1983 Past Life Manga King

However, it seems that the words Jiro was trying to ask were not Michiko’s.

– Hey, do you know the American comic magazine ‘Heavy Metal’?

“Yeah. I know. It’s not a translated version, but I sometimes look for it in Korea.”

Heavy Metal is an American adult fantasy magazine that was founded in 1977. Unlike general adult magazines, it has high quality and strong artistic tendencies.

The famous Moebius was also active here.

Of course, since it is a very American magazine, it is not very well known in Korea or Japan unless you are a person who is very interested in manga.

However, in the 1980s, it is a world-class magazine in which famous artists from all over the world participate.

– Oh, I see.

“But why that magazine?”

– There was an official request from the magazine to our publisher.

“What request? That magazine would have a very different orientation.”

– It seems that you want to introduce Samsara as a short story. So, Sunny asked me if I could make a short story in color.

“Yeah?”

Heavy Metal (2)

Request from Heavy Metal?

It’s a request from a magazine where world-class artists, especially Western-focused writers are active.

It’s completely unexpected, so I’m stunned.

“The manga I’m looking for there must be a little different from this one.”

– Still, there was a demand for that part.

demand?

“What kind of request?”

– I would like it to be made in a more free form than the existing works.

“Are you free?”

– Yeah. I wish I could express a little more. Regardless of the age of the reader.

“Hmm.”

Be free…

At first glance, it sounds like a nuanced statement that we are making cartoons without being free from the existing framework.

Of course, heavy metal magazine itself is an adult magazine from the beginning, so it is free from sexual and violent parts to a certain extent. So, for them, not being constrained may mean they want something hotter.

19 You want a golden samsara.

However, in the first place, Samsara was not tailored to the tastes of adults, so I have no intention of expressing it so freely in the name of freedom.

No, we’re already talking about the way we want, and I don’t know what to do more freely here. Because, in the first place, neither me nor Seon-hee’s tastes are focused on violence or sexuality.

And the biggest problem is that Seon-hee, who is in charge of drawing, is still young.

Because I can’t make Seon-hee, who is still in high school, draw such a cartoon.

Especially in this day and age.

“I think that problem is a bit difficult. I never thought of making samsara that way.”

– I was also thinking that way to some extent. It’s probably because you’re old, Sunny.

When you say it like that, Seonhee seems like a very old person.

– Anyway, I understand. We will reject that issue for now.

Jiro speaks in a slightly regretful tone.

Probably so.

If it’s heavy metal, it’s a magazine recognized by the Western world, and if you put manga on it, it’ll be pretty good for publicity.

Isn’t Japan a country with a strong temperament that has always wanted to be recognized in the West?

If you think about such an atmosphere, it is clear that you are kicking a good opportunity.

But, nevertheless, Jiro didn’t show any more, said hello and hung up the phone.

“What were you talking about over there? You look a little serious.”

Michiko asked with a curious expression.

It seems that Jiro and I were curious about the content thanks to the conversation in Korean.

“It’s nothing. It’s just that there was a request for a short story in the foreign magazine ‘Heavy Metal’.”

At those words, Seon-hee, who was nearby, turned her gaze to me. Then he went to the bookshelf behind his seat, pulled out a book, came up to me, held it out, and said,

“This book?”

The book that Seon-hee brought out was Heavy Metal, the magazine that she and Ji-ro had shared on the phone with.

To be honest, I already bought heavy metal a few times for Seonhee to refer to when practicing drawing.

Of course, I checked the contents of the book to some extent, selected it, and brought it to Seon-hee.

Therefore, it may have a different meaning to Seon-hee.

Anyway, I nodded my head as I looked at the book that Seon-hee held out.

“uh. right. that.”

“Would you like a short story here?”

“Well, you say so… I refused.”

He rolls his eyes for a moment and then tilts his head.

“Why?”

“It wasn’t the Samsara we wanted.”

At that time, Seon-hee nodded whether she understood.

“If my brother decides to do that, I will follow.”

However, Michiko’s eyes widened when she saw me and Seon-hee holding a magazine and having a conversation. And her gaze was on the magazine we were holding.

“Did you get a request for a short story from a manga magazine Heavy Metal?”

Looking at her, it seems that Michiko knows a lot about heavy metal.

“Yeah. But I refused.”

“Oh, you refuse? why?”(Read more @ wuxiax.com)

“Because I have a tendency to magazines, and Seon-hee is still young.”

“Even if it’s an adult, wouldn’t it be okay to do it at the level that Sunny would express?”

“From the beginning, there was a request from that side to express it a little more. And since it is a magazine based on adult fantasy, it doesn’t fit my personality.”

It was then that Michiko became a satisfied face.

“Still, if I ask, won’t you give it to me?”

“Probably not.”

As far as I know, there is absolutely no concession in that regard.

Afterwards, I read in a book that some of the Korean cartoonists had dashed, but they were rejected because they didn’t fit the magazine’s tendencies.

In any case, even at my words, Michiko had a regretful expression on her face.

“Still, if Sunny’s manga is published in a magazine like Heavy Metal, it’s an opportunity to make your name known abroad. I am so sorry.”

“Well, it could be. There is still a lot of work to be done in the boys’ magazine. Maybe one day the opportunity will come again.”

To be honest, it doesn’t matter if you don’t come.

“Still, I’m a little sad.”

At that moment, Kyung Hee, who was listening to us, intervened.

“Is this magazine that great? I’m not good at western comics.”

Michiko answered Kyunghee’s question.

