Friday, December 28, 2007

Tatiana the tiger, RIP

As anyone with a TV or internet connection has heard, a Siberian tiger named Tatiana was shot and killed on Christmas Day after she escaped from her enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo and mauled three teenagers, killing one.



This is off topic for Same Hat, but I felt like posting a Tatiana memorial after getting back to SF and reading more of the depressing details about this mess.

Last December, Evan took some pictures of Tatiana at the SF Zoo to use in a new piece-- coincidentally just 4 days before she mauled one of her keepers! (That attack was determined to be due to negligence on the part of the zoo, and they were fined.)

Here is Evan's fantastic photo-illustration that came out of those pics from last December:

Click here for details, and here for more of Evan's art.

LABYRINTH by Shintaro Kago

Here's hoping everyone had a good solstice/christmas/holiday/whathaveyou. I've just gotten back from a week of visiting family, and am now working on a bunch of new posts for the long New Year's weekend (including a 2007 mega-retrospective)!

As a belated gift, here's the newest Shintaro Kago scanlation from our buddy Anonymous K. Dude's using his holiday break to crank out even more Kago comics to share with us. (I guess that makes him the ero-guro Santa?)

As with the previous Kago strips, Anonymous K did all the scanning/translation/editing on these, and we're simply sharing the wealth.



The rub this time is mazes and visual illusions and jokes, so we've kept the pages pretty large. As with before, Labyrinth is not graphic or gratuitous, but nudity/sexual imagery permeates throughout and make it NSFW.

Enjoy! and leave feedback for Anonymous K in the comments... I know he appreciates it!


Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16

Once you're done, read this: Translator's Note

Monday, December 10, 2007

NEWEST UMEZU FILM ADAPTION: Orochi!

Quick post regarding cool news I plucked from Twitch (the best blog for fucked up international SF & horror films-- and they update about 30 times a day!).

It looks like another Kazuo Umezu manga is getting the film treatment... this time it's the Orochi series.



Twitch provides more details:
"Norio Tsuruta will direct the film and Hiroshi Takahashi (If it had a Ring in the title he was a part of it), who has worked with Kazuo’s material before, is providing the screenplay.

And now for the talent in front of the camera. Yoshino Kimura [Sukiyaki Western Django] will be playing two separate roles, the older sister Kazusa, and her own mother. The younger sister Lisa will be played by Noriko Nakagoshi and the mysterious girl, Orochi, will be played by Mitsuki Tanimura. Taro Yamamoto [Battle Royale] plays Kazusa’s boyfriend.

And here’s the storyline of this series from 1969 and 1970. We have our two sisters, Kazusa and Lisa. For Lisa, no matter what she does, her sister Kazusa has done it better. Lisa is always told that she’ll never be comparable to her sister. As any sibling rivalry is wont to do it results in feelings of jealousy and vengeance. As Lisa grows she learns to hate and at times lashes out at the sister she once loved. A tragic accident sets things in motion and so appears the mysterious young girl named Orochi."


As with previous Umezu adaptations notwithstanding some cool parts in the first Tomie movie! (Whoops, that's lack-of-sleep talking!), I have a feeling that they're gonna mangle the source material and go with a direct-to-DVD-esque film. We'll see.

If you want a refresher on what amazing heights an Umezu adaptation can aspire to (I think I mean this both earnestly and ironically, somehow), check out our friend Clay's video review of the 1980s Drifting Classroom adapation. OH GOD, THE HORROR?



Sunday, December 09, 2007

OLD NEWS: SF ZINE FEST

THIS IS ME CLEARING OUT THE OLD POSTS I HAD KICKING AROUND:

San Francisco Zine Fest 2007 was held back at the beginning of October, but I hadn't made time to blog about it until now. SF Zine Fest is an annual gathering of indie/self-published zines covering comics, art, poetry, etc. It's like Alternative Press Expo but without such a heavy focus on hand-knitted wallets, Ugly Dolls and bigger publishers. This year it was held October 5-6 in my neighborhood, less than two blocks away, so I stopped by a few times to see friends and prowl for cool new zines.


(Click image above for the full details of the event)

Overall, the number of exhibitors at the event was pretty small (and a good chunk were selling lame/shoddy books I wasn't into...) BUT I managed to snatch up a batch of really great ziness for a small amount of money. Like APE, it's also a great chance to see friends and scope out new cartoonists that haven't YET gotten as much recognition as they deserve.

