Manga in the 80's Pt. 13

Outlanders. Written and illustrated by Johji Manabe. Dark Horse Comics with Studio Proteus published 33 issues in a monthly format, from December 1988 to September 1991 . The manga was originally published by Hakusensha in Comicomi magazine in the mid to late 1980's.

A favourite manga of mine with an engrossing story and appealing art with its character design and organic integrated technology all wrapped up in a space opera.

The invasion of Earth by the galaxy spanning Santovasku Empire's immense living battleships and terrifying ground troops and war beasts, our reluctant hero a Tokyo News Photographer by the name of Tetsuya Wakatsuki is taken as a prisoner by the beautiful (but deadly with a sword) Princess Kahm who has such lovely horns befitting one of Royal blood is the daughter to the Santovasku Emperor!

For a start humans are seen as vermin on this sacred planet and battle fleets of star-ships have been given orders to exterminate the infestation! With such a large Empire of many bipedal races (much like inhabitance of moons of the planet Mongo!) some fish-like (Royal Servant Nao ), and some the pinnacle of feline (Lady Battia) and canine (General Geobalai) evolution I think.

Tetsuya persuades Kahm to save the Earth and all its Human inhabitance and she promises to marry him and take on her father, but others are plotting against her, add to this confrontations between Lady Battia and General Geobalai and family of Royal Servants loyal to the princess you have a space opera with style!

[Note. Toren Smith of Studio Proteus sold the translated manga of Outlanders to the fledgling comic-book company Dark Horse, thus gave them their first manga title and a foot-hold in the newfound market. Such was its importance!]

[Note. 8 Volumes were printed by Dark Horse covering the entire series (of 33) & the one-off specials (dates to be confirmed).]

[UPDATE: Collection of issues 1 to 33 now complete. Plus specials.]

OUTLANDERS.

Issues 1 to 12.

OUTLANDERS.

Issues 13 to 24.

OUTLANDERS.

Issues 25 to 28.

OUTLANDERS.

Issues 29 to 32.

OUTLANDERS.

Issue 33.

Special issues. 

OUTLANDERS.

Volumes One to Eight.

LETTERS PAGE.

Gallery.

Gallery.

Gallery.

Gallery.

Gallery.

Manga in the 80's Pt. 12

Grey. Written and illustrated by Yoshihisa Tagami. Viz Comics published 9 issues in a monthly format, from October 1988 to June 1989 . The manga was originally published by Tokuma Shoten in the mid to late 80's.

One of my fondest memories was seeing a poster on the wall of the 'Final Fronter' comic-book shop (sadly no longer with us) this film size poster of Grey death with the iconic two legged flying machines in the background, just looked like the coolest Science fiction I'd ever seen (back in 1989)!

Set in the future when man's lust for war has reduced the human population to small pockets of scattered villages and the occasional town, with most of the high technology lost or restricted to the general populous. Life is hard, living in what for most is a ghetto, feeding from what others throw away. There is endless war and the threat of attack from the next village or even from your own 'Troopers' who defend the settlements and strike back, because in this class system of society, if you're not a 'Trooper' you're scum (class “F”)! There are even classes of troopers class “E” up to class “A” (50% of all who start never make it to a class ”D” trooper), with the promise of food, shelter and safety from invaders in 'the City' being a class “A” entitles you to become a citizen, and you are set for life! Killing the enemy and destroying vehicles and machines of war advances you up the ranks!

We follow the chronicles Grey as he becomes determined to survive after the death of his girlfriend called Lips, carrying her dream of becoming citizen and living in the city, is his relentless drive. As a trooper he is sent on mission after mission, each one harder than the last. His uncanny survival and being the sole trooper out of his squad to return from many a mission marks him with the nick-name Grey Death as we witness him becoming a ruthless killing machine focused on the next class rank! From retro fitted WWII tanks and vehicles to power amour and Mecha, and the realisation that humanity's fate is not their own, and that there is a group fighting a resistance, Grey now seeks answers to the endless battles.

[Note. The American author Harlan Ellison mentions in his introduction to the manga of Grey, “it is an important comment on how a society mad for war can debase and chill its citizens. Grey is also a powerful statement about the demeaning caste systems we create to keep others in their place.”]

[UPDATE: Collection of issues 1 to 9 now complete.]

GREY.

Issues 1 to 9.

GREY.

 Volume ONE and Volume TWO.

A look back at GREY.

Gerard Jones Writer, "Confessions of a rewriter".

Gerard Jones Writer, "Confessions of a rewriter".

GREY, THE END AND THE BEGINNG.

[Note. The three page article at the back of volume one entitled “Confessions of a rewriter by Gerard Jones, can be quoted as saying “Ultimately, the story of Grey springs not from the characters but from the machine-dominated world in which they function.”]

Genealogy of Manga;

"GREY".  Written and illustrated by Yoshihisa Tagami.

"HOROBI". Written and illustrated by Yoshihisa Tagami.

March-1990-pt5a-manga HOROBI

"FRONTIER LINE"  Also Written and illustrated by Yoshihisa Tagami.

