Book: The Push Man and other stories

With the flood of terrible manga & anime that has swept across the western world in the past ten years, it's easy to forget that there is anything to be found in that artistic style that doesn't involve teenagers who secretly have giant robots or ninja powers while being too shy to to talk to their junior high school crush. There is however a growing market in the west for "gekiga", which translates as "dramatic pictures" and is a style of graphic novel in Japan that's aimed at a more adult audience. Now I know what you're thinking but when I say "Japanese graphic novel for an adult audience", I don't necessarily mean tentacle rape stories. Gekiga is more about complex ideas and themes that would appeal to more mature readers and was coined to separate itself from the more commonly known "manga" by Yoshihiro Tatsumi. Tatsumi's work is now available in North America in annual volumes - the first of which is The Push Man and other stories.

The Push Man collects some of the best examples of Tatsumi's work form the years of 1969-1970 into one hardbound volume decorated only by the high contrast drawing, which is why it caught my eye in the first place. The collection is full of sixteen short stories that involve such dark topics as urban alienation, sexual deviancy, abortion, mental illness, etc. I found it to be mildly disturbing at times but couldn't stop myself from reading just one more story and finished the whole collection in one afternoon. It was certainly a refreshing change from Narutos and Inuyashas clogging book stores as of late.

the artwork is comprised of wonderful pen & ink drawings that really exude the feeling of the city closing in around the characters. The dirt and smog clings to every panel. The characters are often archetypes who you'll see again and again in the stories but not as the same person, just a similar one. The Aging Salary Man, the Geisha & the Faceless Man are some of the reoccurring characters found in these stories, similar in fashion to the Tezuka Universe. Tatsumi does this because the unrelated but identical reoccurring characters could easily melt into a crowd of people who are on the surface exactly the same. It is only upon closer examination that we can see the intimate stories that can exist in anyone - even ourselves. That is what I think makes these stories so fascinating.

along with the 16 short stories, The Push Man includes an interview with the artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi himself, which is also a fascinating read. This is because the stories are often somewhat ambiguous so it's nice to be able to hear the creator's perspective in regards to the themes and characters.

That's about all there is to say about The Push Man and other stories. If you would be interested in a slice of the psyche of a post WWII Japanese person you can't go wrong with this. If you are a lover of manga but want something a little less childish or trite, then give this a read. I would like to warn you however that if you're squeamish about sensitive topics then this might be too much to handle. The stories included here floated about in the back of my head for days and I'm no slouch when it comes to controversial subjects. It's gritty, beautiful and thought provoking, it's available from Drawn & Quarterly Publications, It's The Push Man.