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Johnny Hiro, a hardworking busboy, lives in Brooklyn with his flighty but lovable girlfriend Mayumi. Every day, he struggles to make ends meet while fighting giant monsters, running over rooftops from crazed waiters, fending off businessmen-turned-samurai, or having the occasional conversation with Judge Judy, Coolio, or Alton Brown. With Fred Chao’s signature style and laugh-out-loud humor, Johnny Hiro presents the quirky trials and misadventures of a modern-day hero trying to find his slice of the good life.
This delightfully absurdist romp through the trials and chores of living in New York was nominated for four Eisner Awards, including for best new series, and for the Russ Manning Award. It was selected for the anthology Best American Comics 2010. Prepare to be blown away by the greatest adventure of them all: being an adult.
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“It's rare that a new series will grab you by the back of the head and smack your face into a soft, comfy cushion of fun goodness. Yet that's exactly what Johnny Hiro does. It's hard to describe in the usual Hollywood pitch-style loglines—“Scott Pilgrim meets Bruce Lee and dates an adorable girl in a fantastically weird New York City” is about as close as you'll get, but even that doesn't convey the pure energy and enthusiasm evident in every panel of Johnny Hiro.” —Boing Boing
“My favorite kind of illustrated story is the one in which both the art and writing is done by the same person. Consider the work of Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise and Echo) and Jeff Smith (Bone and Rasl). And now I can add Fred Chao to that list.” —Charles de Lint, award-winning author of Widdershins
“It’s not often I find a comic that makes me snicker on one page and then touches me right there on the next, but Johnny Hiro is one such comic, and it’s hard to imagine a comics audience that its mixture of silly humor and serious storytelling—and the light, airy art and strong sense of location that serves it—wouldn’t win over.” —J. Caleb Mozzocco, Newsarama
“The feeling that pervades Johnny Hiro is one of sincere, unaffected affection. It’s the kind of book you’d be tempted to call sweet, if it weren’t so clear-eyed and thoughtful. Call it winning, then. And pick it up.” —Glen Weldon, NPR’s Monkey See blog
About the Author
Fred Chao was born in 1978 in San Francisco, CA. His comics have appeared in Found: Requiem For a Paper Bag. This is his first graphic novel, which has been nominated for four Eisner Awards, and parts of which appeared in The Best American Comics 2010.
He lives in Brooklyn. He has no cats.
Product Details
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (July 17, 2012)
I have to start by saying that I haven't read a comic book or a graphic Novel in years, but spent much of my childhood doing so. This book was great! I really enjoyed it. I sat down and read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. I found myself laughing out loud at some parts and I really enjoyed the characters. Johnny Hiro is a very likable character as his girlfriend Mayumi. The author is the same age as I me so I appreciated all of the pop culture references that popped up throughout. I really enjoyed that Johnny Hiro seemed to realize that the circumstances he was in were ridiculous, but he just kept rolling with the punches. I'm really looking forward to the next book. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I think the book could have been even better in full color.
Full disclosure: I received this book through a goodreads giveaway
Johnny Hiro (Half Asian, All Hero) Fred Chao Tor, Jul 17 2012, $16.99 ISBN: 9780765329370
In Brooklyn, Johnny Hiro lives with his Pollyanna girlfriend Mayumi while he works across the Bay as a busboy in a Lower East Side sushi restaurant owned by Chef Masago; she accepts her role is that of the pretty sidekick GF to the hero. One night while they are sleeping, Gozadilla the monster that destroyed Tokyo crashes through their paper thin apartment wall seeking vengeance against Mayumi's mom who was a limb of giant Super A-OK Robot that kicked his butt. However, Johnny has experience battling urban blight waiters demanding greater tips for inadequate service or samurai carrying businessmen. Thus Johnny ruining Mayumi's bunny slippers leaps in a single bound at the humongous lizard hoping his reflexes keep him from an extended hospital stay as he lacks insurance. Thank goodness for Mayor Bloomberg or Johnny would not be there to play catch with a gigantic tuna, battling sushi ninja, arguing the law with Judge Judy in Night Court and dealing with the government failure to bail out that critical too big to fail capitalist industry, high heels; all part of everyday living in New York City.
This graphic version of the award winning Johnny Hiro survivor of New York City comic books showcases the amusing satirical adventures of a young man trying to make it in a city that never sleeps (as Gozadilla proves). The entries are fast-paced short clips with the B&W drawings lampooning the misadventures of the working class couple as nothing is sacred when it comes to life in the boroughs.