Notable adaptations in to animation;

Anime entitled; GREY: Digital Target. (December 1986, 75\80 minutes, Director Satoshi Dezaki).

GREY: Digital Target, Released in the UK by .

[NOTE: On the 12th.September 1994, in the UK 'WESTERN CONNECTION - Film and Video Distribution'  released a PAL VHS tape, with Japanese Dialogue and English subtitles of GREY: Digital Target.] 

 

GREY Illustrations ART BOOK. 

(with THANKS to Brain F. for finding this book for me.)

[NOTE: 1984's TV Series 'Super High Speed Galvion' sees Yoshihisa Tagami credited with the character designs. - a keen eye can see this, by the distinct style and shape of the characters noises.]

Manga in the 80's Pt. 11

Fire Tripper. Written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. Published by Viz comics 1989 (the first the “Rumic World” showcase series). The manga was originally published by Shōgakukan Inc. 1989. 
 

This cleverly worked time travel short story centring on two children both flung from their respective times (1980's and possibly Japan's feudal civil war of the1500s) by a fiery explosions, with both of them having forgotten their juvenile past. The principal part of the story takes place in feudal Japan where the teenage schoolgirl Suzuko has been transported to a field in aftermath of a battle, and rescued by an older boy Shukumar who takes her to his village, where their relationship blossoms. 

[Note.  UPDATE: As of 2022 I have both "Fire Tripper.", and "Laughing Target", as well as the TPB "Rumiko Takahashi's Rumic World".]

[Note. Dear reader, 'Fire Tripper' is the only surviving issue I have from the 'Rumic World' that I have found in my collection, and with the OVA releases of the same name and under the same banner, I'm sorry to say I can not at this time recall all the manga that was featured.]

[Note. Laughing Target (1990) was the second short story in the collection of Rumic World.]

[Note. there was later a Trade Paperback compilation that had 3 stories within its pages called Rumic World.]

[FOOTNOTE: Rumiko Takahashi, her most popular English translated 'Manga' (Published by VIZ COMIC) in the 1990's was "Ranma 1/2" (a martial arts comedy), and the long running series "Maison Ikoku" (a light-hearted Soap Opera), but her dip into Gothic horror and the Occult would be those stories taken form myths and Legends of the Japanese Mermaid;    ]

Manga in the 80's Pt. 10

We also had stand alone issues of Manga released as one-offs at the end of the 80's, and Go Nagai's Iconic “Mazinger” was one to get.

Mazinger. Written and illustrated ( fully colour painted) by Go Nagai. Published by First publishing Inc. on 11th. November December 1988. 

The manga was originally published by Dynamic publishing Inc.1988.

From the 70's and 80's to this day the World of Go Nagai and his beloved creation Mazinger live on. Now we see in full colour this manga styled graphic novel, as each panel and page are an art peace in themselves (looking to be painted in Acrylic and Oil paint) this adds to the fantasy of science fiction, inspired by one of the tales from “Gulliver's Travels” by Jonathan Swift.

 The year is 214X, eight years after the nuclear war and its nuclear winter the ten percent of humanity is split between North & South as the new super powers fight for resources, thus starts the one hundred years war, with war machines of gigantic size!

Our hero young Major Koji Kabuto is flung in to battle in the Combat Robot Mazinger, the masterpiece of the subterranean arsenal. As the battle rages something he is unprepared for happens and the battle shifts, changing his motivation to saving a beautiful woman from the horrors of war!

[Note. Go Nagai is known for his part in the Japanese robot revolution on TV in the 1970's and his reputation for hypersexual psycoviolence (Cutie Honey, and Devilman) changed the manga industry for kids comic-books & comic-strips for that decade and beyond, spawning many Anime tv series.]




[NOTE: so far as I can find in the publications of "FIRST COMICS" in the 1980's, the issue of this bespoke graphic novel (MAZINGER) made for an North American market, is the only other title apart from "Lone Wolf and Cub", from Japan to be published by FIRST COMICS!]

Hypersexual Psychoviolence!

"The dynamic world of Go Nagai" by Frederick Patten.

Hypersexual Psychoviolence!

"The dynamic world of Go Nagai" by Frederick Patten.

[Note. A four page article by Frederick Patten on Go Nagai at the back of this graphic novel is well worth reading.]

[In November of 2024, I found two of FIRST COMICS's own self-published pre-view advertisements, called "1FIRST EDISION" on ebay, and imported them to the UK at a cost of  $48.00 (US) for you the reader and for fans alike! Scroll down to read.] 

1FIRST EDISION - September 1988 (73),

For comic books on sale in November 1988.

1FIRST EDISION (73) Page 2, and page 5.

1FIRST EDISION (73) Page 2,

Lone Wolf and Cub (issue 19) by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima, $2.50 on sale 28th October 1988. (Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz)

Lone Wolf and Cub Deluxe Edition. - collecting issies #1-6. 392 Pages $19.95 on sale 28th October 1988.

1FIRST EDISION (73) Page 3,

Mazinger by Go Nagai, on sale 11th November 1988.

[NOTE: "Mazinger: Not a reprint First full-color, fully painted Japanese manga! By Go Nagai. A First Graphic Novel 64 pages $8.95. Contains brief nudity."]

