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Secret Comics Japan: Underground Comics Now
Selected by a former editor of the acclaimed manga magazine Garo and a former editor from Japan's third-largest manga publisher, Shogakukan, this collection of underground comics from the last decade ranges from the beautifully surreal to the graphically gruesome.
200 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 15, 2007
There's a whole world of unusual, outré, bat-shit creative comics in Japan, but most of them never get released in English. This collection contains a sampling of some of the best work of the 90s. My personal favorite is the outstanding work of Usumaru Furuya, but there's probably something in most any section to make you think twice about what the medium is capable of.
August 1, 2023
An interesting collection of alternative/underground manga right out of Garo that demonstrates the parallel with the underground comix movements in the west. Indeed, many of the mangaka seem directly influenced by the transgressive nature of underground western comics and sought to find ways to buck the mainstream manga market with their own takes. Unfortunately, very few of the stories here really impressed me, though they were mostly all good. I quite liked the early Shintaro Kago work (seemed unrecognizable given how much more stylish the body horror work from him as gotten since), as well as the works by Yuko Tsuno, Yoshitomo Yoshimo, Makoto Aida, Benkyo Tamaoki and Usamaru Furuya.
This was decent, but I much preferred the collection found in "Underground Comics Japan" for those interested in perusing the world of underground manga.
This was decent, but I much preferred the collection found in "Underground Comics Japan" for those interested in perusing the world of underground manga.
September 1, 2023
While I didn't love every story in this anthology, there are a few I REALLY LOVED. Still, I couldn't not appreciate each little foray into the world of 90s alt-manga. If I had to rank them I'd say it goes
1. Palepoli (Furuya)
2. Punctures (Kago)
3. Gedatsu Man (Kikuchi)
4. The Life of Momongo (Mizuno)
5. Mutant Hanako (Aida)
6. Jr. (Yoshimoto)
7. Swing Shell (Tsuno)
8. Heartless Bitch and Painful Love (Nananan)
9. Editor Woman (Tamaoki)
So much to discover here <3
1. Palepoli (Furuya)
2. Punctures (Kago)
3. Gedatsu Man (Kikuchi)
4. The Life of Momongo (Mizuno)
5. Mutant Hanako (Aida)
6. Jr. (Yoshimoto)
7. Swing Shell (Tsuno)
8. Heartless Bitch and Painful Love (Nananan)
9. Editor Woman (Tamaoki)
So much to discover here <3
November 7, 2009
"The Life Of Momongo" - Junko Mizumno
I've never been a big fan of Mizumo, but I'm not sure why. She's a skilled draftsman and an accomplished storyteller, but I've never loved her work. Maybe I'm just not into the Goth Sanrio aesthetic, but THIS story is pretty damn good. It's a quiet story about a future apocalypse ending a world of cute Sangrio Monster Girls.
"Gedatsu Man" - Hironori Kokuchi
Just not into this. I like the anarchy of it (it reminds me of a Kaz and Gary Panter inspired comic strip that used to run New York Pressin the 90s) but I don't particularly like the drawings, don't get the cultural references, and don't understand what's going on, so I was bored.
"Swing Shell" - Yuko Tsuno
A really beautiful story. Strange and dreamlike and gentle, like David Lynch doing a perfect Downy commercial, but with a bubbling undercurrent of impending doom and violence. I desperately want more from this artist. The art is beautiful as is the story, and it's deeply odd and unique. It's about a girl who is either losing her mind, or whose dad has turned into a bear - the very bear that raped and killed her mom. Maybe. And who might kill the girl?
"Jr." - Yoshitomo Yoshimoto
Another great piece. I read on the internet somewhere that this is based on a Donald Barthelme story, and I immediately retconned my memory and thought, "Oh yeah, I think I read this story." Anyway, this is really wonderful, and is about a 30-something man who is back in grade school. It's played straight and is delightfully bizarre and disturbing. And the art is gorgeous. [Ok, I just did a quick search and found out the story is based on 'Me and Miss Mandible'. Now I'm going to have to dig through my Barthelme books, find, and re-read that story.:]
"Heartless Bitch and Painful Love" - Kiriko Nananan
Two slice of life stories about relationships. Reminds me of an American indie cartoonist who does static (and realist) single-page drawings bounded by dialog balloons recounting everyday conversations, but Nananan does it better. Her dialog is note perfect and the emotions are on target. Still, this doesn't seem very avant-guarde, but it is good.
"Punctures" - Shintaro Kago
I love Kago. He's insanely inventive, and a perfect draftsman. This is about fear and contemporary salaryman living. About avoiding danger and pain and change by making people -literally- hollow. It's super gross and obscene, but also damn smart... and oddly beautiful, despite the gore.
"Mutant Hanako" - Makoto Aida
Nationalist trash about a girl who is raped and shot (in the asshole and vagina, naturally) by evil (and demon-faced) U.S. soilders. Of course, they are the demons who drop Little Boy and Fat Man, and the girl, after getting nuked, turns into an avenging angel who fights for the divine emperor. The introduction to this comic is filled with a bunch of pretentious crap about how this is supposed to be crass, like all manga. Whatever, it's just offensive junk.
