Hino Horror - Gallery of Horrors
Dragged Clare to a new comic shop in Bristol called Travelling Man. Like the best bars in LA it's difficult to spot as it has no sign but comic fans of Bristol should definately make a b-line there as it's a hidden gem much more appealling than the over-priced nonsense of Forbidden Planet. Anyway, at the back of the shop you'll find a veritable treasure trove of manga titles and following a recommendation from the staff I picked up the eleventh volume of Hino Horror from Cocoro Books.
I must admit I'd never heard the name of Hideshi Hino before but I'm glad I have now. Thanks to a little research on the good old interweb I've discovered that this Chinese born artist started publishing manga in 1978 and hasn't stopped with over 400 books now populating the shelves of manga collectors and if Gallery of Horrors is anything to go by I'll be trying to cram a few more in my collection too.
This is an anthology book that reminds me a lot of the portmanteau Amicus films of the seventies. The central concept is that the reader is a visitor to an art gallery specialising in painting of sheer terror, each focused around a specific colour. 'Horror in Black' for example tells of a town terrorised by crows while 'Horror in Grey' is a surreal tale of a doctor who wakes up to discover that all the colour has drained from his world.
Trust me, these stories aren't exactly high literature but they are bursting with black humour reminiscent of Amicus or EC Comics. And as for Hino's style... How can something so cute be so evil? If you get a chance to pick up one of the series don't be lulled into a false sense of security by all the chubby little faces and big eyes. Before you know it a maggot-infested, bloated corpse will be dragging you into the depth of a rotton lake. This is body horror at it's best, full of mutations and mutilations.
I think I may have just become hooked. Time to go back to the beginning I think. I've found the first volume 'The Red Snake' on Amazon for just a couple of pounds so I think I'll treat myself to another helping of mishapen heads and bulbous eyes.
I must admit I'd never heard the name of Hideshi Hino before but I'm glad I have now. Thanks to a little research on the good old interweb I've discovered that this Chinese born artist started publishing manga in 1978 and hasn't stopped with over 400 books now populating the shelves of manga collectors and if Gallery of Horrors is anything to go by I'll be trying to cram a few more in my collection too.
This is an anthology book that reminds me a lot of the portmanteau Amicus films of the seventies. The central concept is that the reader is a visitor to an art gallery specialising in painting of sheer terror, each focused around a specific colour. 'Horror in Black' for example tells of a town terrorised by crows while 'Horror in Grey' is a surreal tale of a doctor who wakes up to discover that all the colour has drained from his world.
Trust me, these stories aren't exactly high literature but they are bursting with black humour reminiscent of Amicus or EC Comics. And as for Hino's style... How can something so cute be so evil? If you get a chance to pick up one of the series don't be lulled into a false sense of security by all the chubby little faces and big eyes. Before you know it a maggot-infested, bloated corpse will be dragging you into the depth of a rotton lake. This is body horror at it's best, full of mutations and mutilations.
I think I may have just become hooked. Time to go back to the beginning I think. I've found the first volume 'The Red Snake' on Amazon for just a couple of pounds so I think I'll treat myself to another helping of mishapen heads and bulbous eyes.
posted by Cav at
12:58 PM
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