Miyazaki Comics - A Middle Aged Man Runs Toward the Wasteland (1993)

Here is a real discovery, and one that was shared by a dedicated Hayao Miyazaki fan.  This very short comic, only three pages, appeared in the September, 1993 issue of Navi Magazine in Japan.  Titled, "A Middle Aged Man Runs Toward the Wasteland," is details the story of Miyazaki taking a long trek in a very unusual car, a British three-wheeler.

This story is rendered beautifully in watercolor, which is always a special treat.  I'm a great fan of Miyazaki's watercolors for their rich textures and luminous detail.  I'm especially a fan of his many comics, and we always manage to discover yet another one around the corner.  One day, the complete manga works will have to be properly cataloged for history.

The arrangements and compositions are fantastic, as always.  You can see why Miyazaki is a master action director - even still drawings have such dynamic power.  I also enjoy the energy and tension of densely packing so many panels together on one page.  These pages are crowded even by Western standards.  You can imagine how this is received by the more sedate manga-reading public of Japan.

Oh, and triple bonus points if you could spot Yasuo Otsuka and his jeep.  There's a surprise that's worth a laugh.

You'll have to click on these photos to see them in their full size.  These pages are in their original Japanese form, which means they're untranslated, but I think we can still enjoy the artwork without following the details of the story.  Time for the fan-translators to get to work!  We've got plenty more where this came from!