Comics and 2D Art

We Hereby Refuse

This 160 page historical graphic novel tells the seldom told story of those Japanese Americans who resisted their incarceration during World War II. I illustrated 2 of 3 stories, collaborating with authors Frank Abe and Tamiko Nimura as well as fellow artist Matt Sasaki.

  • Ishikawa imbues his characters with an actorliness that makes them immediately relatable, and he places them in thoroughly researched visual reproductions of camps, including a temporary detention center built on the Puyallup fairgrounds. This is the kind of emotive, detail-oriented art you expect to see in historical comics. Paul Constant, Crosscut.com
  • Ross Ishikawa’s art is rendered in a realistic comic style, instantly relatable, spacious and beautifully done in classic colors… – David Lester, Fifth Estate

Joe’s Life

This is an excerpt from an ongoing independent project. I am writing a graphic novel memoir about my father's coming of age during World War II. The youngest child of Japanese immigrants, Joe grew up in Los Angeles, California, where he worked for Hollywood stars and went to college with Jackie Robinson. But after family tragedy hit, Joe found himself in Hiroshima, Japan, months before an imminent Pacific war. The story follows Joe as the global events that follow shape his young life. The project is still in its research phase. These three pages were completed as part of a brief workshop.