“Gengoroh Tagame: Works on Paper”
@ Shoot the Lobster / Martos Gallery
New York City – 540 W 29th Street
May 30 – June 15, 2013
Opening Reception: Thursday May 30, 6 – 8 pm

Gengoroh Tagame: Worlds of S&M from Graham Kolbeins on Vimeo.

I know that a lot of my comics were translated and shared on internet, but these all were done without my permission, all are piratical acts to abuse my copyright. I was glad to hear that many fans were enjoying my stories, but also sad cause nobody had asked the permission to do it, except “Thickness 3″ in 2012.

But this book is my first officially translated collection in English, and to buy it is your best support for my artworks. If you’ve ever enjoy my stories in English, I wish that you’ll buy the book too.
To publish comic book in English is a long-awaited dream for me. Now, the dream comes true.
I’m proud of this beautiful book. It’s big and thick, and dressed with awesome book design by master Chip Kidd (he wrote an essay too!), with the introduction of great Edmund White.
I sincerely thank you to my friends, who helped that my dream comes true, Ann, Graham, Chip and Dan of PictureBox, the publisher.
And I wish that you’ll get the book and enjoy the stories!

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: PictureBox (April 30, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0984589244
ISBN-13: 978-0984589241
Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches

Violent, visceral and provocative, to say the least, Gengoroh Tagame’s unquestionable talent for story and illustration is already the stuff of legend. His gay BDSM stories are now widely celebrated for both their virtuosic drawing and their unparalleled passion. Produced by a veteran Japanist–Anne Ishii–The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame is a project that began some years ago, when Ishii was translating Chip Kidd’s personal Tagame collection and decided to reach out to him. Inspired by filmmaker Graham Kolbeins’ online work with gay comics, the project took on new ambitious proportions, materializing in this exciting celebration of one of the world’s most poignant erotic artists. This hefty Tagame omnibus includes ten English editions of short stories dating from the late 1990s to 2012. The newest work is an original story commissioned by Kidd himself: Tagame’s very first foray into writing directly for an American reader. Celebrated novelist and biographer Edmund White contributes an introduction to the volume.
Gengoroh Tagame (born 1964) is a legend in gay comics throughout the world and in the American underground, where loyal fans have quietly shared foreign-language editions of his groundbreaking work in the outermost edges of bondage and pornography. Beyond the comic book format, Tagame’s original artwork has been exhibited internationally and paired with the works of Tom of Finland. Tagame was also the founding Editor and Art Director of Japan’s most widely circulated gay journal, G-Men.

[Contents Sample]

“Hairy Oracle”

“Arena”

“Exorcism”

“Country Doctor”

“Standing Ovations”

“Missing”

“Class Act”