Former GaijinPot scribe Andrez Bergen, a resident in Tokyo over the past 12 years, is about to publish his third novel through Perfect Edge Books in the UK.
Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa?
Is, as the title infers, a paired homage to 1940s detective noir and comic books from that period, as well as Marvel’s ‘Pop Art’ material in the ’60s. You know the score — the period in which Marvel Comics created The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Thor and The X-Men.
Partially set in the near-future dystopia of Melbourne, Australia (Bergen’s home town), the novel clocks in at 473 pages — and includes 35 illustrations from artists as far afield as Mexico, Uruguay, America, Australia and, yes, here in Japan. Key character Pretty Amazonia (see here, by Juan Saavedra) is clearly a direct riff on shōjo girls’ anime like Sailor Moon and PreCure, decanted with a touch of Wonder Woman. Turns out she’s a hopeless romantic as the woman also digs reading Kyoko Mizuki and Yumiko Igarashi famous manga Candy Candy.
Amidst superhero derring-do and the over all mystery of the plot, you’ll also discover references to Japanese kids’ book creator Ryōji Arai, Ghost in the Shell, and Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga short Memories.
The novel will be published in September and is already available for pre-order via Amazon. Find out more here
