Dare to read the psycho-horror classic that horror manga master Ito Junji called a “frightening but moving story about an unfortunate individual who, lost in search of his true self, finds his own annihilation instead.”
Little Tetsuo is a wimpy mess. His parents don’t love him. He meets the beautiful Kimiko, an ailing teenage girl obsessed with movies and mayhem in equal amounts. She doesn’t love Tetsuo either, or anyone other than herself. But she needs him. So Tetsuo becomes the man she wants—the monster she wants. He becomes HER FRANKENSTEIN!
Originally published in 1986, Kawashima Norikazu’s HER FRANKENSTEIN marks the bizarre and sadomasochistic finale to a cult era in Japanese horror comics. A few years after it was published, the author burned all of his artwork and abandoned Tokyo, never to be heard from again! HER FRANKENSTEIN is the inaugural volume of SMUDGE, a line of pulp, horror, and dark mystery manga, curated and translated into English by award-winning historian Ryan Holmberg.
"Though only getting his proper due now, Kawashima is an important figure in the history of horror manga," says Holmberg. "Considered by many to be his best work, HER FRANKENSTEIN was the swan song in a glorious era of horror graphic novels in Japan, which came to a close just as horror manga found its footing in the mainstream magazine market. Without under-appreciated pioneers like Kawashima, there would have been no Ito Junji." This history is further elucidated in an essay included in this 208 page volume by cartoonist Kawakatsu Tokushige and includes almost 20 pages of color extras, including a cover gallery and guide to Kawashima's work.
Learn more about Smudge by reading the Publisher's Weekly profile, HERE.
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The Girl Who Raised the Dead by Kawashima Norikazu
Edited and translated by Ryan Holmberg (who has contributed another excellent, illustrated [in full color, no less] introduction that, fittingly, runs 13 pages – ed.)
KRRRAK BOOM!! A young woman is struck dead by a bolt of lightning. But then a miracle—her charred body rises into the air and absorbs an eerie orb of light. When the girl comes back to life, she discovers that she possesses amazing telepathic powers. She can move objects. She can force people to do things against their will. She can see the future. She can even raise the dead!
Originally published in 1987, THE GIRL WHO RAISED THE DEAD marks the triumphant return of cult-horror legend Kawashima Norikazu. Drawn a year after his masterpiece Her Frankenstein, this brutal yet charming manga shows Kawashima wickedly slathering teen paranormal magic in slasher gore. The Girl Who Raised the Dead is the sixth volume of SMUDGE, a series of vintage horror, occult, and dark-fantasy manga from publisher Living the Line.
Book Details Creator: Kawashima Norikazu (writer/artist) Editor/Translator: Ryan Holmberg Series: SMUDGE, Vol. 5 Format: Paperback Pages: 204 Trim Size: 6 × 8 inches Language: English Publisher: Living the Line Publication Date: November 4, 2025 ISBN-13: 978-1961581135 Reading Age: 13 years and up
