I'll start this with a brief apology for the last post I put up. Being bi-polar I have restraint issues thus you will have to deal with the random "wtf" rant boiling up out of me. With that out of the way let's talk books.
Or in this case graphic novels.
Yoshihiro Tatsumi is a godfather of the graphic form. Whether you're talking manga, comics, or graphic novels he has tossed down the heavy hand of influence across the board. His work spans brevity and epic, from the three paneled classic manga to the graphic novel that has the approximate weight of a bludgeoning device. Today we're going to explore the wonder of the latter as opposed to the former. That said don't miss out on this guy if you're in the dark. Black Blizzard is one of the pen-ultimate early longer length manga that brings hard-boiled detective fiction into the scene before the scene allowed for such. His collections of short graphic stories such as Abandon The Old In Tokyo and The Pushman And Other Stories should not be overlooked especially if you call yourself a fan of "comics."
A Drifting Life. This is a tome, an epic, a masterpiece of graphic printing. Is it dry? Yes. Is it boring? At times. Is it hauntingly beautiful? Undeniable. This is Tatsumi at his finest telling the story of himself and of the rise of manga following World War II. Time spans from his childhood full to the current moment of publication. On one hand this is a story about growing up and struggling in the career you love. On another it's a memoir of the trials and tribulations of the author. And on yet another it is a complex and long love letter to Osaru Tezuka who is the god-father of manga and much of the general form for American graphic printing.
I don't recommend this for action, humor, or even drama. The story is slow, I won't lie to you. At times it is gut wrenchingly dry, you'll feel your tongue going all Silko in your mouth (think replacing the muscle with a dead furry mouse, or just read Ceremony to get the reference). If you read this from a recommendation you will have a moment of sitting back and wondering why the hell anyone suggested this to you in the first place. The reason is simple: you're looking at graphic history. Now I could have leapt up and down chanting for something like Onwards To Our Noble Deaths, Persepolis, The Silence of Our Friends, or March if we're talking surface value importance in graphic history. Any of those tackles topics of greater gravitas than A Drifting Life. But each lacks a certain amount of sincerity and general love for the craft in comparison to Tatsumi.
Here's the deal about this guy. He is a master of the every man. We're not talking super heroes that can solve their problems through amazing powers we all lack. We're talking regular people engaged in regular lives sometimes going through irregular moments. And that makes Tatsumi wickedly interesting, along with his life and career. What A Drifting Life does that is so incredible is the demonstration of the author's ability to turn this gaze for the painfully normal back onto himself. Honesty drips from the pages. He does not place glitter and glamour in his rise to success, he also does not place romantic demands on his audience. There is no moment when you feel "then" is better than "now." Then and now become the same point in time for Tatsumi, where he begins is not very removed from where he ends. There is an importance in that recognition that is lost in many graphic forms.
I won't say this is the best piece of graphic literature that I've read. I think Asterios Polyp is far more interesting in both art and subject or Blankets, Maus, Persepolis, and the list could go on. But this presents something that those do not. Pure, raw, honesty. Tatsumi is not afraid to show himself as the world views him and as he views himself.
So I encourage you to find a copy and read it. It's not the breezy experience you might be expecting but it is enlightening and deep. You'll learn a great deal about an iconic figure, as well as the industry he works in, and maybe, just maybe, figure out a few things about yourself as well.
So is this going to be a thing? Giving short reviews of whatever I happen to have read? Probably. Amidst the mountain of other crap I post on here maybe this will be a thing. So keep an eye out, especially if you like graphic publications, because I'll be returning to this theme time and again.