"Editor Woman" - Benkyo Tamaoki
Fan boy toss off bullshit. About a girl who is jealous of her workmates and searches out a porn artist, who she proceeds to practically rape. The girl acts like a boy and is generally completely unrealistic. Again, garbage, and again for lonely hateful boys, but at least it's drawn well.
"Palepoli" - Usamaru Furuya
I've been hearing about this forever, and I guess I expected too much. It is good, sometimes brilliant, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes just dumb. This artist also made "Short Cuts" which was also good/ brilliant/ hilarious/ dumb, but which centered around Japanese kogals - which I know is some sort of subculture of Japanese school girls. I missed a lot of the references in Short Cuts, but even as a clueless outsider, it was still sometimes hilarious. This, on the other hand, is wider ranging, and as such seems more understandable. I want to read more from Mr. Furuya.
I've never been a big fan of Mizumo, but I'm not sure why. She's a skilled draftsman and an accomplished storyteller, but I've never loved her work. Maybe I'm just not into the Goth Sanrio aesthetic, but THIS story is pretty damn good. It's a quiet story about a future apocalypse ending a world of cute Sangrio Monster Girls.
"Gedatsu Man" - Hironori Kokuchi
Just not into this. I like the anarchy of it (it reminds me of a Kaz and Gary Panter inspired comic strip that used to run New York Pressin the 90s) but I don't particularly like the drawings, don't get the cultural references, and don't understand what's going on, so I was bored.
"Swing Shell" - Yuko Tsuno
A really beautiful story. Strange and dreamlike and gentle, like David Lynch doing a perfect Downy commercial, but with a bubbling undercurrent of impending doom and violence. I desperately want more from this artist. The art is beautiful as is the story, and it's deeply odd and unique. It's about a girl who is either losing her mind, or whose dad has turned into a bear - the very bear that raped and killed her mom. Maybe. And who might kill the girl?
"Jr." - Yoshitomo Yoshimoto
Another great piece. I read on the internet somewhere that this is based on a Donald Barthelme story, and I immediately retconned my memory and thought, "Oh yeah, I think I read this story." Anyway, this is really wonderful, and is about a 30-something man who is back in grade school. It's played straight and is delightfully bizarre and disturbing. And the art is gorgeous. [Ok, I just did a quick search and found out the story is based on 'Me and Miss Mandible'. Now I'm going to have to dig through my Barthelme books, find, and re-read that story.:]
"Heartless Bitch and Painful Love" - Kiriko Nananan
Two slice of life stories about relationships. Reminds me of an American indie cartoonist who does static (and realist) single-page drawings bounded by dialog balloons recounting everyday conversations, but Nananan does it better. Her dialog is note perfect and the emotions are on target. Still, this doesn't seem very avant-guarde, but it is good.
"Punctures" - Shintaro Kago
I love Kago. He's insanely inventive, and a perfect draftsman. This is about fear and contemporary salaryman living. About avoiding danger and pain and change by making people -literally- hollow. It's super gross and obscene, but also damn smart... and oddly beautiful, despite the gore.
"Mutant Hanako" - Makoto Aida
Nationalist trash about a girl who is raped and shot (in the asshole and vagina, naturally) by evil (and demon-faced) U.S. soilders. Of course, they are the demons who drop Little Boy and Fat Man, and the girl, after getting nuked, turns into an avenging angel who fights for the divine emperor. The introduction to this comic is filled with a bunch of pretentious crap about how this is supposed to be crass, like all manga. Whatever, it's just offensive junk.
"Editor Woman" - Benkyo Tamaoki
Fan boy toss off bullshit. About a girl who is jealous of her workmates and searches out a porn artist, who she proceeds to practically rape. The girl acts like a boy and is generally completely unrealistic. Again, garbage, and again for lonely hateful boys, but at least it's drawn well.
"Palepoli" - Usamaru Furuya
I've been hearing about this forever, and I guess I expected too much. It is good, sometimes brilliant, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes just dumb. This artist also made "Short Cuts" which was also good/ brilliant/ hilarious/ dumb, but which centered around Japanese kogals - which I know is some sort of subculture of Japanese school girls. I missed a lot of the references in Short Cuts, but even as a clueless outsider, it was still sometimes hilarious. This, on the other hand, is wider ranging, and as such seems more understandable. I want to read more from Mr. Furuya.
November 27, 2014
Mostly good, and worth buying. There are a few really awful selections like Gedatsu Man, Jr. and Editor Woman, but the good ones make up for it. The opening story by Junko Mizuno is wonderful, and Punctures, Palepoli and Mutant Hanako are great. Swing Shell is OK though the translation in English is really awkward. Heartless Bitch and Painful Love are OK though they too closely resemble the boring and pretentious autobiographical comics that are popular in America.
May 26, 2013
A compilation of the stupidest, crudest, ugliest, short comic book stories that you will ever see, outside of the compilation Ax. If that sounds like fun to you then good for you I guess.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews