Comic book artist William “Billy” Tucci with veterans Jim Yamashita (standing) and George “Joe” Sakato (seated at left) and David Katagiri.

SAN DIEGO — Comicon, the world-renowned comic book and animation convention, opened to a record-breaking 125,000 attendees on July 24 and welcomed some new participants — World War II veterans from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

They included Medal of Honor recipient George “Joe” Sakato (E Company), David Katagiri (F Company) and Jim Yamashita (I Company) along with their escorts, Leslie Sakato (Joe’s daughter), JA Living Legacy’s Susan Uyemura and Judge Bryan Yagi.

Yagi, who is an avid Comicon participant, commented that this was truly a special experience and that he felt like a “little kid” around these men.

His uncle, the late Tom Yagi, was a medic assigned to the second platoon of L Company, 442nd RCT. For Yagi, Comicon was a chance to combine his two passions: comic books and his new-found admiration of the 442nd.

William “Billy” Tucci, who invited the vets, is in the process of revising the famous comic book character Sgt. Rock. Beginning Veterans Day 2008, he will unveil a six-month series dedicated to the rescue of the Lost Battalion.

It is speculated that Sgt. Rock will be one of the 141st Texas Division. This series will depict the historic battle in which the 442nd rescued them from behind enemy lines in France, suffering heavy casualties in the process.

At Tucci’s booth, Sakato and Yamashita were greeted by fans who wanted to meet these real-life heroes. One man immediately noticed the Medal of Honor around Sakato’s neck and was awestruck.

Yamashita said he had never experienced anything like Comicon and felt this was a great opportunity to expose a new and different group of people to the history of the 442nd.

Tucci has spent the past year researching the 141st and the 442nd. He traveled to France to meet with historian Gerome Villain.

Determined to portray history accurately, Tucci has interviewed many 442nd veterans as well as Lost Battalion survivors. A veteran and former paratrooper himself, Tucci stated that he never knew what they endured and feels Sgt. Rock can educate the public on the experiences of these special men.

Tucci is the creator of the comic book character Shi, a young woman of Japanese and American parentage who is drafted into a modern-day “shadow war” between descendants of the infamous Sohei warrior monks of medieval Japan.

He has produced many blockbuster cross-over projects with some of the most well-known Marvel and independent characters, including Daredevil, Witchblade, and Wolverine of X-Men fame.

After the mega-success of Shi, Tucci has used his artwork to teach readers about history. One of his most important works of art, titled “Through the Ashes,” is a 32-page comic dedicated to heroes and victims of 9/11.

Scheduled to debut at Comicon 2008 in Baltimore, “Sgt. Rock and the Rescue of the Lost Battalion” six months series will run from Veterans Day 2008 to April 2009.

Tucci resides in New York with his wife and son. For more information on the artist, visit www.williamtucci.com.

Japanese American Living Legacy is a non-profit organization based at CSU Fullerton. For more information, visit www.jalivinglegacy.org or call (714) 278-4483.