“That’s great. I have a lot of subscribers all over the world. Of course, Japanese magazines sell a lot more, but they have a lot of recognition.”

“Ah, art, what is it?”

“Yes. That’s the right expression. It’s a manga magazine featuring great artists from all over the world.”

“Wow, is it? I just thought it was some crazy cartoon.”

“Honestly, it’s not even my taste.”

“right.”

“of course.”

Michiko and Kyung-hee are chatting hard to see if the porridge is a good match.

Anyway, from my point of view, I already felt a sense of rejection from the moment I was told that it was more free than the previous works.

It’s strange to force more freedom even though it’s being made freely enough as a boy’s cartoon.

Right now, I’m busy enough just with the serialization manuscript, so it’s a sequel to just forget about it.

However, it seems that even after that incident, requests from Heavy Metal came in several more times.

Even so, there were still requests for it, probably because it seemed like they were subtly demeaning that they were Asians.

I thought that I didn’t know why he was so persistent even though he said no every time, but Jiro seemed to have noticed that.

– It seems that there was a request from the magazine subscribers who wished they could do Samsara’s work. We didn’t know that either, but it seems that Samsara is more well known abroad than we thought.

“Still, I have no intention of adapting to that tendency.”

– I agree with that. Anyway, Samsara is our Mitsuda Shoten’s signature manga.

signboard cartoon

I’m embarrassed to say that out loud.

In any case, this was a time when Westerners saw Japan as the outskirts of Japan, and the comics produced there were not well recognized compared to Western comics. That’s why I keep my neck stiff like that while making a request.

However, at this time, Japan was a country that was growing with great momentum, so I think I heard that the West, especially the United States, did not see it well.

Silver seems to have said something similar recently.

Maybe because of various complex circumstances, he wants to make a request, but he wants to build his self-esteem.

It was a time when racism was still common.

I don’t know if it was in the past, but now I don’t want to publish a manga with my head down. In the first place, there was no goal of publishing a manga in a magazine like Heavy Metal.

Personally, I might be interested if Samsara alone sells it by issue like American comics.

However, it may be in the distant future, so I’m going to put it aside for now.

Right now, I just want to focus on my Japanese activities.

* * *

A large bookstore in Tokyo.

There is a long line of people there since early in the morning.

Now that I’m used to this look, it’s nothing special.

Most people there think so and stand in line quietly.

People rushing to work in the morning kick their tongues when they see such a thing.

“You just have to take it slow. What are you waiting in line to buy?”

“Yeah. There are a lot of kids like that these days, so what do you think Japan is going to be like?”

“Why are you standing like that?”

“You want to buy something like a comic book. From what I’ve seen before, I heard that there’s something like that in game stores. I don’t know why.”

“What do today’s generations know? I’m just doing it for the sake of happiness.”

“right. How hard have we been?”

Maybe they heard people gossip, some stared at them.

“Come on, let’s go to sleep.”

“okay.”

The gossiping people hurried to their feet.

“On the subject of living like a machine just like a squirrel spinning a wheel.”

“right. shocking.”

The door of the bookstore opens just as the people in line were talking in dissatisfied voices.

Then people rushed into the bookstore.

And they flocked to comic books.

* * *

I picked up the phone and asked, startled.

“Is the Samsara illustration book sold out?”

– Yeah. I unlocked all 3,000 copies today, and they were all sold out. So, I went into the second printing, but I don’t have much room at all, so the publication seems to be delayed. As a result, complaint calls are flooding in from each bookstore.

It seems that Seonhee’s illustrated booklets are more popular than expected.

I didn’t select any of the pictures, I just made all the pictures I drew into a book, and the response was better than I expected, so this is it Won.

Now, I’m getting used to the word sold out.

– By the way, how did I know, I received a request to purchase it from France as well. Of course, it’s a ticket purchase.

France?

Not long ago, I got a call from Heavy Metal, an American magazine.

Is it starting to become known more and more abroad?

“Ok?”

– Yeah. By the way, the requested place is ‘Metal Uirlang’.

I was taken aback and startled by Jiro’s words.

Because it was a familiar magazine.

“With metal? The magazine that gave birth to heavy metal?”

– Yeah. You know that. This is the first time I’ve checked this and it’s not true. Anyway, I think I ordered it there.

“Any request?”

– No such thing. There seems to be a lot of interest in Samsara from that side as well. I’m thinking of taking the plate and adding the artist’s description of the night before selling it.

“Ah yes.”

– I think Samsara has a relationship with Heavy Metal.

“Iknow, right.”

– Anyway, regarding the copyright issue, we will make a good contract and contact you separately.

“Yes sir.”

By the way, I know that Metal Wierlang ended in 1987.

Is it because of the atmosphere that magazine-style comic books are gradually disappearing in France in this day and age?

Of course, it was republished in 2002, but disappeared in 2004.

Anyway, I feel bad for saying that I bought the rights to a magazine that will disappear in two years.

Snow White’s build-up

“Wow, it’s different because it’s made so luxuriously. Seon-hee said it was a graffiti to meet.”

Kyung Hee admires Seon Hee’s illustrated booklet published this time.

This is probably because the front and back are made thick like a high-end hardcover book, and the letters are also coated with gold leaf.

The color is dark brown, and at first glance, it looks like a high-end magic book.

“The little teacher says that only you are graffiti, but no one thinks that way. By the way, will you give us one each?”

At Park Soo-mi’s words, I smiled and nodded my head.

“of course. Twenty copies came, and if you want one, you can get one.”

“Who doesn’t want to? Anyone who draws would be greedy?”