The Good Asian, Volume Two

The Good Asian

by Pornsak Pichetshote, Alexandre Tefenkgi (Artist), Lee Loughridge (Artist)

The conclusion to the year's most critically acclaimed new series is here!

Self-loathing Chinese-American detective Edison Hark uncovers the secrets behind the murders terrorizing 1936 Chinatown and their link to his family—but exposing the truth may mean toppling everything he holds dear. Writer PORNSAK PICHETSHOTE (INFIDEL) and artist ALEXANDRE TEFENKGI (OUTPOST ZERO) wrap up their Chinatown noir starring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban…the Chinese.

Collects covers by DAVID CHOE, AFU CHAN, NIMIT MALAVIA, DAVE JOHNSON, and more, plus bonus material.

Collects THE GOOD ASIAN #5-10

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Noir, Fiction, Crime

176 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2022

About the author

Pornsak 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.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good Asian received an amazing amount of attention an award nominations, though I thought it was research-heavy, slowing down the narrative with information readers need to know in order to understand why it might have been a big deal to be a Chinese-American detective in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1936. The Chinese Exclusion Act. Then the self-loathing detective, working for the SFPD, adopted son of a white dude from Hawaii, takes on crime on several fronts.

So the links to the historical research within the text are now pushed back where they should be, and they are useful and interesting, the connections between real-life first-time Chinese detective, Chang Apana, the inspiration for Charlie Chan and the Massie Trial, all relevant and cool. Nevertheless, even though the plot is noir and that almost requires it to be somewhat confusing (murky, emerging out of the shadows) it is still a bit hard to follow, confusing, and then at the end there is a flurry of information that would seem to belie the announcement that it concludes the series (follow the money, this series has proved financially successful, so there may be more stories).

The real star of this series is the neo-noir artistic work of Tefenkgi, with props to colorist Lee Loughridge.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

The poor first volume only gets worse - the main story itself gets muddled and lost, the instigating backstory hinted at from the beginning is just...random, the cast expands and the interconnections become fantastical to the point of absurdity, at least one character (never established or explained) has no purpose beyond firing a single bullet, and the last three issues are navel gazing polemics intent on playing to a modern political audience rather than providing entertainment.

[Håvard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had been a while since I read the first volume, so the plot got quite confusing for me, as it really thickens in this volume. Still, The Good Asian is a bloody good story, and the racial theme is as poignant as ever in this volume.

Strong recommend.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I apparently enjoyed issue 5 but I can't tell you what about it I liked, but that's why my rating was rounded up to 3 stars even though it's definitely closer to 2. I liked the idea of this series - the setting, the genre, the time period ... but the story was really difficult to follow. It had too many moving parts and characters that weren't fully fleshed out. I constantly forgot who was who even with the short summaries of people in the beginning of each issue. For some reason they just would not stick in my memory, which made the mystery really confusing. It's too bad because there aren't many series like this and it's quite unique, but it just really fell short.

Individual issue reviews: #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10

Total review score: 2.58

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

During the first half, or first 3 issues, I found myself getting caught back up into this story. Our main character, Dt. Edison is getting closer to the answers he’s looking for. Plus something terrible happens to him. The art was still cool and the story was still engrossing. However, I started getting lost with the second half of the book. They started to do all the reveals as to what has really been going on and I couldn’t remember who did what. Damn, I knew I should have reread the first volume before jumping into this.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great conclusion to this story. Pretty much everything I said in the review of volume one is still true here. Definitely a great pulpy crime story from a perspective we don't often see. I really like the inclusion of the "real world" events that helped inspire this story at the end of the volume. Can't wait to see what Pornsak Pichetshote does next.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

My disappointment with the second volume of Pornsak Pichetshote' graphic novel series "The Good Asian" doesn't necessarily mean that I didn't respect or appreciate what he was trying to do. Set in 1930s San Francisco Chinatown, "The Good Asian" follows Eddie Hark, the first and only Chinese police detective hired on by the SFPD (based loosely on a real-life detective, who was the basis for the popular "Charlie Chan" novels) as he investigates a missing-persons case that may be related to a string of murders in Chinatown. In keeping with the Raymond Chandler-esque noir that Pichetshote is clearly trying to invoke, the plot is a convoluted jumble, with a cast of characters, suspects, and victims that one needs to create a chart in order to keep track of. Honestly, I hope he continues the series, because despite the confusing storyline, I enjoyed the series.

[Jakub Kvíz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title should have been “The Great Asian”, because “good” just doesn’t do the justice to this book.

