Images and Imaginings of Internment: Comics and Illustrations of Camp

Jack Matsuoka

 Born in 1925 in Watsonville, California, Jack Matsuoka was a Nisei (second generation) cartoonist who was incarcerated in Poston, Arizona, where he began drawing for the camp newspaper, The Poston Chronicle.

After being released from camp, Matsuoka relocated to Ohio to attend the Cleveland School of Fine Arts but was drafted into the army after one semester. He lived in occupied Tokyo from 1945 to 1961. In 1969, Matsuoka began his life as a cartoonist, featured in the Berkeley Gazette, the Pacifica Tribune, the San Mateo Times, San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Examiner, and the Hokubei Mainichi, where his most popular comic, “Sensei” was featured.

Camp II, Block 211

In 1974, Matsuoka published the first edition of his book, Camp II, Block 211, based on the sketches he did in Poston. The book was republished in 2003, renamed Poston Camp II, Block 211, and included new illustrations and photos of camp.

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