I didn't want to feel like a totally uncreative/useless loser, so I left about 20 copies of a minizine I threw together last month called YOUR SEAT IS MY BEHIND on the free table, and was happy to see them all picked up. (That mini is a compilation of self-introductions written in English by my Japanese high school classmates, from back when I was 16 and lived in Saitama for a summer).

SOME PICS:


The view from above. Not a lot of exhibitors total, but tons of gems mixed in with the crap.


Me, Jason Shiga, Derek Kirk Kim


Jason is excited about something. I learned that SF would be losing DKK to Portland :(


Jenn and Hellen Jo checking out the Sparkplug Comic Books table.


BEST PURCHASES/DISCOVERIES:

STUFF BY CALVIN WONG!
I'd met Calvin previously when he dropped by our group table at APE 2007. I knew he was a cool dude, but I didn't put it together that he's an illustrator and cartoonist until seeing his stuff at zine fest. I don't know how I missed him, but he is a guy that you need to check out.


I bought the first two issues of the comics zine Ortolan (edited by Robert Syrett and includes collected drawings and strips by their group of friends) along with a beautiful screenprint. There is something really natural about Calvin's lines that make them poignant and direct but not twee. Here is what the print looks line in my growing hallway of dorky coolness:


On Calvin's section of the XIP.NU collective site, you can sample two of his comics from Ortolan, called Simple Humble Neighborhood and Holy Shit It's The Future. These two are probably my favorite comics I discovered this year-- no joke!

Also, Calvin's done an insane illustration of Gargamel especially for Electric Ant #1... it's not to be missed!

MARI NAOMI's ESTRUS COMICS 5

Estrus Comics 5 is out-- in a new format for this all kissing edition. A supremely fascinating and charming read. One of Mari's first kiss comics will be featured in Electric Ant #1! What else can I say about this?--- Mari's comics are great so just go freaking buy it now, okay?

PAPERCUTTER Issues 4-6

Papercutter is a relatively new comics zine from Tugboat Press, and each issue features 3 short-to-medium stories. The stories have ranged from impressive to somewhat mundane, but every comic is presented in a detailed, well-designed manner.

Notable comics include a Mourning Star side story by Kaz, a charming collaboration by my friends Laura Park & Julia Wertz, and some shorts by Vanessa Davis, Liz Prince and others. The look and feel of PAPERCUTTER is basically what a comics zine should aspire to, and I'm definitely gonna pick up the older issues (along with upcoming issue 7).

BLUEFUZZ the Hero by Jesse Reklaw

A fantastic short comic, mixing a sortof epic fantasy story around the dim-witted Bluefuzz. Like LOTR-meets-The Odyssey but with a goofy blue guy with an overbite at the center of it all.

The cover was hand-painted onto a scrap of wallpaper sample, and mixed throughout the B&W book are color pages with children's storybook paintings of Bluefuzz. SO RAD!


ART BUREAU 13 & 14
An art/interview zine edited and published by by Bert Benson.

Featuring Kyle Pellet, Swamp Donkey, and others.

I heard that SF ZINEFEST may be held again in late Spring 2008, to fill in the gap by Alternative Press Expo being moved back until November. It'd be tight to have a chance to pick up new stuff, see friends and hand sell Electric Ant #1!

Friday, November 23, 2007

JUNJI ITO interview clip from BBC3's Japanorama

This clip features a short interview with Junji Ito, conducted by British japanophile Christopher Jonathan Ross. I've heard of his show Japanorama previously when he interviewed Junko Mizuno, but I've never seen it. Despite being sort of lamely "ISN'T JAPAN STRANGE AND UNUSUAL!?" in tone, the show (over its three series to date) covers pretty interesting stuff, usually before it's become played out in western media.

This interview comes from the Kaidan episode (which also features an interview with Takashi Shimizu)and was posted on YouTube earlier this year. Ito's pretty taciturn but it's still a rare chance to see a video of one of my absolute favorites online. Check it out!



And since we're on the subject, here is a picture from a year or two ago of Junji Ito's wedding! I can't remember her name, but his wife (right) is a manga artist too, I hear.


[via Daul]

UPDATE! Here is the Junko Mizuno interview, from an earlier episode of Japanorama:

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

HI NO TORI TIMBERLANDS

And you thought Kazuo Umezu Chuck Taylors were strange... Doing random searches, I came across this old Hypebeast post describing a team-up between Timberland Japan and Tezuka Productions!



