Alternative Comics

[Kaiten]

This thread is to discuss alternative/semi-alternative manga, gekiga, la nouvelle manga, Heta-Uma, experimental, and avante-garde comics. Discussion of artists, magazines, series, impact on mainstream comics, are all fair game. So is manga within alternative tradition appearing in mainstream anthologies (Taiyo Matsumoto comes to mind).

Never read alternative manga but want to start? Here's some resources:

Where to start:
Japan as Viewed By 17 Creators, Secret Comics Japan, and Comics Underground Japan are all nice books to start with. Anthum Graveole has recently scanlated all three.

Scanlators:
Anthum Graveole
Illuminati Manga
Kotonoha
Manga Sketchbook (inactive)
Cheap Manga (inactive)
Hox
IKKI

I'm sure there are some I missed, but all good sites to start.

Mangaka:
TATSUMI Yoshihiro
TANIGUCHI Jiro
FUJIWARA Kaoru
NANANAN Kiriko
FURUYA Usamaru
MATSUMOTO Taiyo
TAKAHAMA Kan

Some Significant Anthologies:
Garo (no longer published)
AX
IKKI
Manga Erotics F
Comic Cue
Comic Beam
Fellows

That's a short list of magazine that come to mind, by no means complete. Some mainstream anthologies will serialize alternative comics, or have in the past. Feel Young and Big Comic Spirits come to mind.

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Since delving into the manga underground I've increasingly (unfairly?) avoided more mainstream series, even seinen. Not that I don't read any. I recently finished Pure Trance, my introduction to MIZUNO Junko's kawaii noir style. Imagine super flat or tokidoki with gratuitous nudity, drug abuse, violence and surrealism. I hope, at some point, her reworking of Cinderella is translated into English.

Also, I'm looking forward to the release of AX volume 1 this July.