1FIRST EDISION (73) Page 4,

Mazinger by Go Nagai, on sale 11th November 1988.

"THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE FIRST ORIGINAL FULL-COLOR FULLY PAINTED MANGA." (made for the US English market).

1FIRST EDISION - September 1988 (73),

For comic books on sale in November 1988.

[In American comic-book format, 6 pages folded.]

This is what 1FIRST EDISION 73 (September 1988) wrote to promote MAZINGER;

"MANGA AMERICAN STYLE

Celebrated Japanese writer and artist Go Nagai has produced an original, never before published, fully-painted graphic novel based on his legendary creation Mazinger.  Not only is this the first manga created specifically for the U.S. market, rather than a reprint of an existing Japanese property, it is also the first manga produced entirely in full-color!

Mazinger will establish an unprecedented departure in style and content for an artist of Go Nagai's stature, as well as mark a radical change in how Japanese manga are traditionally produced.  Previously in japan, a work like Mazinger would be considered too expensive and time-consuming to produce for a readership that is accustomed to inexpensively produced, disposable comics.

Mazinger will combine the unique style and flavor of Japanese manga with the superior production values and deluxe, full-color format of American graphic novels.

Go Nagai's impressive body of work has enjoyed enormous popularity in Japan, having spawned numerous animated TV series and movies, among them Devil Man, Cutey Honey, Grandizer, Violence Jack, and the various incarnations of Mazinger — Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger, and God Mazinger — which trace the evolution of civilization from pre-history to the future of mankind among the stars.

Mazinger. By Go Nagai. A First Graphic Novel. 64 pages. Full-painted color. $8.95. Shipping the third week in November.   Special note: Contains brief nudity."

"MANGA: THE NEXT GENERATION!"

"THE WORLD PREMIRE OF THE FIRST ORIGINAL FULL-COLOR FULLY PAINTED MANGA."

This  full colour advertisement was printed in two issues of the "Sable" comic book in 1988, proclaiming that; "MANGA: THE NEXT GENERATION!" "THE WORLD PREMIRE OF THE FIRST ORIGINAL FULL-COLOR FULLY PAINTED MANGA."

 

This  B&W advertisement was printed in an issue of  "Sable" comic book (1988).

[NOTE: having to buy a selection of comic books that, just on the off chance that there would be advertisements for this ONE-OFF comic book, did pay off, for me outweighs the cost of  the ITEM PRICE: £25.00 ORDER TOTAL:£31.50. (AUGUST 26Th. 2022)]

The source and proof of advertisements.

[In September of 2024 I did make a trip to Tokyo, and did some shoping, and sight-seeing.]

DVD boxed sets One & Two,

As a 10 year old child, having moved to Spain in 1977, Mazinger-Z was the Hit TV\Cartoon show for kids, and one of my foundest memories.

 

Manga in the 80's Pt. 9

Dominion. Written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. Published by Eclipse International & Studio Proteus in 6 issues in a Monthly format from December 1989 to May 1990. The manga was originally published by Hakusensha 1986.

We follow our heroin Leona Ozaki in her day to day job, protecting the citizens of the megalopolis, a city engulfed in a deadly bacterial smog (were the mask you wear saves your life!), and crime is dealt with the deadly force of the Tank S.W.A.T. Police (urban pacification that is outrageous!). In this futuristic world of bio-technology & cyber-technolgy and the use of tanks in a city Leona a girl who loves her little tank (named Bonaparte) struggles to be taken seriously as the male members of the Tank S.W.A.T. Police have the much bigger military tanks!

Shirow is know for his meta detailed city landscapes and cybernetics tech illustrations to flesh out his Worlds, and added to this is a wit and humour of the absurd with depiction of SD characters (super deformed – an art style).
A highly enjoyable Science Fiction comedy!

[Note. Like so many translated manga of its time only a short number of issues where produced to show the verity and style form Japan, and then where gone! Easily missed at your local comic-book store.]

 [Note. So popular was this series that over the years, 3 sets of OVAs have been animated (Dominion Tank Police, New Dominion Tank, and TANK S.W.A.T. 01).]

[Note. Masamune Shirow is best known in the West by his seminal work “Appleseed”.]

                                    

   [UPDATE: Collection of issues 1 to 6 now complete]

  

Dominion #1 to #6   from Eclipse Comics.

[NOTE: When I was missing issues 4,5, & 6, at the time I also missed out on adverts and articles too.]

Appleseed  BOOK ONE 

The Promethean Challenge.

Letters page.

Letters page.

Dirty Pair BOOK ONE.

What's Michael?

Graphic Album

Black Magic Written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow.

Shipping in Spring of 1990.

Appleseed Poster, from ECLIPSE.

[UPDATE: From Dark Horse comics; Collection of 7 manga comic books would be printed in 1996 (March to August, and  ) 'Masamune Shirow's DOMINION Conflict 1 - No more noise' #1 to #6.

#1to #3

#4 to #6

 

[NOTE: these last 7 manga comic-books were added to my collection, in April of 2021.]