Publishing cartoons of Mohammed may be getting some people into trouble lately, but the lives of other religious figures have long been fair game.
Vertical Publishing, having completed its publication of Osamu Tezuka’s 8-volume Buddha, is looking next at publishing Tezuka’s Ode to Kirihito, according to Publisher’s Weekly. Kirihito is the Japanese word for Christ, but the manga, originally published as three volumes, is not a biography of Jesus but more of an allegory:
In the story, a young doctor searches for the cure to a disease that turns its victims into dog-like animals. Humanity, reflected by the qualities of compassion and nonviolent philosophy, is contrasted with a sense of beastliness, which Tezuka portrays through animal violence and the eating of raw meat. “There’s a very humanist message at the core of the book.” [Vertical director of marketing and publicity Anne] Ishii says.
I’m reading volume 1 of Tezuka’s Buddha right now, and I have to say that the combination of cuteness and graphic violence is disconcerting. In the opening sequence of the book, a Disneyesque rabbit throws himself onto a campfire to feed a holy man who is wandering through the mountains. The cuteness of the bunny made this a very disturbing scene. As the story progresses, I find the resemblance of many of the characters to the Timbertoes (of Highlights magazine fame) distracting. On the other hand, many pages and panels are beautifully drawn. Ishii says that the style of Kirihito will be different, so perhaps it will all mesh better.
For those who track these things, the PW article include sales figures for the hardbacks, which are modest to say the least: about 8,500 copies per volume, although volume 1 has sold over 20,000 copies. Perhaps sales will pick up when the paperback comes out, priced at $15 per volume as opposed to $25 for the hardbacks. The first two volumes are due out in May and July, respectively. Still, Vertical is to be applauded for bringing out the series first in a nicely designed hardback format.
Meanwhile, this article rehashes much of what we already know about Richard Branson and Deepak Chopra’s new Indian comics venture, but Deepak’s son Gotham Chopra has a bit of news I hadn’t heard before:
“My father is writing a novel on the life of Buddha. We’re doing the companion graphic novel.”
Stay tuned.
I’ll definitely be picking up the Buddah paperbacks. I enjoyed the first volume of Buddah but the printing (matte white is way too efficient at picking up fingerprints and similar stains) made it a literally uncomfortable read. The trade dress for the Buddah hardcovers are beautiful, but I wish Vertical made something that was a little less high maintennance.
Hopefully, Ode to Kinhito is packaged in a less-intimidating way.