The second half of the story of Edison Hark is getting even more intense, the mysteries are being unraveled, the backs are being stabbed…

Really enjoyable read for every fan of noir/crime comics.

[Nathaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bummed to see this title go, but I'm glad it went out on its own terms, and hyped there's still the possibility for more.

The Good Asian Vol 2 heats up the case as Edison Hark continues his search for Hui Long and Ivy Chen while still reeling from the events of the last volume. Everything that made volume 1 great is on display here. Tefenkgi and Loughridge provide gorgeous layouts, making the story pop even in some of the dialogue-heavy sections. I think their combined talents are what I'll miss most, and you can bet I'll be looking into more of their work. Pichetshote delivers tense sequences and biting commentary that, while direct, rarely feels forced within the context of the narrative. Hark continues to impress as a character, doing his best to come out on top in a rapidly deteriorating situation while still hitting roadblocks caused by his faults. The backstory issue is fantastic, providing an in-depth look at this complicated individual and how he ended up in this mess. The twists worked for me, and I thought the final issue did a good job of wrapping things up.

I read another review that called this volume convoluted, and I'd have to agree to an extent. The reader is bombarded with a LOT of information at the end, and with the answers being ultimately simple, the confusion doesn't feel warranted. It doesn't ruin the book, but it does make it hard to follow at times. The last three issues also feel a little padded, which is probably because the series was originally supposed to be nine issues. I respect Pichetshote decided he had more to say, but his decision to extend things does cost him some of the pacing. The information we learn about Edison's mother, while interesting, doesn't feel like it ultimately goes anywhere. And Lucy, while a good character and useful to the narrative, feels like she lacks closure in this story.

The Good Asian has its issues, but it's a fantastic book, and a really good noir story with something to say. Absolutely check this series out.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good Asian, Vol. 2 is a pretty serious disappointment, coming off of the extremely high bar set by The Good Asian, Vol. 1. There is still a lt of good writing here, and the artwork is terrific. But now that we're in the second half of the story, all of that delightful set-up leads us into a convoluted mess of too many flashbacks, a severe tone change halfway through, and a plot twist that ultimately doesn't serve the plot, the theme of anti-Chinese discrimination, or the protagonist Edison Hark. We get at least three infodumps in the final act that tries to tie things together, but the truth is this was a mystery with too many strings and when they snarled, they just never fully untangled. Sometimes like is like that, but it in a noir mystery, it just feels like the team bit off more than they could chew here. Shame, this, since this has such immense potential. We are told at the end of this to expect more stories from this universe, and I hope we get them. But for now, my review of The Good Asian falls from something great to something merely good. And it shouldn't be that. It should be magnificent. What a painful near miss.

[Haley Yochum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel the same way I did about Volume 1 - I appreciate the themes and social commentary, but the story is convoluted and unnecessarily confusing with the addition of historical context at the end to make it make more sense. I felt like reading it, the dialogue was just characters telling me a lot of what is going on instead of it being shown. Like I said, the racial themes here are as relevant today as they were in 1936, and reading a story from this perspective is meaningful, I just wish it was more showing and not telling. I hate to say I wish it was simpler, because this is a challenging topic and deserves a challenging and engaging story. The individual pieces are there, they just don’t flow together for me. There was a lot crammed in to 10 issues. INFIDELS is still my favorite Pornsak read thus far, but I’m still interested to see where he goes next and to keep reading his stuff.

[Kody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this all in one sitting in a car after not having read the first volume in months made me feel like i was stupid for literally not understanding the story . But after reading other reviews and reflecting on the story I realized how convoluted the story just got and how much side characters development it crammed in. However the themes, social commentary, and character are all still great and I felt the ending was a pretty satisfying conclusion . I think the story slight spoilers all came around to the protagonists father doing a cover up at the end and acceptance from the mc. Either way this was entertaining and I love noir!

[Mendousse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suite des aventures de Edison Hark, inspecteur sino américain dans le San Francisco des années 30. Et de Lucy Fan, jeune opératrice du téléphone dans le china town de cette même ville.
On n'est pas loin d'un parfait ici.
Le scénario est brillant, jouant avec les codes du genre pour parler du racisme anti asiatique aux Etats Unis, l'auteur déroulant son histoire dans un cadre ultra documenté.
Le dessin est parfaitement au diapason de ce Polar, dans un style pas forcément réaliste mais très lisible et gorgé de trouvailles graphiques, notamment une science du cadre achevée.
La BD de l'année pour moi, merci à Sébastien et Liliane pour la trouvaille ;)

[Kieran Healy · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the art is utterly amazing, the story completely falls backwards and still lands on its own face. Nearly the entirety of the book reads like the confessional in the last act of a Law and Order episode. Our investigator basically figures nothing out, allows himself to get framed for murder, and the story is told by a parade of other characters wandering and telling expository flashbacks with half the art covered in word bubbles. A major character’s death is barely addressed (as in “Yeah, what a bummer. ANYWAY…”)

While the angle of Chinatown Noir and history is super enticing, I tuned out and only finished because it is a comic book and easy to look at. Total fail.

