Ultra Heaven V1
Koike Keiichi’s Ultra Heaven is a mind blowing comic book experience. Keiichi uses the comic format to amazing effect. I love everything about the book. Even when he’s not taking you on the craziest hallucinatory trips, Keiichi’s storytelling is cool and stylish.
I recently started reading Koike Keiichi stuff online. I don’t know if any of it has been published here in the US in print, but it should be. I’ll buy all of it.
Ultra Heaven has not yet been licensed in English, and is currently on hiatus in Japan.
A good (legal) website to keep an eye on for updates about Ultra Heaven is Baka-Updates. The Ultra Heaven listing is here, and Koike Keiichi’s listing is here, should you want to check on his other titles.
It is impossible to know if a title will be imported until the contract negotiations between the publishers is complete. The best I can suggest is to email American manga publishers (Viz or Vertical would be good places to start) and tell them you want this title imported. It seems they take fan communication somewhat into account when deciding which titles to pursue. Unfinished older series are less likely to be imported, but if there is a vocal fan base it can make a difference.
I’m sure you’ve already heard of him, but just in case I’d recommend checking out Juji Ito’s work, a lot of which has been published in North America already, particularly Uzumaki. I think you will find a lot of what you like in Koike’s work in Ito’s manga as well. And if you haven’t already, I’d also suggest checking out Naoki Urasawa, while his style isn’t that similar to Koike’s, he’s a master of suspense and psychological thrillers.
(since I couldn’t fit it all in that note, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to share with the rest of the class, as it were, thus I nerded all over you. I’m sorry. Sort of.)
Thanks for all the info!! It’s a bummer that the series is on hiatus. Still, I’d love to see this and his other works get licensed.
And yes, I’m already a Junji Ito super fan. I also really like Urasawa. I kept thinking as I was reading Ultra Heaven that Koike Keiiche should be getting the same kind of treatment here in the US that Ito or Nihei is getting.
Are you listening, Vertical and Viz?
Who Knows what Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men?
the Shadow Knows!
And so do….
01. Michael William Kaluta.
02. Jim Steranko.
03. Neal Adams.
04. Jordi Bernet Cusso.
05. Chris Weston.
06. Howard Chaykin.
07. Charles Vess.
08. Tim Sale.
09. Bill Sienkiewicz.
10. Bruce Timm.
