“Still a largely forgotten episode of the Second World War, two American cartoonists are now hoping to bring the story to light.”
THE SAGA OF Tokyo Rose, aka Iva Toguri, is not one of the better-known chapters of the Second World War, but it is one that still holds meaning even 75 years later.
Born and raised in the United States, the 25-year-old Los Angeles resident and University of California grad unexpectedly found herself stranded in Japan at the outbreak of war. Denied re-entry into America after U.S. authorities arbitrarily nullified her citizenship, Toguri was compelled to take a job with the propaganda broadcaster Radio Tokyo. Toguri was soon put on the air where she became the unwitting star of the popular show Zero Hour, one of a dozen regularly broadcast programs directed at Allied troops in the Pacific. Although she went by the stage name Orphan Annie, soldiers and sailors who tuned in referred to her as Tokyo Rose – a popular moniker for all female Japanese English-speaking radio hosts. In addition to featuring the latest tunes from the American hit parade, the show was interlaced with dire warnings to Allied troops along with discouraging messages aimed at busting morale. Although spectacularly ineffective – most listeners shrugged off the chatter and tuned in just for the music – federal authorities branded Toguri a traitor and imprisoned her after the war. It took decades for her to tell her story and finally clear her name.
Still a largely forgotten episode of the Second World War, two American cartoonists are now hoping to bring the story to light. Andre Frattino and Kate Kasenow’s upcoming graphic novel, Tokyo Rose: Zero Hour, tells of Toguri’s life as both a reluctant wartime celebrity and reviled turncoat. Fresh from his last project, Simon Says: Nazi Hunter, Frattino recently connected with MHN to discuss the comic, Toguri’s life and why it all still matters in 2018.
MHN: Tell us a little about the project and what made you want to tell the story of Iva Toguri?
Frattino: The project, Tokyo Rose: Zero Hour, is a proposed hardcover graphic novel based on the true events of Iva Toguri, aka Tokyo Rose. Iva was a Japanese American woman who was stuck in Japan following the attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941. Although stranded in an enemy country, she refused to give up her American citizenship and ended up on the streets of Japan, that is until she found work at a Tokyo radio station. Her work there quickly snowballed into her becoming a radio propagandist and being labeled the mysterious and legendary Tokyo Rose. From there, Iva’s life took a downturn and she ended up going from the frying pan into the fire. I honestly couldn’t tell you when I first thought about telling this story. Like many of my story ideas they sort of just materialize out of thin air and I can never recall how they got there in the first place.
MHN: Who might be interested in this story? Describe your target audience.
Frattino: Our Target audience is pretty broad. We’re looking to draw in a crowd from veterans, historians and World War Two buffs, but also with an audience of diversity such as women, Asian-Americans and even progressives. Iva’s story is an early example of women empowerment and the dangers of misinformation, racism and sexism. It’s not a preachy graphic novel, but straight forward what Iva suffered and how the world viewed her during and after the war. To me, there’s something to takeaway for everyone here.
MHN: We understand you’re hoping to crowd fund the project. Tell us a little about that and why you went that route.
Frattino: Last year, I successfully Kickstarted my previous project, Simon Says: Nazi Hunter with my friend Jesse Lee. It was an instant hit on Kickstarter and we were funded before we reached midway through the campaign. Kickstarter is an excellent outlet to gather supporters who wouldn’t usually find us otherwise. With this new book, the funds needed to support my artist, produce and distribute the book are much higher, so I’m really hoping to catch lightning in a bottle twice. It’s a long shot, but I feel this project will resonate with a lot of people.
MHN: What other types of work have you done in the past?
Frattino: Most of my books are based on history or in folklore. I feel comics are primed to teach history to the next generation, as well as help older generations. My latest book, A Land Remembered, was a graphic novel adaptation of a classic work by Patrick D. Smith. It told the story of a family of pioneers struggling to tame the wilds of early Florida around the time of the Civil War and late 19th Century.
MHN: What is it that makes you want to tackle a given topic?
Frattino: The combination of history and modern relevance. I love a story that teaches us about how history has a habit of repeating itself, and how we can find relatable moments in the here and now to the same struggles and battles fought centuries ago.
MHN: What do you think 21st century America can learn from the story of Iva Toguri?
Frattino: That’s a loaded question. A lot. Most specifically that Iva was a victim of racism and misinformation. She loved her country, and through no real fault of her own, was ostracized by it. We’re seeing that same thing happen today and like the old adage goes, those who do not learn from history, are bound to repeat it.
