"The Push Man and Other Stories" and "Abandon the Old in Tokyo"

If you're a fan of comics like "Ghost World", "Love and Rockets" or "Strangers in Paradise", chances are that you have Japan's Yoshihiro Tatsumi to thank. He is the originator of the gekiga ("dramatic picture") style of comic art that deals with more realistic, mature, and somewhat moody subject matter, as opposed to the escapist adolescent fantasies that makes up the more well know comic book fare. It has been said that Tatsumi's influence on modern comic books of the east is similar to Will Eisner's development of the term "graphic novel", to describe comics that relate more mature, realistic, subject matter. In short, both artists have not only broadened the technique applied to the comic arts, but also broadened the scope of the subject matter that could be covered by the medium.

Tatsumi started publishing his stories in the late 1950's, and his works were not published in North America until the late 1980's. But more and more of today's comic book artists are citing his influence on their modern works. The gekiga style is more prevalent than you think. The influence is shown in works by creators such as Kazuo Koike and Goski Kojima ("Lone Wolf and Cub"), Lynn Johnston ("For Better of For Worse"), Charles Burns ("Black Hole").





I found collections "The Push Man and Other Stories" and "Abandon the Old in Tokyo" in the graphics novel section of my local library, which is quickly becoming a much beloved source of entertainment. Tatusmi's works are compelling, but they are not easy reads because the subject matter is pretty explicit. His works focus on post-war Japan, on the isolating effects of increasing urbanization. The stories show how amid the sheer numbers of Japan's overpopulated cities, one can get lost in the miasma caused by just eking out a day to day living. His stories are sexual, but not titillating, violent but not gratuitous. His works are just plain undeniable.




I don't know if that is a recommendation or not. I'm just telling you what it is. It's up to you to decide whether you want to experience it or not.

In other comic book news...

It is exactly one year until the re lase of the movie version of Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbon's "Watchmen". To celebrate, Zack Snyder has released the following photos, showing the Watchmen in full costume.







Looks slick, baby! I think the costumes are phenomenal, and although not absolutely faithful to the graphic novel, I am impressed with the choices made to bring the characters to life. Hopefully the story holds up. I'm still holding out my reservations because Zack Snyder did wonderful thing with the visuals in the movie 300, but I think he crapped out on the acting and story.