[Tim O'neill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The historical integration is still the strong point here, but (prolly because I read it over to long a period of time—it really could be read in one extended sitting) I did have trouble keeping track of the plot, not really “getting” it until reading the original series proposal at the back. Mebbe because I’m steeped in these issues in the class I’m teaching about Babel, the end materiäl was also fascinating for me in its connexions to race and coloniäl attitudes. I do enjoy a good noir, tho, and this book definitely satisfied that mood for me as well.

[Zedsdead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 concludes the story arc, though it promises more to come.

It's a decent ending, if overplotted. There are something like 13 different characters each with their own secrets that all get twisted together in a hopeless knot of plotting. It's a bit much for one story, let alone a single volume.

But it's again fascinating, illuminating, to view this slice of yellow-peril history from the point of view of Asian characters.

[Kavinay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gets a bit convoluted towards the end but ultimately delivers.

[Matthew Noe]

Diamond Bookshelf review pending

[Scott E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall really good but amazing at how the plot can be wrapped up while being both convoluted and hackneyed at the same time

[Joshua]

This book and it’s excellent forward by David Choe feel like being let in on an experience I would never otherwise be privy to. My reading retention being what it is I didn’t remember as many of the clues from the first volume as would be ideal but I suspect I’ll be reading both volumes together in the not to distant future. The end of this volume makes a promise I certainly hope is true.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pornsak Pichetshote does an excellent job capturing the vile racism that America directed at Asian people for much of its history with the second volume of "The Good Asian." But his noir tale, set in the boundaries between Chinatown and 1930s San Fransisco high society, is less successful in sustaining a plausible plot.

Our lead here is Edison Sark, a world-weary detective of Chinese descent. In his native Hawaii, he's one of the first Asian detectives on the police force. In San Francisco, he's an unwelcome intruder, barely trusted by the Chinese community and subject to threats and hostility from everyone else.

The only thing that gives him some sway is that a rich family has called him over to investigate the disappearance of a Chinese woman, something the all-white police force can't get close to. Things are complicated by the fact that this same rich family is the one that raised him after Sark's mother, their maid, was murdered.

It's a compelling set-up, and Pichetshote does a good job early on in this volume deepening the ties between Sark and his adoptive family. But then the twists and double crosses begin to intensify, pushing the plotting toward an half-coherent, hard-to-swallow finale.

A sympathetic reader could argue that Pichetshote is playing with the conventions of the genre, which can veer toward incoherence in its need to keep the reader guessing. But some confusing art by Alexandre Tefenkgi doesn't seem to help matters, and the story has pacing issues too. It hurries its mystery along at the midpoint, then takes too much time explaining all the details after the fact.

"The Good Asian" displays talent and passion, but the plotting doesn't quite hold up.

[Dillon Braeges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery stories like these rarely benefit from bring split in half like they did this one. The front half, (volume one in this case) is pretty much all set up. Setting up the mystery, getting the players in place, a few murders to kick things off. It's not until this book that the machine Volume 1 spent it's pages setting up actually starts spinning. And boy howdy does it spin.

What seemed to be simply a Gangland story with a Chinatown coat of paint becomes undeniably about being Chinese in America. The revelations come fast and heavy. Like any good noir, the end of the mystery is both profound and underwhelming. There is no vast conspiracy. No gangs fighting for turf. Just people, both kind and terrible, doing their best to live their lives.

This really should have been released as one single volume, so it can be judged as a single story. So the clockwork plot could be properly appreciated. I was underwhelmed by the first volume, but it really stick the landing.

First off, this should really have some content warnings. Not really for sex and violence. It's a noir, you should know what you're getting yourself into. I mean for how it doesn't hold anything back with they time period. So many words we would consider to be slurs today are thrown around like punctuation. I don't think I've read the word "oriental" so much in anything made past 1950. Just a fair warning.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will I read more of these when Pichetshote puts them out? Yes. Will I need to be prepared for convoluted writing and plots that sometimes undermine my ability both to pay attention and feel comfortable in my understanding about the plot and characters? Yes. I absolutely wouldn’t expect that his future pieces are as deeply researched and grounded as this was (because that’s a high bar to expect every time), but that’s the maybe single most important reason to read this series. I’m this volume, the end notes provide a historical rundown of the Massie Trial — something that as a reference lightly colors a brief character connection, but in earnest deeply entwines with all of Hark’s mistrust of white people. The depiction of various Asian identifies in this also feels really real, based on my proximity at a remove to friends and reading — Choe does a thorough job outlining that to open this volume. Other than the sometimes obtuse plotting, I’m also not a huge fan of the homophobia that the story keeps trying to address imply is more of the same types of phobias, since that never really takes on any sort of meaningful dimensionalities next to the obviously robust commentary on xenophobia.

