Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths by Shigeru Mizuki

These new editions will be available beginning in August 2022.Ĭovering the entire reign of Emperor Hirohito, from 1926 to 1989, Showa: A History of Japan splits its focus between the historical events of the period and Mizuki’s own experiences, with guest appearances from beloved characters like Kitaro and Nezumi Otoko.

In honour of Mizuki’s centenary, we’re thrilled to share freshly redesigned covers for the Eisner Award winning graphic novel Onward Towards Our Noble De aths, translated by Jocelyne Allen and the entire Showa: A History of Japan s eries, translated by Zack Davisson. Mizuki skillfully pairs elaborate landscape renderings with cartoon characters in all of his work, breathing life into esoteric concepts and remote regions. When we reflect on the life and work of Mizuki we remember his harrowing autobiographical accounts of time spent in the Japanese army during WWII, his thrilling yokai storytelling in the Kitaro series, and his resurrection of traditional Japanese myths in Tono Monogatari. A beloved national treasure of Japan, we are humbled to be Mizuki’s English-language publisher. Translated from the Japanese by Jocelyne Allen.The legendary mangaka Shigeru Mizuki would have turned 100 years old on March 8th. His hometown of Sakaiminato honored him with the Shigeru Mizuki Road, a street in his town decorated with bronze statues of his Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro characters and the Shigeru Mizuki International Cultural Center. Mizuki is the recipient of many awards including Best Album award for his book NonNonBa (published in 2012 by Drawn & Quarterly) and Heritage Essential award for Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, at the Angouleme International Comics Festival, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Special Award, Kyokujitsu Sho Decoration, Shiju Hosho Decoration and the Kodansha Manga Award. Currently in Japan, the life of Mizuki and his wife has been made into an extremely popular television drama that airs daily. Mizuki's list of accolades and achievements is long and detailed.

Mizuki was a soldier himself (he was severely injured and lost an arm) and uses his experiences to convey the devastating consequences and moral depravity of the war. The soldiers are instructed that they must go into battle and die for the honor of their country, with certain execution facing them if they return alive. Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths is his first book to be translated into English and is a semi-autobiographical account of the desperate final weeks of a Japanese infantry unit at the end of World War Two. A landmark publishing event of one of Japan's most famous cartoonists Shigeru Mizuki is the preeminent figure of gekiga/manga and one of the most famous working cartoonists in Japan today - a true living legend.

Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths by Shigeru Mizuki