Inzana uses his talents for expressive nonfiction—last seen in the comics adaptation of Studs Terkel’s Working—and to investigate cultural identity through a mix of fiction and documentary. Ichiro, raised in America by his Japanese mother, is left with his grandfather in Japan during his mother’s business trip. Though they’ve rarely been together, the visit is treated as an opportunity to bond and a way for grandfather to introduce Ichiro to the history and culture of his homeland through a series of day trips. Inzana fashions his literary hybrid by moving between grandfather’s lectures about the sites and Ichiro’s personal drama, bringing the wider strokes of history and religion into a personal realm. Framed by a mythological backdrop, Ichiro’s story collides with fantastic tales of Shinto gods and goddesses that begin to engulf his own and offer a reason to fight his way back to a life of day trips and lectures with grandpa. We are all the summation of our personal and cultural histories, and Ichiro reveals how these strands twist together in any of us. Through it all, Inzana mixes the mystery with the matter-of-fact in his lively artwork, creating a mood of enlightenment throughout and offering an insight into Japanese culture with a maximum of imagination. (Mar.)
"Beautiful and thought-provoking; questions unanswered will linger in readers' minds."—Kirkus "Inzana uses separate visual styles throughout the book to indicate the human world, the spiritual world, and the shared past which resonates through them both. While the action is at times chaotic, it is never confusing. The excitement and intensity kept me turning the pages, each one more exciting than the next. I was captivated by Ichiro from the first page. It kept me guessing and presented me with more ideas and entertainment than I had predicted would come from this book. Make sure you get yourself a copy!"—Stumptown Trade Review "The fluid, expressive brushwork brings the streets of New York City and mythical Japanese creatures to life, allowing the fantastical aspects to be both beautiful and vividly creepy."—Horn Book "Ichiro is a refreshingly honest, well-conceived narrative that is sure to delight, entertain and perhaps educate readers both young and old. Ryan Inzana masterfully integrates a difficult period in history with complicated mythologies and timeless social issues into an enjoyable fantasy adventure. His beautiful black-and-white brushwork is enviable in its fluidity and expressiveness. Whether he's tackling a tender moment between a single mother and her distant son at the dinner table or illustrating mystical battles between gods, his practiced skills shine through with the perfect tone."—Rations Magazine "This is a graphic novel that explores the Asian American experience by blending modern, ancient, and fantastic elements."—School Library Journal "Beautiful, full-color art abounds in the folkloric scenes, which sharply contrast with the black-and-white and occasionally sepia-toned reality of Ichiro’s day-to-day activities, in which dashes of bright color punctuate the action. Inzana brings home another powerful post-9/11 fable, directed this time to a younger audience than he targeted with Johnny Jihad (2003). Ichiro asks the hard questions for readers but challenges them to arrive at their own conclusion.."—Booklist "Inzana mixes the mystery with the matter-of-fact in his lively artwork, creating a mood of enlightenment throughout and offering an insight into Japanese culture with a maximum of imagination."—Publishers Weekly "What really makes the book stand out is Inzana's mixed media artwork. It's a lush looking book, with rich details and a very thoughtful handling of the world Ichiro moves through. The book is somewhat broken up visually, with mythology told in full and rich color, while the present day is told in a muted set of greens and the mythological world Ichiro finds himself color coded based on mythology (a subtle nod to Oz, assumedly), an element that makes sense the more you read the book. In one large hardcover book like this, it certainly makes for a beautiful collection of pages. Both the personal storytelling from Inzana and the illustrations go a long way to selling the title, and it's familiar yet new all the same tale of a boy discovering his ancestry amount to quite a wonderful read, and it's certainly an early contender for graphic novel of the year; a compelling story sure to wow and impress on many levels."—Multiversity Comics.com
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Gr 7 Up—Ichiro is the son of a Japanese mother and an American father, a soldier who died years ago. The boy's identity seems fragmented and incomplete when readers first meet him. Ichiro was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and acts like a typical American boy. He misses the father he barely remembers, and is obsessed with reading his soldier's handbook to reconnect with his memory. He knows very little about his Japanese heritage, but when his mother takes a job in Tokyo, he gets an immediate immersion in Japanese culture. The story of Ichiro's move to his grandfather's home is slowly interwoven with legends about gods and shape-shifters, and halfway through the book reality and legends merge into one. Ichiro is pulled into the world inhabited by the gods and creatures that his family had been telling him about, and he needs to rely on his wits in order to survive. Inzana's illustrations combine several modern and ancient artistic styles, reflecting the time shifts of the story. The eye-catching cover, depicting Ichiro wearing a Brooklyn sweatshirt; a Tanuki shape-shifter in its raccoon form; and the looming figure of Hachiman, the god of war, perfectly encapsulates the essence of this story. Like Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese (Roaring Brook, 2006), this is a graphic novel that explores the Asian American experience by blending modern, ancient, and fantastic elements.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library
A young American teen, son of a Japanese immigrant and an American soldier killed in combat, goes to Japan with his mother for an extended visit and begins to grapple with sophisticated cultural complexities. The graphic novel opens with a familiar Japanese legend about a shape-changing tanuki trickster spirit. The story cuts to New York City, where Ichiro and his mother prepare for their trip. Ichiro has been very close to his American grandfather, who has schooled him in the worst kinds of American jingoism. First his mother, then his Japanese grandfather began to share the legends and history of Japan, both positive and negative, with Ichiro. A nighttime pursuit of a persimmon-thieving tanuki turns into a surreal odyssey that takes Ichiro deep into the mythic realm of Japanese folklore. Inzana's graphic style is, at first glance, far more Western than Japanese-influenced; there is no look of manga in his figures. But his compositions and his brushwork, particularly exquisite transitional spreads between episodes, echo classical Japanese art, and his depiction of the Japanese Otherworld will seem familiar to anyone who has seen a Miyazaki film. Ichiro's realistic and mythic journeys combine to give both him and readers a better understanding of the importance of both understanding and overcoming history. Beautiful and thought-provoking; questions unanswered will linger in readers' minds. (Graphic novel. 12 & up)
