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The Spy Who Came In From The Cold - John LeCarre »

This beautiful hardcover collects numerous short stories by Japanese comic artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi, considered the "grandfather of Japanese alternative comics". Most of the stories have never been printed in English before.

The themes Tatsumi explores here are steeped in sexual prurience. His protagonists generally look the same - broad shouldered, blank staring dullards who usually find themselves cow-towed by the women in their lives.

The stories not erotic in any way but more sad and disturbing and if you read the book in one sitting it can be a bit depressing. Taken in short doses though (each story being only a few pages long) they make for interesting glimpses into the more deviant side of life in a Japanese city. There is one story that tells of a man who keeps some sort of deformed sex slave in his apartment and asks a co-worker to look in on her while he's away. Another is about a travelling projectionist who screens private showings of pornography for businessman around the country. Another shows a man who dresses up in makeup and women's clothing and winds up having an affair with a sexually confused woman.

The black and white artwork is rough at times mixing cartoony characters with more detailed settings. But Tatsumi's drawings are full of expression, capturing subtle gestures and mannerisms effortlessly.

Posted at November 3, 2005 01:41 PM