Thursday, November 06, 2008

ORIGINAL ARTWORK & PAINTINGS BY YUICHI YOKOYAMA

I'm gonna try to start posting stuff that isn't related the the zine (we'll see how long it lasts, haha). Recently on the PictureBox site, publisher Dan has shared some incredible original paintings and sketches by New Engineering and Travel author, Yuichi Yokoyama!



These pieces of original work were used in planning and production of PictureBox's gorgeous English editions of his work. Yokoyama has quickly become one of the contemporary artists I'm most fascinated with; his experimental and architectural manga is literally like nothing I've ever seen. When I read it, it really feels like the book was created by an aesthetically empathetic alien possessed by vastly superior sensory organs.

Just this week, Yokoyama's newly-released to America (and wordless!) manga, Travel, was named to PW's best comics of 2008 list. Originals below, and more here.



Sketches and layout ideas for the English edition of Travel


Paintings and faces for the Travel cover and jacket. (These look similar to paintings of his I saw in Kyoto earlier this year.)


Crazy little dudes for the inside jackets of Travel


Cover paintings for the English edition of New Engineering, also from PictureBox.


In other news... UPCOMING POSTS I'M WORKING ON:
+ Alternative Press Expo recap and pictures of The Bang Gang's incredible new books!
+ Summary and photos from Sean Michael Wilson's ALTERNATIVE MANGA talk that I helped out with...
+ Pictures and report from the Halloween Shintaro Kago event from Nate in Tokyo

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

really great artist!!

I didnt read bete noir anthology!!There is a story of him,the first one in the Usa.After that picturebox came and it started releasing books of him...

it was an anthology of fantagraphics edited by chris polkki!!apart from yokoshama there is Ichiba Daisuke, Junko Mizuno, Suzy Amakane, Takeshi Nemoto.

the only problem is that it is hard to find and it only exists one number,perhaps it didnt sell well.

but the names in the anthology I think it makes them worth of buying it!!

pd:

did anyone read the bat manga?is so cool and bizarre the cover and the interior art,that I need that stuff right now in my desk!

pd2: saludos from argentina

Leigh Walton said...

You mean Sean Michael WILSON? It's kind of hilarious how the guy has three incredibly common names and yet his name keeps getting mangled (including once by us I think)!

It was awesome to meet you at APE and pick up your (excellent) zine! Looking forward to working with you more.

Ryan S said...

@azraelito:

Thanks for the comment!
Yes, you're right-- Bete Noir was fantastic, but got cancelled after one issue. I heard from a cartoonist friend that the sales were absolutely awful and they had to cut it. It's a shame too-- my GF Alice got a copy for us in New York and it had a great selection (albeit short) of manga names.

Bat-Manga! yes, the book is awesome. I'm gonna go see Chip reading next week at two different events out in the Bay Area-- can't wait. My bff Anne was the one who did the translations of the manga in the book :)

ps: saludos and mucho cuidate from SF

Ryan S said...

@Leigh,

Good lord-- I hung out with you and Sean and have emailed with him all week and still got the alliteration wrong. Something about S M S just rolls of the tongue (or typing fingers in this case).

It was great to meet you too-- here's to more awesome manga and projects in the future!