Superheroes and Sorcerers

So, it’s Saturday, and I’m doing the rounds at my job, working at the local library. I’m shelving at our graphic novels section when something catches my eye. It’s a very bland-looking graphic novel called “Johnny Hiro” by Fred Chao. I said to myself, “Hey, I need something new to read”, and I decided to take a look at it.

It’s not actually a superhero story, but rather the chronicles of a half-Japanese busboy named Johnny Hiro. He lives with his girlfriend Mayuki, a Japanese immigrant in New York who works as a copy editor. Their relationship is honest, sweet, and endearing.

Johnny’s life is filled with crazy mishaps, from a giant lizard named Gozadilla trashing his apartment to getting attacked by sushi chefs to computer programmer samurai at the opera, it’s a truly absurd and hilarious tale.

The writing by Chao is honest, real, and while Johnny’s problems are outlandish, he deals with life and moves on as well as any normal person. Sprinkled in with a moving set of characters is a beautiful rendition of New York, simple artwork that still is enjoyable, and more guest stars you can shake a stick at, from a pastiche of Power Rangers to Michael Bloomberg and David Bryne.

This is, put plainly, the best comic book I have read in the past year. It’s something I would recommend for anyone who enjoys a good, clean human tale.