Ebisu Yoshikazu Libros

Breakdown Press is honoured to publish I Want To Be Stupid, a further dip into the wild world of Ebisu Yoshikazu's daring and confrontational short comics, following the much-lauded 2019 publication of his earlier book The Pits of Hell. Originally published in 1982, I Wish I Was Stupid builds on and surpasses in shamelessness the artist's cult classic Pits of Hell. Newly translated by Ryan Holmberg, the book consists of 13 explosive stories about love, family, work, and raging frustration at the indignities of everyday life, all informed by influences as disparate as avant-garde pornography, the language of news bulletins and art films, and classic alternative manga anthology Garo. Ebisu probes dangerously deep into the inner mucosal of the human condition, unafraid to wade through the slime. If you've ever considered setting your child on fire, pooping with double buttholes, or windmilling your dingdong, finally, this is the book that you have been waiting for!

A teacher tortured by his students finally explodes in a violent rage. Exhausted Salarymen are pushed beyond the brink. Blood, sweat and screams of 'FUCK YOU!' pour out of the characters within The Pits of Hell, and yet a sense of humour always shines through. Bold, absurd and all too real, Ebisu Yoshikazu's work feels distinctly underground, almost punk. The Pits of Hell collects eight classic stories by Ebisu Yoshikazu, originally published between 1969 and 1981. The collection features a foreword by Minami Shinbo and an essay by Ryan Holmberg placing Ebisu Yoshikazu and his work into context.