A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNGER MAN

Here is A photo I wanted to share, from the author flap of the 1968 copy of MUMMY TEACHER I bought at Mandarake. By my reckoning, Kazuo Umezu was 32 at the time this was taken:


[click for larger version of the entire book flap]

I'm loosely paraphrasing this on the bus, but the author statement reads something like:
"In uncharted regions of Africa, the practice of turning the dead into mummies persists even today. But no! It isn't limited to merely Africa-- this custom was once practiced in Japan, where once the Ashikaga Shogun was turned into what resembled a mummy as well. What if that mummy suddenly was revived in flash and rose from the dead? How horrible! (But still... it is quite fun to think about). From that initial premise, this manga [Mummy Teacher] was born."


Have I ever mentioned that I love this man?