Collecting 14 short stories from the most enigmatic, strange and absurd mangakas’, “Comics Underground Japan” offers a brief look at some of the most diverse and unique talent the country has to offer. Featuring creators such as Ebisu Yoshikazu (“The Pits of Hell“), Suehiro Marou (“The Laughing Vampire“) and Kazuichi Hanawa (“The Early Years“) the anthology acts as an all star collection embodying the punk rock spirit of the independent creators.
Buy This Title
“Comics Underground Japan” acts to showcase a diverse group of talent, both well known in the west such as Hideshi Hino and Suehiro Marou and more obscure creators such as Muddy Wehara and Carol Shimoda. While each creator’s work is notably distinct, the collection does tie the creators together in various ways. Notably, many of these artists came to prominence in the cult publication “Garo” which showcased alternative talent. As a result, the collection conveys honor towards creators who were at the forefront of experimental narrative and art.
With such a varying degree of artistic styles, it is hard to offer an overall impression of the quality beyond the printed edition itself. However, alternating between crude, unique, and overly detailed is certain to gain traction with any tastes. This also applies to narrative content with different genre’s explored. As a result, there are some great entries in comedy, horror, and the Ero Guro genre. Thankfully, the diversity plays in favor of the collection by offering fans of certain content the chance to find a creator who embodies the same creative spirit within a different sub-genre. Regardless of differing genres and styles, each entry is tied together in the chaotic spirit, projecting anarchy and rebellion against the medium itself.
Blast Books did an exemplary job in paying homage to the content and the creators, with a high quality paper and large print edition. The appreciation for the medium and the band of ‘misfit creators’ is apparent and by extension you can tell Kevin Quigley has a profound love of the material he selected for this edition. Furthermore, the book contains a short bio which delves deeper into each mangaka’s eccentricities, offering additional depth to the names that may be unfamiliar. Overall, the material is exceptionally presented in this release giving the impression of being by a fan for the fans.
To offer some critique of the content overall, there needs to be a degree of personal opinion to tackle the only shortcoming of the edition. For myself, I was familiar with several of the creators, and within the ones I knew, my own reaction to the work was varied. For example, “The Laughing Ball” by Hideshi Hino is now my most beloved work from the horror Mangaka. Adversely, the entry from Kazuichi Hanawa exists as one of my least enjoyed short stories from the creator. Given that readers are bound to approach the work with their own understanding and history with each artist, there is bound to be a degree of disappointment in some entries. However, this is the only viable critique to not present this as a flawless collection/edition.
“Comics Underground Japan” is arguably the best collection of outsider artists in manga ever translated to English. Consequently, it is a must for fans who have any familiarity with the talent involved or those looking to expand their knowledge and perception of the Industry.
