Image Comics reviews 5/5/21 – Nocterra #3, The Good Asian #1

The Good Asian #1

I love a good noir story, but those have been in short supply lately. The Good Asian comes rolling to with a first issue that brings the classic tone of a great mystery with an excellent lead and plenty of interesting supporting players.

Edison Hark is a Chinese-American detective who’s arrived in San Francisco to track down the former maid, Ivy, of his former benefactor, Mason Carroway. With Mason comatose, his son calls Edison up for potential leads into Ivy’s disappearance. Along with a seemingly cold trail, Edison has to deal with the bigoted San Francisco police force who have no qualms about hiding their prejudices.

Pornsak Pichetshote’s dialogue might be jarring with the dispassionate and callousness of the racist drivel from the police as Edison’s inaction in the face of it shifts from frustrating to disappointing. Edison understands the rules of the game and knows he can quickly go from a trailblazer to just another detained Asian threatened to return “home.”

In too many infuriating ways the America of this late 1930s story feels far too similar to the one in 2021.

Pichetshote provides crisp narration from Edison as he breaks down the investigation and reflects on his past with the Carroway family and the colorful characters he encounters.

I really love the detective visual cues artist Alexandre Tefenkgi adds to show the potential clues Edison observes. Tefenkgi’s style has an intriguing blend of manga meets noir allowing for an easy translation to how The Good Asian would look in animated form.

Colorist Lee Loughridge sticks to a minimalist color palette from page to page rarely using more than three or four and their various gradients. This gives the art a vintage, classic look that works very well for the story.

The irony that The Good Asian arrives in the wake of so much disgusting anti-Asian sentiment is not unnoticed. Titles like this are so important to celebrate the Asian experience in America and help show the ugly side of American history. If it can also be told in a title as engaging as The Good Asian that’s even better. Don’t miss out on this one.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Photo Credit: Image Comics