Classic manga, much less classic shoujo from the 60s to 70s, are rarely licensed in English by North American publishers. But perhaps, with this new imprint from Uncivilized, the manga localization landscape is shifting.
Uncivilized, a boutique comics publishing house based in Minneapolis, announced the launch of a new imprint called Mangalith, founded by Uncivilized Books’ Tom Kaczynski and Living the Line’s Sean Michael Robinson, and its first license–Fire! from the legendary shojo creator Hideko Mizuno. Mizuno was an assistant to Osamu Tezuka and was mentored by him. Fire! was the first shoujo to feature a boy protagonist and “explored mature themes of desire, identity, and countercultural rebellion,” and won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1970.
Fire! was not her first work. Mizuno had entered Manga Shonen’s competitions since she was 12 and she worked as an artist for the magazine Shojo Club after she finished junior high. Her debut, Akkake koma pony, released in 1955 and a few years later, she went to live in the Tokiwa-sō apartment which is famed for the residence of many prominent mangaka. A year later in 1959, she left the apartment. Her next work, Harp of the Stars, was released in 1960. In 2010, Mizuno received the Japan Cartoonists Association Award and the Minister of Education Award.
Mangalith describes Fire!:
Fire! follows the meteoric rise and fall of Aaron Browning, a troubled and poor Ohio teenager. In juvenile detention, Aaron meets the magnetic delinquent Fire Wolf—a motorcycle-riding rebel with an extraordinary musical talent. Their intense bond awakens a fiery passion for music in Aaron.
Aaron moves to Detroit’s gritty factories and underground scene, where he forms the band Fire! to channel his emotions, rebellion, and raw energy. As fame explodes, he plunges into the era’s excesses—sex, drugs, rock ’n’ roll, Vietnam-era shadows—embodying the intoxicating yet destructive pursuit of freedom.
Fire! immerses the reader in the turbulent late 1960s. A fascinating peek at the vibrant American rock music scene of the time. Aaron, inspired by Scott Walker, blazes across the pages, colliding with iconic personalities and legendary bands of the era. The collection also includes a short comic on Pink Floyd.
Containing 896 pages in a softcover bind, Fire! will cost $49.99, but with this opportunity to hold such a foundational work in shoujo manga, it’s completely worth it. Pre-orders are now open with the manga expected to ship on October 14.
Source: Uncivilized
