Today In The Mailbox: Katsuya Terada & Hiroshi Homura mini books

So, today, just right before snow started to fall again; I received a package from Japan with a couple of books.

The books are Shasho and Kacho, two small, hardcover, publications featuring text, maybe poetry, probably short stories, by Hiroshi Homura and art by Katsuya Terada.

The books are from 2003 and 2006.

 

The one with the grey cover is Shasho, from 2003 and features Terada's art depicting what I think are horror or creepy stories, some of his illustrations show a Frankenstein monster and a lady with a vampire bat flying above her. There's also a really cool spread with a circus crew, but I couldn't scan it.

The last tale features a little kid and maybe the best illustrations in the book.

Don't you love these? I absolutely do.

In both books Terada's art is rough enough to remind his Rakugaking book.

Kacho instead presents stories about a small robot, a kid and some weirder stuff about people eating.

There's also a part with these character drawings.

 

And, the best ones of the lot, a series of his Moebius-y drawings, already used as covers for the Japanese magazine relax.

 

These strangely armored women's portraits are among my favorite Terada's works, I used to be very inspired by these when I first saw them on internet years ago.

I like their simplicity and how they manage to be rich with details and atmosphere with a really simple series of lines.

So, I'm glad I finally got these books, but I think they are fan material for Terada's addicts like me; I wish that some new book like Rakugaking or Zenbu pops out soon.

Favorite Artists: Ryuichiro Kutsuzawa

A long time ago, when I first discovered Katsuya Terada, I used to search the web for pictures of his works, at the time I did not own any of his artbooks and I discovered a magazine called Comickers, with a wonderful cover, it did not look much like Terada's style, but he was credited in the magazine so I just kept wondering who the cover artist may have been.

Then some years later, I started collecting the magazines called SMH and DDD, and there he was, the mystery artist, featured on the magazines with comics and illustrations. Ryuichiro Kutsuzawa!

I then got the Comickers issue with his cover and there was some more works inside; Terada was also there with some older drawings and a photo of LOTS of his sketches scattered around, but Kutsuzawa totally shocked me, on every magazine that had his work published.

 

I love his style, the blend of realistic drawing, ethnic imagery, sci-fi armors and crazy weapons, some of his characters had huge pliers as weapon, he's one of my top artists and a constant inspiration to do better.

He took part in many projects, worked on some games for Saturn, like Panzer Dragoon and Wachenroder, PSX's Front Mission Alternative and PC's Rasetsu Xan and made some comics and novel covers; then he disappeared, there hasn't been new works and as far as I understood he now teaches at university, in Osaka.

I managed to get almost all of his published work, but I wish that something new will pop out, maybe a full collection of his works, an artbook, some new character design, it's a pity that a talented artist like he is doesn't have the chance to do something, man, if I were a game designer I would make a game with Kutsuzawa as character designer! He's great, period.

 

Here is the infamous Comickers' cover, my first contact with his work, how cool is that?

One thing I really like is that he tends to draw common people with those fantastic outfits that make them look like workers from a not so far future, he's like a socialist sci-fi artist.

The other picture is the last one I found, it's a cover for a fantasy novel.

Ryuichiro, please come back! We love you!