Legendary "god of horror" manga artist Kazuo Umezu dies at 88
Nov. 6, 2024He was the creator of The Drifting Classroom, Cat Eyed Boy, and many other classic works
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Kazuo Umezu, the famous Japanese manga artist often known as “the god of horror,” has died at the age of 88.
Umezu was born on September 3, 1936 in Wakayama Prefecture, but grew up in the neighboring Nara Prefecture. He drew comics from an early age, partially inspired by Osamu Tezuka’s landmark New Treasure Island and made his professional debut as a manga artist in 1955 while still in his late teens.
Mori no Kyōdai, published by Tomo Book, was based on the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, but Umezu soon shifted towards more adult themes in his work, aligning himself with the gekiga movement, which prioritized a more realistic tone and art style.
Umezu moved to Tokyo in 1963 and really began to hone his style – a distinctive combination of shōjo aesthetics and horror imagery – with stories usually about children facing overwhelming supernatural forces. Nekome no Shōjo and Reptilia, the latter about a monstrous snake woman, were both published in manga magazine Shōjo Friend and proved hugely popular with readers.
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Outside of his work, Umezu cut a distinctive figure, publicly dressing in red and white-striped shirts, and even painting his house in Kichijoji in a similar scheme. An incredible creator whose output remains hugely influential to this day, he will be greatly missed.
Will Salmon is the Comics Editor for GamesRadar/Newsarama. He has been writing about comics, film, TV, and music for more than 15 years, which is quite a long time if you stop and think about it. At Future he has previously launched scary movie magazine Horrorville, relaunched Comic Heroes, and has written for every issue of SFX magazine for over a decade. He sometimes feels very old, like Guy Pearce in Prometheus. His music writing has appeared in The Quietus, MOJO, Electronic Sound, Clash, and loads of other places and he runs the micro-label Modern Aviation, which puts out experimental music on cassette tape.
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