I Wish I Was Stupid - Ebisu Yoshikazu

I Wish I Was Stupid by Ebisu Yoshikazu, Translated by Ryan Holmberg / ISBN 9781911081258 / 184-page paperback with flaps, 5.8 x 8.25 inches, published in 2023 by Breakdown Press (UK) / a bonkers artist, buyer beware

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Ebisu Yoshikazu. Television star, father of three, professional gambler, writer, cartoonist, pioneer.

Since his debut in the legendary alt-manga magazine Garo in 1973, ugly-but-amazing ‘heta-uma’ superstar Ebisu has been spinning out surreal nightmares that combine the edgiest styles of Tokyo’s artistic counterculture with the absurd and infuriating realities of modern life.

Originally published in 1982, I Wish I Was Stupid surpasses in shamelessness the artist’s cult classic Pits of Hell. With 13 stories about love, family, work and raging frustration culled from avant-garde porn mags and Garo, Ebisu probes dangerously deep into the inner mucosal of the human condition. If you’ve ever considered setting your child on fire, pooping with double buttholes, or windmilling your dingdong, this book is for you.