​This year I took time off/ a sabbatical from CAT to focus on other things so I really don't deserve the mention I get here for this years festival as I wasn't really part of it, it's all down to Aude Yukiko,Adam Pasion,Ian Lynam and several others who are shy of social media. Anyway BHP will be tabled by my often partner in crime Shinjiro Saito from Gallery Hakusen so please give him all your money for the goods. This year looks to be a solid gold line up!

​Here's an article in The Japan Times about CAT and Kaigai Festival, both of which are happening this weekend!

www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2018/11/18/general/pair-events-centered-non-japanese-artists-helping-build-bridges-japans-manga-market/?fbclid=IwAR12BO2pEzHSC_S-P_451zv-7B2loOAOOb_eDgXvNe1v6MRiq2N53qyUuf0#.W_OYSOgvOUl
​

Currently Japan Post, the national mail service that operates in Japan, in struggling to get all its small packets and SAL deliveries sent in a timely manner. As we ship a lot of SAL and small packets (i.e your books) this will affect delivery dates for Black Hook Books.We apologize for the inconvenience caused and we hope Japan Post can get thing back to normal as soon as possible. Below is a screen grab from Mandarake book store's website which appears to show their customers are also suffering from the current delays. Best BHP

After a late night and early morning and then a long afternoon we've submitted 'Tale of The Beast' to our printer.
We are looking forward to seeing this when it's printed. It's our first larger book that we've printed trying to replicate the colours that printers were using for Gekiga from the 60's to the 80's.
Here's the link if you haven't ordered yet - 
blackhookpress.bigcartel.com/product/kemonoki-by-tadao-tsuge-kashihon-slip-cover-edition-a5

The good folks (Ally Russell) over at Broken Frontier have done a review of Dokudami 3.
You can find a link >>HERE<<.

Dokudami Volume 3 (Killing Me Softly) is now at the printers.

This volume explores transgender issues in 1980s Tokyo. That's Dokudami Tenement 3's theme in this dark story of Yoshio's friendship with a troubled transgender salaryman Frankie. This story pulls no punches and is likely to offend some. 144 pages inc. bio and bonus materials. 

You can order through out Bigcartel site - 
blackhookpress.bigcartel.com/

We have finalized the stories for our first BonTen Taro translation and the book is going to be a corker!
BonTen was a prolific Gekiga artist & storyteller. For the first book we are going to showcase
2 of his Yakuza action-thriller series, 2 of his finest horror stories, and his Gekiga biography of Yukio Mishima.

We will try and have this finished and ready for the BonTen exhibition at Taco Che (Mandarake),
@ Nakano Broadway on 21st July.

You can pre-order through our Big Cartel website here-
blackhookpress.bigcartel.com/product/bonten-taro-volume-1

Take a look below at some sneak peak images.

Hello,
Dokudami Tenement Vol 2, Confessions of a Mangaka, arrives this weekend.
These will be mailed out to pre-order customers over the weekend with the bonus bits included.
Volume 3 is in its final stages of production and will follow soon.
Thank you for everyone's support!
This volume is DOPE!
Best,
BHP

(For people who haven't ordered yet there are a few signed (hanko'd) copies of volume 2
over on our BIG CARTEL and they will be shipped a week after all pre-orders have been shipped!)

http://www.bartkira.com/volume-1.htmlwww.bartkira.com/volume-1.html

Today my friend Yeka and I went to see the Yoshitomo Nara exhibition at Takashi Murakami's gallery Kai Kai Tiki in Motoazabu, Tokyo.

The show spans the 30 years of his career from 1998 to present. The change in Nara's style is most singularly present in the first 5 years (1988-1993) with the Nara's early work on show being heavily influenced by Jean Michael Basquiat's 
style. I guess Nara saw in Basquiat's works what would also become central to his own works for the rest of his artistic career - lone heroic figures who hold within them something darker and animal in their nature.

This show is great for any Yoshitomo Nara fan, the collection is sizeable and the span of 30 years is really great as it enables the visitor to view single (famous) pieces within the time frame of their creation and while the emphasis from the gallery and Murakami is that this is a non commercial show their are still pieces in the show that are for sale, you just need to know who to ask......

Little Thunder has a Tokyo show starting today. The venue (POPOTAME) is about a 10 minute walk from Ikebukuro
(try and check out the Frank Loyd designed Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan school, it's a 1 minute detour).

The show has most (not all) of the original art pieces taken from the pages of Little Thunders latest book (see my instagram embed below).

I managed to get quite a long chat in with Little Thunder and the lady responsible for bringing LT over from Hong Kong for this show. Their relationship goes back 20 years and is really sweet.

Make sure you check out the selection on comics that Little Thunder has created over the years, it'll give you more of an understanding of how hard she's worked to get where she is today.

The originals are available for sale as well as originals from her tomb of a book on pole dancers that came out last year.

Check the website >>POPOTAME<< for times and stuff. The store also has a good selection of comics.

books & gallery POPOTAME
2-15-17,Nishi-Ikebukuro,
Toshima-ku,Tokyo
03-5952-0114