Tetsupendium Tawarapedia

by Tetsunori Tawaraya, Cameron Hatheway (Foreword)

Tetsupendium Tawarapedia (best of 2002-2012)
Published by Hollow Press in March 2015 first printing - limited at 500 copies
400 pages of Tetsunori Tawaraya!
printed in an A5 format on 100g paper
400 pages + fullcolor softcover + dustjacket with strips (title and logo EMBOSSED)
stitched paperback binding

Foreword by Cameron Hatheway (reporter for BleedingCool.com)

Mat Brinkman quote in the back:
"Good luck finding better mutant nightmare comics. -Mat Brinkman

Genres: Comics, Manga

400 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2015

About the author

TETSUNORI TAWARAYA is a Japanese musician and artist, known as the guitarist and vocalist for the noise punk band 2up and for his graphic art. Tawaraya is originally from Miyagi, currently based in Tokyo, Japan. He started drawing portraits of people and musicians in San Diego, CA in the late 1990s, and prolifically created sci-fi/experimental graphic novels. His San Diego-based band Dmonstrations was active and toured until 2007 besides 2up. His grotesque and vibrant perspective has been appreciated over generations. He works with publishers such as Colour Code, Hollow Press, and Le Dernier Cri to release books with screen printing, and risograph. Brain Dead, Element, NTS Radio, RVCA, Volcom respectively collaborated, and his works have been active on multiple platforms.

Reviews

[Kaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating a compendium of early works never really reflects the deeper aspects of its contribution to the œuvre; this is certainly not the place to start for new readers. But it is fascinating to see how Tawaraya’s voice is strong from the beginning, and there’s a clear motivation to his creative output. What is fascinating is his journey in style to find the best presentation of the dark surreal; but even as he lands on it, Tawaraya’s experimentation continues. This journey, to be, reveals him to be deeply introspective, an artist constantly searching for the most liberating and genuine form of expression.

[melancholinary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequence of mutant characters that are such fun to read and explore, and that keep prompting you to think: “What shape is this?” “Why is its head like that?” “Oh, Mr Ass—fair enough!” It’s a pleasure to encounter such imaginative figures, matched by a string of stories that are no less fantastical.

One episode that will always stick with me is in the Ben segment: a ghost suffering from constipation, forced to wait for a UFO to shine its beam and compel it into a centrifugal spin so it can finally shit—Fire in the Sky by way of Tesunori Tawaraya. A fun read.