Books
The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame
- PictureBox Inc
- $
A collection of works by the undisputed gay bondage comics master Gengoroh Tagame is being published for the very first time in North America by PictureBox in The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame: The Master of Bara Manga, designed by Chip Kidd and introduced by literary icon Edmund White.
Tagame (pronounced Tah-gah-mé) is a legend in gay comics throughout the world and in the American underground, where loyal fans have quietly shared foreign-language editions of his groundbreaking work in the outermost edges of bondage and pornography. Provocative to say the least, Tagame’s unquestionable talent for story and illustration have proven immune to negative criticism (if the victim of commercial obscurity), and is already the stuff of European legend. Spanish and Italian editions of his graphic novels have sold out giving instant collectible status to what few copies are circulating.
PictureBox’s oversized omnibus includes ten English editions of short stories dating from the late 1990s to 2012. The newest work, however, will be an original story commissioned by Chip Kidd himself: Tagame’s very first foray into writing directly for an American reader.
Produced by a veteran Japanist—Anne Ishii—The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame is a project that began years ago when Anne was translating Chip Kidd’s personal Tagame collection and decided to reach out to him. Inspired by filmmaker Graham Kolbeins’ online work with gay comics, the project took on new ambitious proportions, materializing in this exciting celebration of one of the world’s most poignant erotic artists.
