13 GORGEOUS ILLUSTRATIONS: When the Hall of Justice was located in Edo…
As odd as it is say this way, 17th century, Edo-era Japan is having a moment in American pop culture: There’s the superb animated series Blue Eye Samurai on Netflix (100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) and the remake miniseries Shogun on Hulu (98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), based on the James Clavell novel and hailed as superior to the 1980 network adaptation.
And, as it happens, I will be visiting Japan later this year, so the Land of the Rising Sun is very much on my mind right now. (By the way, go see the very modern, Oscar-nominated, Japanese-language Perfect Days, in theaters now.)
This all brings me to the art of Dakota Alexander, an American ex-pat living in Japan. You know Dakota: We’ve featured his art a number of times here at 13th Dimension and he’s quite active in the Facebook comics community.
Well, Dakota has produced a series of portraits of Western superheroes in the classic Ukiyo-e style. They are out-and-out brilliant.
Here 13 examples that ponder WHAT IF THE DC UNIVERSE TOOK PLACE IN 17th CENTURY JAPAN:
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The Hero Born in the Stars
The Bat and the Laughing Man
The Warrior Princess
The Jade Knight vs. the Gold Knight
The King of the Deep Seas
The Hero of the Seven Thunders
Bird of the Night
Father and Son
Mister Miracle
The Bat-Woman
Laughter
The Jade Knight and the Star Shaped Monsters
The King of the Seas
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Make sure you check out Dakota’s Drums of the Serpent website. And, yes, we’ve got WHAT IF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE TOOK PLACE IN 17th CENTURY JAPAN. Click here.
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MORE
— GORGEOUS ART: Why MARVEL or DC Should Hire DAKOTA ALEXANDER as a Cover Artist. Click here.
— DAKOTA ALEXANDER: Dig These 13 Great BRONZE AGE COMICS That Should Have Been. Click here.
March 2, 2024
Not Japan. Their country’s name is NIPPON or NIHON. In celebrating their culture, we all should pay them the respect that they deserve. How would Americans take to another country bestowing a somewhat-demeaning name on them and then, for centuries, the rest of the world refers to them as “that” and not either the United States of America or America?
March 2, 2024
OK
March 2, 2024
The word “Japan” is no more offensive or demeaning than the words “Germany” (Deutschland to natives), “Spain” (Espana to natives), or “Finland” (Suomi to natives). The Chinese and Vietnamese words for the United States both translate to “Flower Flag.” All are accepted without offense because people of all cultures recognize that different languages have different etymological origins for different words. The word “Japan” is derived from a Portuguese variation of a Chinese name for Japan meaning “sun origin” which is a close approximation to what the Japanese themselves refer to their country as (“land of the rising sun”).
March 2, 2024
What he said.
March 4, 2024
LLLLighten up Francis.
March 2, 2024
Great pictures. Would be a fun series.
March 2, 2024
This artwork is fantastic! I love it!
March 3, 2024
Usually when confronted with the topic of American characters adapted to Japanese culture, I think if them as being manga-esque. But this very interesting too, like remade into a period drama.
That being said, I think someone’s lax in their Captain Marvel lore… “*Seven* Thunders”?