Graphic Novel ‘Tokyo Rose – Zero Hour’ Seeks To Vindicate Forgotten Victim Of World War II

Does the name Iva Toguri D’Aquino ring a bell? What about her more well-known pseudonym of Tokyo Rose?

During World War II, her radio program broadcasted by Imperial Japan was intended to demoralize Allied troops fighting in the Pacific Theater. At least that’s what history would like you to believe — that Ms. Toguri D’Aquino (a Japanese American born and raised in Southern California) was nothing more than a traitor to her nation.

Despite an official pardon from President Gerald Ford in 1977, the damage was already done. Her name was smeared, forever associated with sedition. A new graphic novel, Tokyo Rose – Zero Hour, seeks to reframe the narrative with a moving portrait of Iva’s personal life and wartime experiences. The book, which raised over $8,000 on Kickstarter in 2020 officially goes on sale from Tuttle Publishing next week.

“Ironically, as much as Iva embodied and cherished her American roots, she was also the victim of how America viewed people of her cultural background at the time (and sadly how it still views many of its own people today),” says writer Andre Frattino (Simon Says). “Iva was torn between two cultures and two identities, and I think that can be something many people will relate to.”

While visiting extended family in Japan, Iva found herself stuck there following the attack on Peal Harbor in December 1941. She eventually got a job with the Japan Broadcasting Corporation and became the voice of Zero Hour on the recommendation of POW, Major Charles Cousens, a well-known radio personality in Australia. Conspiring together, the duo created sarcastic propaganda right under the enemy’s nose that did not demoralize soldiers, but inspired them to tune in week after week.

“I read everything I could find on the case against Iva Toguri and the Tokyo Rose scandal,” Frattino says of his research process. “In the media following the war, ‘Tokyo Rose’ was a disembodied spirit who singsonged through the radio in old war movies to reflect the Japanese enemy. That’s where I first learned of the character, but unfortunately the history of Iva is scant. Yet the documents and books I found provided consistent and eyebrow raising details…so much so, that it was easy to visualize the moments in comic form!”

“As an American, the visual research for this period in Japanese history can be hard to find reliably,” adds illustrator Kate Kasenow (Form of a Question). “I wanted to make sure I was depicting the time period and the people as accurately as I could. There were many countless internet searches and probably too many bad Google translates along the way, but I’m proud of how it all turned out.”

After the war ended, Iva agreed to participate in an interview that came back to haunt her. A need for sensationalist journalism and the sleazy political capital saw her branded as a turncoat. She was put on trial in 1949 and sentenced to a decade in prison, though would later be paroled after six years for good behavior. Even so, it cost her everything: her husband, the child growing in her womb, and the chance to lead a normal life.

“Undoubtedly, Iva was scapegoated for being Japanese and not engaging in treasonous activities,” says letterer Janice Chiang, who penned an extremely powerful foreword that opens the graphic novel. “During the pandemic and present times, hate crimes have escalated against people of Asian descent, causing death and injuries. I believe the xenophobia perpetrated by specific segments of the population drives ignorant people into aggressive actions. How this becomes successful is the practice of dehumanizing people of color by stereotyping us as less deserving of respect and dignity. Somehow viewing us as outside the human race.”

Zero Hour touches on the mistreatment of Japanese Americans during the conflict with a reference to Executive Order 9066, which saw U.S. citizens removed from their homes and transported to deplorable internment camps.

“This is hurtful to write because I’ve experienced and still experience this hate,” adds Chiang (her comic book resume also includes team-ups with filmmaker John Carpenter and the late Marvel icon, Stan Lee). “The story of Iva Toguri’s life needs to be taught as our American history and not a separate chapter of an unfortunate situation. As with any acquisition of knowledge, we need to study what came before, what we understand now, and then we may proceed forward.”

In addition to recruiting Chiang for the project, Frattino also sought the input of early Asian American readers. He recalls how his initial inclination was to launch the book on Dec. 7 to coincide with the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Not only would it be a nod to his grandfather — who was stationed there during the attack — but it would also signify “the day Iva’s world changed forever.”

However, the writer was soon “informed that many Japanese Americans view that as a black day, because it marked a terrible future for the way they were perceived by their country during and after the war. No matter how much I did my homework and tried to be mindful of the subject matter, this book would have been NOTHING without the collaborative and supportive partnership of our AAPI volunteer readers!”

Tokyo Rose – Zero Hour goes on sale from Tuttle Publishing Tuesday, Sep. 20.