The Push Man and Other Stories [Hardcover]

Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Author), Adrian Tomine (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2005

A collection of short stories from the grandfather of Japanese alternative comics.

Legendary cartoonist Yoshihiro Tatsumi is the grandfather of alternative manga for the adult reader. Predating the advent of the literary graphic novel movement in the United States by thirty years, Tatsumi created a library of literary comics that draws parallels with modern prose fiction and today's alternative comics.

Designed and edited by one of today's most popular cartoonists, Adrian Tomine, The Push Man and Other Stories is the debut volume in a groundbreaking new series that collects Tatsumi's short stories about Japanese urban life. Tatsumi's stories are simultaneously haunting, disturbing, and darkly humorous, commenting on the interplay between an overwhelming, bustling, crowded modern society and the troubled emotional and sexual life of the individual.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Tatsumi's brief, disturbing stories, originally published in 1969, have a tone somewhere between contemporary short fiction and EC Comics' old "shock" comics. Each hinges on some kind of prurient or sexually twisted situation: a man's bedridden lover turns out to be a physically mutated sex slave; an office worker puts on his girlfriend's makeup and clothes and has an affair with another woman; a man who disinfects telephones for a living calls a prostitute, but can't think of anything to do but pull out his disinfection kit. Produced over a short period of time, the stories are variations on a theme of social maladjustment. Tatsumi draws marvelously evocative settings, and his stories flow with dreamlike ambiguity, speeding toward the inevitable tragedies at their ends, but his characters appear practically identical. This reinforces both the repetitive nature of his themes and Tatsumi's view of the common man's continuing struggle in a merciless world of menial jobs, impotence and abortions. Tatsumi is known as the "grandfather of Japanese alternative comics," and this is the first in a proposed series of authorized English-language collections of his work. His work anticipates American alternative comics, making it clear why American cartoonist Adrian Tomine, who edited this collection, was attracted to the work. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Tatsumi has drawn groundbreaking comics in Japan since the 1950s, but Americans have had few opportunities to view his work. As the first in a proposed Tatsumi series edited by admiring alternative comics artist Adrian Tomaine, this volume of stories from 1969 starts to make amends. Tatsumi works in a powerfully straightforward manner that eschews manga's quirks in favor of naturalism. Combining the Japanese words for drama and art, he called his style gekiga to set it apart from the more commercially pitched anga. The latter shows much about Japanese culture, but gekigareveals the nation's psyche as Tatsumi depicts men living lives of quiet frustration--powerless, often sexually impotent, confined by social propriety. In one story, a factory worker mangles himself to collect an insurance payment so his girlfriend can buy a nightclub. Another portrays an auto mechanic fixated on a glamorous TV star. Others feature a sewer cleaner, a porn-film projectionist, and a "push man" who crams commuters into packed subway cars. It took American comics decades to begin tackling subject matter approaching the gravity of Tatsumi's. These 35-year-old stories are the precursors of today's serious graphic novels. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly; 1st edition (September 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896597858
• ISBN-13: 978-1896597850
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #539,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Drawn and Quarterly

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful surprise!, October 7, 2005

By 

Robert E. Davis "21south" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Push Man and Other Stories (Hardcover)

I have no idea what pulled me to this book when I first heard about it, but I am glad it did. I have not, as many others have not, heard of Tatsumi and that is a shame. It is good to know, however, there is a plan to release more volumes of work (please hurry). Sixteen stories comprise the first volume and all are powerful. Angst ridden? You don't know the meaning of angst until you read this book. There is very little hope in this with tales of unrequited love, murder, abortion, prostitution and transvestism, peeping toms and suicide. The central character is always a man in some state of despair. The tales, though, some quite wordless, and the drawings, beautifully rendered, pull the reader quickly from one to the next. Despite being a potential downer (and some may cursorily say misogynistic), the stories are actually darkly comic and well told. I paid full price for this book because I didn't want to wait for it - I'm very happy I did. Buy this book!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I myself am a very normal person", May 29, 2006

