The story of horror manga inevitably leads to at least one reference to Japan’s horror master Junji Ito, thanks to books such as Uzumaki, Gyo, and Tommy. Like Stephen King in America, Ito is synonymous with this genre, and he acts as his representative of the world, whether he likes it or not. Google That Google Horror Manga will first appear when it is a manga page or his book. However, Ito does not exist outside of terrifying history. There was already a powerful and charming strange tradition that influenced the field long before him, and it featured some of the most unique, frightening, and volatilely clever cartoons.
A trace from the graphic novel publisher of Living The Line, Smudge is interested in bringing some of these old horror masterpieces back to print, allowing English-speaking readers to appreciate works that influence greats. To make this effort even more special, each book contains historical essays that chart the creator’s trajectory and the comics that emerge from them. It is fun and educational and helps readers starve for all the other strange things they have never seen before in English.
An interesting thing about Smudge’s choice is the “favorite cult” status. These were books that delve deep into the dark waters of the Japanese genre, and in some cases reward people outside the mainstream. They are like old horror paperbacks that will become classics much later after they are rediscovered. The impact on future creators will then become more obvious, turning these hidden gems into a must-see a few years after their release.
If there is something that fans love to gain more insight, authors and artists with those vague or lesser known titles recommend in their talks and media events. You may feel a sense of connection with creators who love exorcists as much as you do, but do you always wonder about other dark delicacies they hide for themselves, so that someone doesn’t ask you to share? These are the stories you want to know. Because they may expose you to concepts or ideas you didn’t even know that you were explored in movies, prose, or cartoons.
Like horror fans, giving these little-known recommendations brings special joy. Point someone in the direction of a new horror landscape and blow away a bit of pride in us. It feels good to offer a new nightmare to avid fans. By bringing these forgotten horror manga offerings to English readers, Smudge does the work of the Dark Lord.
Below are the three books they made available to them and why you should look for them. In case you’re even hungry, Smudge has also published a collection of stories featuring Bonten Taro’s facial flesh, face-stealing psychos, Cuckold Caterpillar and a hellish hangover.
Spoiling Frankenstein by Norikazu Kawashima (1986)
Tetsuo is a fragile, lonely child. He was bullied by both his neighbors’ children and his mom and dad. His worth as a boy is constantly questioned by his father, which appears to be safe and nurturing. And he meets a young sick girl with a mischievous heart that welcomes him. Eventually, Titz becomes attached to the girl, wearing a Frankenstein monster mask every time he goes out with her, allowing him to anonymously order to torment the other children. Ultimately, tragedy strikes, and now adult Titu has to confront his past sins, despite them being written by a sick girl.
As far as psycho/horror dramas go, her Frankenstein is one of the most annoying things. Kawashima Norikazu has managed to create a dangerous sense of codependentness between her two children. These are two emotionally broken children who want to kindly repay the world due to the difficulties they are forced to live. Titsuo’s willingness to wear a Frankenstein mask captures these ideas well, paving the way for questions about how human monsters are made and how fair it is to label them that way in the face of the treatment they receive. Her Frankenstein was the first book to be released under Smudge and did an incredible job of presenting the world with the vision of the imprint.
Smudge UFO Mushroom Invasion by Shirakawa Marina (1976)
Just as it scares you, it’s not common to find a story that invests in educating you about something. This is exactly what Shirakawa Marina does in the UFO mushroom invasion and is hailed as a cult classic that has spurred the fear of spores into the mainstream. The UFO crash lands deep in the mountains of Japan. Strange creatures appear and with them there is a new type of infection in the form of spores, with the ability to bring together their own version of the apocalypse.
Marina’s approach is a unique approach. Contagion occurs in a way that is different from that of mushrooms. For this reason, many dialogues between scientists, heads of big governments, and civilians near crashing often have an educational tone first. In trying to explain spores, Marina delves deep into her vast knowledge of Japanese folklore and natural phenomena, creating a section of stories that explains some of the features that mushrooms possess and how they were the subject of superstitious thinking in the old Japan. All of this is mixed with a kind of physical fear, and later became common in comics. It comes with the horror of the atomic bomb combined with the painful mutation and appearance that it produced after it returned to 1945. The UFO Mushroom Invasion is unique in its form and deserves a read so that readers can understand how influential they have in the realm of fear in their bodies.
Smudge Mansect by Shinishi Koga (1975)
Insects are particularly powerful storytelling metaphor. They stand to represent human nature’s natural tendencies towards ugly and taintiness, when used correctly. The Grim Reaper certainly explores this in the horror manga man sect of his body, but then he adds more twisted dimensions to the insect’s minor phors in the process. The book drives things away with a story about a man who collects insects. He is obsessed with them, and he sees them as creatures worthy of special admiration and even worship. His neighbors expel him and speculate whether his collection reflects how badly his family treats his death. One day he is cut off and a strange kind of cotton begins to penetrate through the wound. Slowly, he becomes a humanoid insect. It is like a Wraith, whose existence can confuse the biological composition of the village in which he lives.
Mansect uses its opening story as the basis for the story that took place afterwards. The consequences of the transformation there continue to set up creatively horrifying situations built on insects as a mechanism for storytelling. Here, trauma, sadness, loss and loneliness are added to the mix to make their presence known. In one story, the girl becomes friends with a big insect who likes to hide with her. Her family eventually learns that the insect is sucking her blood at the measured dose. In another story, the boy picks up his amputated hand and begins to age unnaturally quickly. These are just a few of the stories that branch out from the first one. They remind us of body horror classics like The Brood (1979) and The Fly Remake (1986). Coincidentally, both films were directed by David Cronenberg of Master of Body Horror. This suggests the narrative kinship between these works. Mansect’s short stories share a deep sense of tragedy and sadness, and they ask readers to consider how the judge’s neighbors create monsters from those who do not fully comply with arbitrary social standards. It’s a difficult read that gets its point with a subtle, conflicting tone that is not afraid to summon humanity because of its cruelty.
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