06 Nov / Sneeze by Naoki Urasawa, translated by John Werry [in Booklist]
For Naoki Urasawa newbies, his latest collection (another satisfying English translation by popular manga-specialist John Werry) is a beckoning introductory primer. For aficionados, these eight stories (none titled “Sneeze”), originally published between 1995-2018, are an affirming reminder of his irrefutable genius.
Urasawa’s most memorable stories feature his signature realistic fantasy, including “DAMIYAN,” about a pair of gaming shysters with a supernatural ability especially useful to gangsters; “Kaiju Kingdom,” about a French otaku’s lifelong dream to witness a Tokyo kaiju (think Godzilla); and “Throw towards the Moon” (in collaboration with his Pluto series collaborator, Takashi Nagasaki), featuring a wizened psychic and a baseball-pro-hopeful who’s Pulitzer Prized-to-be. The cat-and-two-mice populated “Henry and Charles” and an in-debt superhero in “Tanshin Funin/Solo Mission” (which requires a reversal of page order to read) stand out for their full-color presentation.
In acknowledging Urasawa’s other life as musician/musical groupie, three entries are musically inclined, including “It’s a Beautiful Day,” an homage-of-sorts to the late Kenji Endo (whose name Urasawa borrowed for his 20th Century Boys series’ protagonist). Groupies will especially appreciate Urasawa’s enlightening commentary on each story at collection’s end.
Review: “Graphic Novels,” Booklist, October 15, 2020
Readers: Adult
Published: 2020