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Push Man and Other Stories (Hardcover)

"I myself am a very normal person. Please do not interpret these stories as representative of the author's personality." This plea to the reader appears on the very last page of this book, and upon coming across it, most readers will probably think the disclaimer belongs at the front of the book. Because by the end of these 16 short graphic stories, which represent a "best of" anthology of Tatsumi's work from 1969 (the plan is to continue releasing a "best of" for each year), it's very hard not to suspect the author of having some major dysfunctions with both society at large, and especially with women. According to the introduction by Adrian Tomine, Tatsumi is considered "the grandfather of Japanese alternative comics", and coined the term "gekiga" to distinguish naturalistic, more adult comics from the popular "manga" fare for kids. The material in this collection certainly falls into the "gekiga" category, as it encompasses very adult material. Not "adult" in the sexual sense (although there is sexual explicit material), but in the more metaphysical sense that is brought on by feelings of urban alienation

The stories are set in late '60s Japan, in what is presumably Tokyo, and Tatsumi writes that he found inspiration in newspaper human interest stories and the police blotter. If that's the case, it seems he was drawn to tragic stories about men who just couldn't cope with their lot. In every story, the protagonist is a kind-faced everyman figure (visually, he is the same in almost every story), who works some kind of menial job either on his own or with men who don't respect him. He either lives alone or at home with a wife or girlfriend who either works as a bar hostess or openly cheats on him. Stripped of his manhood on all fronts, he either lashes out in violence, takes cold-blooded revenge, or commits suicide. Indeed, it's impossible not to notice the misogyny that pervades the stories -- literally every woman is either wanton, scheming, drunk, greedy, or somehow tainted. The urban setting, dominant theme of alienation, outbursts of violence and disgust, and sexual disgust are perhaps best compared to the film "Taxi Driver" in terms of tone, and yet are ones that seem to crop up over and over in modern Japanese fiction and film.

in contrast to the gritty subject matter, the artwork tends to be very clean and crisp, and as with everything published by Drawn & Quarterly, the book is beautifully produced. The panels haven't simply been "flopped" from the original Japanese layout, but have been rearranged for Western formatting, and the results are spectacular. Fans of Adrian Tomine's work will appreciate both the visual style, and the use of silence throughout the stories. However, this is a book that should be read not only by comics aficionados, but by anyone interested in the literature of modern Japan. It will be interesting to see if Tatsumi's stories change tone and theme over time, and I look forward to the 1970 volume.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great storytelling and glimpses of the Japanese society, July 2, 2009

By 

Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: The Push Man and Other Stories (Hardcover)

Length:: 0:17 Mins

Before I read the book, I had no idea who Yoshihiro Tatsumi is. He has been called "the grandfather of Japanese alternative comics" and he certainly deserves it.

The Push Man and Other Stories is a collection of short stories previously published in Japanese, now translated and reformatted for the western audience by Adrain Tomine.

In each story, Yoshihiro Tatsumi looks at a different facet of Japanese society. The main character is always a man filled with restrained angst, going about their daily jobs, ending with a solemn note. Every tale is filled with some form of sexuality -- sex, abortion, prostitution, etc.

In the story "The Push Man", we're introduced to the pusher, whose job is to get commuters into packed trains by pushing them in. One day, he helped a lady whose clothes were torn from the pushing. They spent the night together and she invited him to her place the next day. The story ends with her sisters pushing each other away to get him. In "Telescope", a disabled guy committed suicide after being paid to watch someone else have sex. In "Test Tube", a sperm donor can't stop thinking about his recipient and eventually forced himself onto her. You can see that there are no happy endings here.

The storytelling is masterly. Every story is told in a darkly comic style, short dialogues and cleanly laid out panels. Even without text, the stories will be easy to understand. Yoshihiro Tatsumi has a way of dissecting his characters, providing a very raw look at their hard and unforgiving life.

The 16 stories are short. I like short if it means leaving the reader wanting more* at the end.

It's highly recommended but certainly not for everyone.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)