Another Weekend Light reading review.
Jai Nitz. Kato Origins: Way of the Ninja. Runnemede, NJ: Dynamite Entertainment, December 7th 2010. 140 pp.
4 out of 5
Purchase: Amazon
The character Kato is the sidekick of the Green Hornet and while the title of this graphic novel is Kato Origins: Way of the Ninja it really is not an origin story per se but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the story. While it did not cover Kato’s origin in the traditional sense of how most comics would approach it, this work though was definitely a story about the identity and identity crisis of Kato, among other things.
I love the story’s exploration of being an Asian American minority in the United States and particularly situated in America in 1942. If you have read my reviews of other works by Dynamite Entertainment on the Green Hornet and the Shadow, one of the reasons why I like these comics about pulp heroes is how it touches on history and the times in America during the 1930s and 1940s. So imagine Kato living in 1942 Chicago which is where the story begins. Historically Pearl Harbor was just a few months away (December 7th, 1941) and most Americans were suspicious of Asians largely because of Pearl Harbor and the inability of many to tell the difference between various Asian ethnicities (not all Asians are Japanese). Asian Americans would be able to identify here. The story was more than a story about Kato fighting against Japanese and Nazi spies; it’s a story about his identity. As anyone who are familiar with Korean will tell you, Kato is not a Korean name even though in some of the comics I have read he’s portrayed that way (and also that being the way Kato portrayed himself publicly in this present story). Kato is actually a Japanese name. This story explores Kato’s inner battle of knowing what the Imperial Japanese military was doing in Asia (Kato was a former soldier of Imperial Japan before he left) and how that arises an internal struggle within him while also with the Korean cover that he uses. In the end it is also a dilemma of being an immigrant, and being an American when the American government has Japanese American citizens in internment camp. Very powerful story that is layered behind an action adventure and a love story.
The Domain for Truth 
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Thanks for the reblog!
You’re very welcome Pastor Jim 😎
As we’ve discussed before, Bruce Lee played Kato in the GH television series. Lee’s martial arts movies were the rage in the U.S. in the early 70s. I can remember going to Bruce Lee double features and the theater audience would get all worked up. I’ve never seen anything like it since. Speaking of immigrants, my paternal grandparents immigrated from Poland around 1910. My father like typical 2nd generationers wanted to assimilate as quickly as possible and shed all traces of Polish culture. It’s usually some of the 3rd generation that wants to reconnect with the “old country” culture like I did. Our sons are so ethnically mixed that they have zero interest in looking back.
That’s neat you want to know more of your Polish descent. I remember you were the first one who mentioned Bruce Lee playing Kato to me! You want to know something weird? I don’t remember if I ever watched any Bruce Lee movies before, so if you know any you recommend for starters, I’m all ears…lol.
Lee made only 4 martial arts movies before he died – Fists of Fury, The Chinese Connection, Return of the Dragon, Game of Death. The first two are very low budget and extremely hokey but the fight choreography is incredible. It’s just amazing to watch Lee do his thing.
Lee was becoming very popular by the time of Return of the Dragon so it was a bit too slick, and he died while filming Game of Death so it was pieced together so I would recommend either Fists of Fury or The Chinese Connection. The funny thing about those films is every time someone lands a karate chop the sound effect is like a 2 by 4 cracking!
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