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Hideshi Hino and Japanese horror

Haus of Mystery

19:31 / 07.03.04

Just picked up his 'Hell Baby', published by Blast books, and really loved it. I've been looking for it for ages, having seen an image from it years ago. Currently looking for 'Panorama of Hell'. Alongside 'Uzumaaki' it's the freshest horror comic I've read in a while (and I believe it's quite old). So is anyone else into him, or do you know of any other decent Japanese horror comics, as it's a medium that's really floating my boat at the moment.

Simplist

18:51 / 08.03.04

Starting next month DH Publishing is putting out a series of Hino TPs, two volumes per month through July. I've never read any of Hino's stuff before, but based on what I've heard I definitely plan on picking up the first few of these.

Haus of Mystery

19:51 / 08.03.04

Hokey Smokes! Definitely good news. Vertigo 'horror' books could learn from the nightmarish atmosphere created by this stuff.

Krug

20:51 / 08.03.04

I read Gyo Book 1 last month and I hear book two is out but I haven't gotten it yet.

I haven't read any horror manga but Gyo is really stunning. I'm not really a manga person (Akira was a bit too long, Ghost in the Shell was fuckin terrible, Adolf was blah) but I'm fascinated by Ito. Amidst all that shocking cinematic horror was a very well done love story. I will look for more by him and will check out some Hino's stuff and the rest of Ito's comics.

CameronStewart

23:08 / 08.03.04

I just finished the second volume of Gyo last night. I thought the first volume was great, really very frightening in some places (such as that shark trying to push its way down the corridor), but I felt let down by the second part - I didn't find it as scary and the end of the story seems quite abrupt.

There's a couple of good bonus short stories at the back though.

MFreitas

14:42 / 09.03.04

Gyo is good, but it doesn't even compare to Uzumaki, Junji Ito's masterpiece. Heck, nothing compares to Uzumaki, probably the best horror thing I have ever read, seen or heard.

It would be flawless, if it included a guest appearance by Chubby Da Choona, right, Cam? (may I call you Cam? and what about Frank? Frank is a nice name...)

Haus of Mystery

17:05 / 09.03.04

Uzumaki 1 was ace, and I definitely want to read more. W/out giving anything away is it worth following through, or does it lose the potency of book 1? Would make a good TV show although I understand it was made into a film. Anyone seen it?

Simplist

18:23 / 09.03.04

Uzumaki is indeed a masterpiece, one of my favorite comics period. If you liked volume 1, you'll definitely like most of volume 2. Volume 3 changes pace somewhat from what's gone before, moving into more overtly fantastic territory as Junji brings the whole to a definitive resolution. Personally I loved it, found it an incredibly solid and satisfying payoff. OTOH, I have a friend who didn't think much of it, as he preferred what he saw as the more "down to earth" feel of the first two books.

As for Gyo, it wasn't on the level of Uzumaki, but I did enjoy volume 1 quite a bit. There was one pretty major narrative inconsistency that bugged me (I won't get all spoilery here unless someone really wants to know), but I'd enjoyed the book enough up to that point that I decided (somewhat implausibly, it must be admitted) to blame the translation and overlook that little glitch. Haven't read volume 2 yet, but I'm planning to order it soon.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

22:29 / 09.03.04

Got "Panorama of Hell"- very good. Deeply unpleasant, but with a properly hallucinatory nightmarish feel to it. Some of the writing's a bit stilted, but that's probably to do with the translation.

Haus of Mystery

12:46 / 10.03.04

Do a google image search for'hideshi hino' and check out the pictures of him in full samurai regalia. That's my kind of comic writer. Kinda like Alan Moore dressed as a beefeater...

_Boboss

13:20 / 10.03.04

not work-safe though. oh no. if you go to the page it's on there's a good review of the film that pic comes from, plus comments and directions to where you can get a version with the pov shots taken out 'so it looks even more snuff'. niiiiice.

Spaniel

16:43 / 10.03.04

That is a wonderful new screen name, Bobias.

Order Uzumaki months ago from the local comic shop. Never turned up.

Krug

04:09 / 11.03.04

I'm just waiting for a friend to buy the damn thing. She really doesn't buy anything I'm interested in and it'll be nice to get a freebie for a change.

It's on ebay all the time though and Amazon has it.

lord nuneaton savage

11:09 / 11.03.04

If you dig Hino you should check out Suehiro Maruo. His 'Ultra-gash inferno' has just been published by Creation and contains some of the weirdest, nastiest stuff I've ever seen. It's not really horror being closer to someone like Battaille in content but it is staggering stuff.

NezZ the 2nd

12:27 / 11.03.04

I have Gyo 1, which I enjoyed and eagerly look forward to vol2. I have all three Uzumaki's and they really are worth all the fuss. Some really crazy and twisted material. I also have Tomie 1 and 2, which is so - so, same for flesh coloured horror. They just aren't as polished as Uzumaki.

there is an uzumaki film, which I would like to see.

Hideshi Hino stuff I am ordering from amazon, along with Super gash and Mr Isashi's freak show (sp). I really like freaky horror manga, so I hope these will be as good.

Haus of Mystery

19:57 / 05.04.04

Just out of interest, I recently purchased 'Tomie' and 'Flesh-coloured Horror' by Junji Ito, two earlier works by the Uzumaki creator published by ComicsOne. Slightly cruder, with possibly dodgy translation, but still highly disturbing. As it says on the back 'Enjoy Ito's mix of girls' gore and social satire' Who could ask fer more?

lord nuneaton savage

19:25 / 07.04.04

Hideshi Hino rocks so much that 'Guinea Pig 2' managed to convince Charlie Sheen that he'd seen a 'snuff' movie, and he went to the police!
Imagine; "Come with us Mr Hino, Charlie Sheen has got you bang to rights".
hehehehe...

Haus of Mystery

19:48 / 07.04.04

That's fucking amazing!

Simplist

20:11 / 07.04.04

Ok, I just finished Hideshi Hino's The Red Snake. This is seriously one of the best horror comics I've ever read--viscerally creepy visuals and story both. Based on this and Junji Ito's books, I'm really starting to think Japanese horror comics are the modern repository of the kind of crazed creative mania that created the nuttiest of silver age superhero comics. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of these as they come out.

Also, this particular book is kind of cheaply printed, giving the whole presentation a nice pulpy feel.

Haus of Mystery

20:21 / 07.04.04

Is this DH publishing? I hear they're releasing all his stuff, which is good news.

Simplist

21:42 / 07.04.04

Yeah, The Red Snake is the first of the eight Hino volumes being issued by DHP over the next several months. Type "Hideshi Hino" into the search field at Amazon and they'll all come up.

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