Face Meat

Bonten Taro, trans. from the Japanese by Ryan Holmberg

Living the Line

Influential Japanese tattoo artist Taro’s retro-lurid English-language debut collects the offbeat horror manga he drew for erotic magazines in the 1960s. The stories range from a sequel to Frankenstein to pulpy pieces featuring mysterious fruit, cursed love, and the dangers of “tranqs” (“Wassup man!” and “Got any drugs on you?” comprises the main dialogue). Over-the-top emotions and outlandish scenarios situate the proceedings comfortably in B-horror territory. Taro doesn’t skimp on the titillating shots required by the era’s men’s magazines, though some spicy moments end up hilariously out of place—to quote the protagonist in “Chime Tree Pass—The Black Rock That Isn’t”: “Why are you naked?!” The slightly philosophical closing story, “The Messenger of Death,” follows two brawling salarymen’s brief sojourn in hell before waking up from the nightmare with the sunrise. The dated font choice for the English lettering throughout and interstitial reproductions of vintage ads that originally ran alongside the stories add to the feel of digging up a classic pulp magazine. Though it’s light on substance, readers who don’t mind a bit of trash with their treasure will have a blast.