as regards what it means to be a 'good Asian'. All of this wrapped around and threaded through a classic noir plot, with bodies dropping and bits chopped off, leading to rumours of the return of a legendary hatchet-man not seen since the police busted the Tongs years previously. The art catches the mean streets, the microexpressions, and the little details Hark notices, which a crime story needs to come off on the page; an appendix summarises the various hateful pieces of legislation which form the bedrock for this whole situation. Of these, the Chinese Exclusion Act looms largest, as America's first effort to essentially outlaw a whole race, yet somehow it's not even the most shocking among them; consider the double-edged Naturalization Act of 1870, taking away Chinese-Americans' citizenship even as it was opened to "aliens of African nativity and to persons of African descent", or the 1920 Cable Act whereby an American woman who married a Chinese man ceased legally to be an American woman.
(Edelweiss ARC)
(Edelweiss ARC)
January 15, 2023
Cool book, I liked it a lot. Interesting story and setting, good noir mystery. I had to read it closely sometimes, to slow down a bit, which I (usually) like. Good art, primarily Western style but with some manga-influenced details, especially for example the last panel of the first issue/chapter.
There are some minor problems in both the writing and the art.
In a few spots the characters are too quick to anger and insults, unbelievably so. And at least once it was obvious that the writer, Pornsak Pichetshote, had a morsel from his research that he really wanted to include and it didn't come off as seamlessly as he probably hoped.
I liked most of the art but there was one detail that bothered me: the artist drew a hatch in a sidewalk with rigid handles sticking up from the doors, creating an obvious significant tripping hazard. I don't understand why an artist would draw something like that. And then a few pages later the artist drew the same hatches with the handles at least twice as big as in the first drawings. Sure, overall quite minor, but I found it distracting.
I appreciated the pages of immigration history added at the end.
There are some minor problems in both the writing and the art.
In a few spots the characters are too quick to anger and insults, unbelievably so. And at least once it was obvious that the writer, Pornsak Pichetshote, had a morsel from his research that he really wanted to include and it didn't come off as seamlessly as he probably hoped.
I liked most of the art but there was one detail that bothered me: the artist drew a hatch in a sidewalk with rigid handles sticking up from the doors, creating an obvious significant tripping hazard. I don't understand why an artist would draw something like that. And then a few pages later the artist drew the same hatches with the handles at least twice as big as in the first drawings. Sure, overall quite minor, but I found it distracting.
I appreciated the pages of immigration history added at the end.
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