[Stephanie Alyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot to like about this book. Much of the racial and political commentary is insightful and relevant; and it puts a meaningful overlay on the standard noir tropes of the story.

Still I found the story hard to follow. The art did not always make clear what to look for in a panel or a page. And there is much that is complex in the relationships and the double crosses and the ultimate conclusion of the story. Truly intricate noir stories can be tough to do in any format; I’ve seen movies and read books that also come up short in guiding the reader or watcher through what happened. At some point perhaps I’ll go back and reread volumes one and two in quick succession. Again I liked this book and I’m glad to have read it, but it was hard to follow through the intricacy to the conclusion

[Alex Sarll]

No radical departures here, but the first volume already had plenty to get its teeth into with the price of assimilating, and the price of not assimilating, so to concentrate on bringing depth and resolution to what's already been set in motion feels like a sensible choice. Once revealed, the mystery killer Edison was tracking through the first volume presents a clever mirror to his own struggles to fit in...and then we jump forward a little, and the focus shifts to whether things really do get better with time, and how much is acceptable in the meantime. I read this in a bumper collection of the whole series, because that was the ARC on Edelweiss, but in terms of narrative, splitting the two volumes as 6 issues then 4 would have felt much more natural than the 4 then 6 they actually did, which I can only assume was down to publishing and pricing considerations.

[Timothy Grubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie Chan if it was written by Raymond Chandler with all the appropriate historical and cultural context in tact…

The Good Asian is the story of Honolulu detective Edison Hark…sent to San Francisco to investigate a personal case where even the authorities barely give him the time of day…badge or no badge.

Edison Hark has lived a life of compromise. His mother, the businessman he owns much of his life to, his “childhood friends”, being Chinese in the United States (even in Hawaii) has certain rules…even for one that has a bit contort…

This wonderful historical mystery captures the Chinese American experience in the early 20th century, with story and back matter hilighting the historical events that shaped the rough world…

Hatchetmen, blackmailers, family secrets, revenge…face it, Edison Hark…it’s Chinatown…

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘The Good Asian, vol. 2’ doesn’t stick the landing.

Collecting issues 6-10 of a ten-issue noir mystery, this volume ties up an overly complex tale that I’ll remember more for its artwork than its story. Artist Alexandre Tefenkgi does beautiful work, suggesting a world beyond the borders of each panel and luring us in to the dangerous life of a dangerous man.

But when the femme turned out to be fatale and secrets were uncovered, I was left feeling more, “Hrm. Of course.” than gobsmacked. This isn’t to say that the story is bad. It’s fine. I was entertained. It’s just, I dunno. I was hoping for more.

I recommend this book to noir fans and those with a particular interest in Chinese American history.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second and final volume of this Chinatown-set noir has many of the same qualities that set the first volume apart -- an excellent premise, well-researched history, stylish art, complex ideas about race -- but suffers a bit towards the end as the mystery gets too convoluted for its own good, drowning much of the last three issues in exposition. Still, the coda is quite satisfying, and I would definitely be interested in seeing more Edison Hark stories in the future. Furthermore, the extras included in this trade, with info on some of the story's historical inspirations as well as the initial pitch for the comic, are excellent.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

4ish stars.

An improvement on the first volume with higher stakes and more buy-in than the slow build of the first one. My biggest issue is that the story is so convoluted. I guess no more than The Big Sleep, but still so all-over-the-place. Different time periods are shown on the same page using different colors, but also the text goes from character dialogue, to internal monologue, to flashback dialogue in succession and it gets jumbled. The art is simple but effective.

[Rick Ray · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite disappointed with the second volume of Pichetshote's The Good Asian. While some of what I liked in the first volume was still there like the great artwork and the thoroughly-researched settings, the story was wholly uninteresting and convoluted. Even the set up for the mystery is pretty underwhelming, but the story becomes completely stagnant for the final three issues. Perhaps those who really enjoyed the first volume will get something more out of this, but as I already on the fence for the first five issues, this second half was wholly unenjoyable for me.