George Takei’s Graphic Novel Memoir in Development
“Oh my!” The very famous words from George Takei are an appropriate and exciting explanation to the news that the Star Trek alum will be creating his memoir in the form of a graphic novel. His story will detail his family’s Japanese-American experiences in the internment campus during World War II, the aftermath and and resulting realities, and his later rise to fame onto the big screen.
Not only has Takei garnered fame and attention from his time as Hikaru Sulu on the Star Trek films and series, he has also starred on Broadway’s Allegiance (from October 2015-February 2016) alongside other renown and respectable Asian-Americans such as Lea Salonga and Teddy Leung. The musical actually is inspired Takei’s life as it centers around a California family forced into an internment camp after the Pearl Harbor bombing, leaving behind their farm and their lives.
Takei has said:
“I have spoken publicly on numerous occasions during my life on the unjust internment of Japanese Americans in my ongoing mission of spreading awareness of this disgraceful chapter of American history. [sic] I do this, and will continue to do so, in the hope that my personal experience can serve as a cautionary reminder of our past leaders’ mistakes, and that as a society, we can learn from those transgressions and not repeat them.
When the opportunity to tell my story in the form of a graphic novel presented itself, I recognized the value in making it easily accessible for our youth to discover and digest the material, bringing attention to an important and relevant issue, while preserving it for generations to come. We live in uncertain times, and if stories such as mine can inspire us to do better and encourage positive change, I want to share it with as many people as possible, no matter who they are, or where they come from.”
It is seen that Takei is much more than an entertainment icon, but he has also been very vocal politically. Aside from his experiences with the Japanese internment camps, he also is a very prominent activist for LGBT and human rights.
His memoir will be published by IDW Publishing and is set to be released in 2018.
Source: ComicBookResources.com