In 2006, as part of their EarthKeepers Collection, Timberland worked with the Tezuka folks to create a line of hiking/outdoors shoes and sandals based on Osamu's self-described life work, Phoenix (Hi no Tori). By not, the Timberland Earthkeepers Collection site is nowhere to be found, but I dug up this image:



What a strange partnership. I think the design of the shoes are kind of ghastly, but if you are a size 11 you can buy a (collectible?) pair of the sandals at this ebay auction -- with a Buy It Now price of only $99.00.


These sandals look really weird to me.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

SLOWLY BUT SURELY

ELECTRIC ANT ISSUE #1... COMING SOON!

This weekend we finally launched a site for our zine. We're still knee deep in layout stuff (damn you, InDesign!), but it should be off to the printers by the end of the year. Details on the full contributor list below:



ELECTRIC ANT #1 ("YOUR FIRST KISS"), FEATURING:
COMICS, FICTION, ILLUSTRATIONS, LISTS, INTERVIEWS, AWESOMENESS

EDITED & PUBLISHED BY:
RYAN SANDS, EVAN HAYDEN, and ALICE KIM

CONTRIBUTORS:
FEATURE COMIC BY AARON K
HELLEN JO
DEREK YU
ANTHONY WU
ANTHONY HA
DEREK KIRK KIM
JEN YIN
CALVIN WONG
JULIA WERTZ
DAVID MURRAY
MC LARS
MISCHA UNOVITCH
MATT LOCK
GEA*
MARI NAOMI
ROOT STUDIO
OLIVER RIZK
RYAN GERMICK
TONY TULATHIMUTTE
JUSTINE LAI
HANNAH ISBELL
NATE SHOCKEY
SOPHIA FOSTER-DIMINO
ERIC NAKAMURA
...and an interview with FREDERIK SCHODT!

We're excited that the issue is starting to come together. My plan is to sell it directly through the site, and I'm also hoping to get a few indie/zine/comics shops and distributors to carry it. We'll see! As we get closer to release, I'll post more details about the content, some web-exclusive stuff and sample pages. Will anyone actually want to buy it though? Only time will tell...

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Interview with IDW regarding Umezu's Reptilia

Last month, we blogged details and a preview of the newest Kazuo Umezu release, REPTILIA. It was scheduled to be out by Halloween, but it sounds like that was re-scheduled for November. Reptilia marks the first manga license for the publisher IDW (famous for the 30 Days of Night series).



While we're waiting for this 320 page Umezu omnibus, check out a recent interview with IDW publisher and editor-in-chief Chris Ryall, where he offers some of the details on their horror manga strategy and the licensing process. You can't argue with their reasoning for focusing on Umezu first:

"We’re starting with the father of horror manga. We’re starting with the guy who’s credited with establishing this genre."

[Via Manga Blog]

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

TODAY: Fred Schodt talks Tezuka & Astro Boy in SF!



Translator/Author Frederik Schodt is giving a talk at the Japan Society in San Francisco. He'll be giving a lecture similar to one given previously during the Asian Art Museum's Tezuka: Marvel of Manga exhibit, discussing his friendship with Osamu Tezuka, the continued impact of Tezuka's manga and Schodt's latest book, The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution.

I attended his previous Tezuka lecture and found it INCREDIBLY interesting-- Schodt is a humble and nuanced speaker, and as someone who's been the authoritative voice on manga for the past 25 years, he has a wealth of interesting stories and personal anecdotes. The guy is basically Manga Jesus, and a living resource on the early development on manga in America. If you're in the SF Bay Area, I highly recommend checking out this event!



Details below (and here):
Location:
Japan Society
500 Washington Street, Suite 500, San Francisco

Time:
Wednesday - November 14, 2007
5:30 pm Reception
6:00 pm Program
7:00 pm Book Signing

Cost:
Free for Japan Society Members & Students / $5.00 Non Members

Thursday, November 08, 2007

MY UMEZU & KAGO TOYS!

As promised, here's a quick post of two recent gifts I received. Both are toys that 1) I didn't previously know existed before I got them and 2) are probably too weird and perverse for your average kids!

+ KAZUO UMEZU 'DRIFTING CLASSROOM' MONSTER! - from Evan

Evan hasn't revealed just where he found this, but I recently got a sweet Kazuo Umezu figurine toy from him! You don't know which one you'll get til you open the box, but I happily scored the giant bug monster from Drifting Classroom! This piece is on my desk at work and gets weird looks from coworkers. The toy can be joined with the Sho figure to create a scary diorama.


It's detailed, heavy and gross-- and here sitting on the inside front cover of our zine (work-in-progress!)


