Tanaka Masashi 田中政志

Graduated from the Osaka University of Arts in 1985. Published his first Manga while still at school. Won Grand Prize in the Koudansha Tetsuya Chiba Awards and moved to Tokyo that same year. During the 1988 San Diego Comic Convention, won prizes for Best Humor Publication and Best U.S. Edition Of Foreign Material, at the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. In the same year, also won the prize for Best French Edition Of Foreign Material at the Manga Festival in France.

See also:
<http://www.cgarts.or.jp/festival98e/1998/gone/index.html>

Tanaka Masashi's manga is almost completely dialogue-free, but his dark, detailed line art - no screentone whatsoever, just pen, ink and crosshatching - tells the whole story. His work is characterised by over-the-top action and a black sense of humour.

Debut in Morning in 1983.

Flash
フラッシ
serialized on Morning, 1986-90
3 volumes @ Y750
[ 01:____| 02:9011| 03:9012]

Flash is a bandit from the wild west, a man of few words who comes out of extraordinary situations with the money and the girl, every time. The first volume seems like a bit of an experiment, but Tanaka has his technique well and truly sorted out by the third volume. The final story is The Junior, where Flash raises a baby dinosaur as his sidekick. (The dinosaur later spins off into his own manga, Gon.)

Unidentified Prince Object U.P.O.
未確認プリンス物体
serialized on Morning, 1990
1 volume @ Y720
[ 01:9010]

A prince single-mindedly pursues his princess, ploughing through Nazis, demons and medieval battlefields in the process. Not much plot here, but pretty amusing.

Gon
ゴン
serialized on Morning, 1992-
6 volumes @ Y530
[ 01:9203| 02:9211| 03:9402| 04:9608| 05:9808| 06:9905]

A baby dinosaur, young, ravenous, enormously strong, pea-brain size, called Gon, causes havoc throughout the animal kingdom. There's no dialogue at all; just about anyone should be able to pick this up and enjoy it. Well drawn, highly humoristic, recommended series. {PVH}

Winner of the "1998 (The Second) Agency for Cultural Affairs Media Arts Festival award for Excellence" in category Youth / General Manga. Excerpt from the site that explains the reasons for the award: "The artist intentionally removes all the "balloons" from this work, and in doing so, he brings his precisely drawn illustrations to life, to the point that one can almost feel him breathing in the details. Though ostensibly about animals, the story does not attempt to depict their lives with any sort of scientific accuracy, and that is precisely what gives the artist the freedom to let his imagination run wild. This is a work that will delight everyone who reads it."

TRA:(F)Casterman(E)DC Paradox Press(G)Edition Kunst der Comics
TRA:(I)Star Comics

Samurai Daibouken
侍大冒険
serialized on Afternoon, 1991
1 volume @ Y800
[ 01:9106]

No Synopsis.

Bouken Victoria-gou
冒険ヴィクトリア号
serialized on Morning, 1988
1 volume @ Y700
[ 01:8802]

No Synopsis.