The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan #2 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

If you were there to ask the average fan of mysteries 'what was the only project to cast as Asian actor to play legendary detective Charlie Chan?', who would correctly respond with a Saturday morning cartoon sitcom? Not many, I'm sure. But in 1972 actor Keye Luke was cast as the lead role in Hanna-Barbera's The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan.

This wasn't Keye Luke's first time in the Charlie Chan universe. Luke played Chan's eldest offspring 'Number One Son' Lee Chan in 1930s in several films beginning with 1935's Charlie Chan in Paris. While white actors in heavy makeup and even heavier accents would portray author Earl Derr Bigger's Chinese-American master sleuth, studios had no qualms with Asian actors playing the supporting roles.

Jumping ahead to the 1970s, you would have thought that Hollywood had learned its lesson about casting Asian actors in Asian roles. At first Hanna-Barbera did just that, using an all Asian voice cast. Unfortunately, it was decided that the accents of the actors were too authentic for American audiences to understand. Ultimately, most of the Amazing Chan's ten children were recast with actors sporting American accents. Along with Keye Luke and Don Messick, who provided the voice of the Chan Clan's family dog Chu-Chu, only Robert Ito and Brian Tochi's original voice recordings made it to American TV sets. Of those new voice actors brought in was a future Academy Award winner. A young Jodie Foster provided the voice of second oldest daughter Anne Chan.

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan was met with fierce criticism. Some opponents criticized the cartoon of stereotyping Asian Americans, mostly due to the 'fortune-cookie' witticisms spouted by Mr. Chan as he solved cases with his children. The series was also subject to an hearing by the FCC based on a complaint by the Chinese Media Committee of Chinese for Affirmative Action. Ultimately, the series only ran for a single 16 episode season. Reruns would continue to air on CBS until the following summer. The show was then syndicated regularly through 1982.

Thanks to the reruns and syndication package, Gold Key Comics released 4 issues based on the series from 1973-74. The first issue of The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan marked Mark Evanier's English language debut in comics. 'The Hot Ice Cream Man' was an adaptation of the first episode. Issue #2 was an adaptation from the series as well. 

"To Catch a Pitcher' was based on the second episode of the cartoon. It begins with Chan and his sons enjoying a baseball game. When the star of the game winds up missing, Detective Chan takes the case but not before sending his boys home. Not to be deterred, all 10 of the sleuth's kids break up into teams and work the case independently, discovering that a bookie is behind the disappearance after the athlete refuses to take a dive. 

No author byline was given in this issue. The artwork was by Warren Tufts whose other more well known Gold Key contributions included Korak, Son of Tarzan and The Pink Panther.

Completing this review completes Task #12 (A Comic Book Based on a Saturday Morning Cartoon) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.