The box is bright red with a girl's screaming face on it... I guess you can definitely tell what you're getting yourself into.


Umezu (naturally) adorns the side of this box, with his bio, short bibliography and signature.


Other toys in the set include characters from Snake Woman, Orochi, Senrei (Baptism), Akanbou Shojo and others!


+ SHINTARO KAGO BULLYING KIT! - from Ben

According to Ben, this set is one of a few different types available and each is hand-packed by Shintaro Kago himself. They are available at Tokyo's indie/eroguro/weirdness mecca, Taco Che. Thank you Ben for this amazing present!


The packaging features some fantastic Kago art, and incites you to bully assholes at your school!


The kit includes glue to use on your classmates books, thumbtacks to put in their shoes, 'Kick Me'-like signs to put on their backs, and finally...


...what bullying kit would be complete without ear plugs so you can block out the cries of your victims!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

COMMEMORATIVE KAZUO UMEZU SNEAKERS!

I just noticed that Umezu (or perhaps it's Demerin, his webmaster/assistant) has been updating his offical Picasa Web Album. The latest addition: Commemorative Umezu Chuck Taylors!








Umezu with his new shoes (In a karaoke booth? Umezu's office??)

The photo album notes say,
"モバイルサイト「ウメズマ」スタッフの皆さんから楳図かずお71歳の誕生日を記念して特注のスニーカーがプレゼントされたのらー!"

In English,
"These special edition sneakers were given to Kazuo Umezu from the staff of the 'UMEZUMA' mobile site in commemoration of Umezu's 71st birthday!"

Dang dude... what a great present! FYI, Umezu's 71st birthday was on September 3, 2007. No word on if there is any possible way for the general public to get their hands on a pair. I'm a size 9.5, if that helps :)

LAST-MINUTE COSTUME IDEAS....

I'm not doing the Halloween thing this year, but I wondered to myself...


IS ANYONE GOING AS KAZUO UMEZU??

The person that did would be my hero forever, and we would immortalize you on Same Hat as the biggest/coolest horror manga nerd in existence!

Click here for reference photos of Uncle Umezu, and click here for instructions on making your own GWASHI hand prop.

(Seriously, if someone does this send us an email at samehatATgmailDOTcom with pics!)

Also, I wanted to point new readers to the HORROR MANGA MAKE-UP post from last year, which might be helpful too. CLICK HERE!



THE BEST POSSIBLE TEZUKA NEWS!

VERTICAL WILL BE RELEASING BLACK JACK!



Yes, you read that right!
According to a PW article, what many consider Osamu Tezuka's finest work has been licensed by Vertical, and they are planning to begin releasing it in Fall 2008. While I've geeked to know we get MW and Dororo, Black Jack has been on the top of my wish list for many, many years. (News via MangaCast)



Previously, Viz had attempted to publish Black Jack, but only released two volumes before discontinuing the series due to licensing conflicts with Tezuka Productions and poor sales (According to Viz folks at this summer's Tezuka Panel in SF). The books are very out-of-print and a bit of a pain to track down:


Of course, the market for manga has changed and Vertical's shown that if you package Tezuka's classic manga as luxury editions, they can sell and turn a profit. I've read various Black Jack collections here and there in Japanese, but having a release by Vertical (with Chip Kidd-ified covers a la Buddha) is a dream come true.

In the meantime, you can check out descriptions of all the Black Jack stories over at this Tezuka World page. They also have included references and guest appearances from other Tezuka manga. A few favorites:

Amidst Fire and Ashes - March 24, 1975
The president of a big company and his son argue over the management of their company. The President wants his son to succeed him, but the son rejects his offer and even threatens to ruin the company. The son falls into the crater of a volcano, and is badly burned. Discovering that he was pushed by his father, Black Jack performs an operation to treat the entangled relationship between them, while all the while the volcano continues to erupt violently.

AND

Wildcat Boy - March 13, 1978
Black Jack visits a clinic in the mountains at the request of a French doctor named Truffaut. There he finds a micro cephalic boy who was raised by a wildcat. His flattened parietal apparently indicates that his head had been sandwiched by objects soon after his birth. If he were to be left untreated, he would not live long. BJ performs an orthopedic operation on his skull and starts to train him to behave like a human. But...


And as far as Black Jack stories go, that's seriously just the tip of the iceberg...


(Click picture above for more Black Jack cosplayers!)

According the the article, the 25 volume series will be printed in wideban format (Vertical estimates their complete English edition will run 12 volumes). Like other Tezuka releases, it's assumed that the pages will be flipped for the English edition.