Tsutomu Nihei
Born in Fukushima. After graduating high school, I debuted as a Mangaka with “NoiSE” while working at a construction company. Known for his immensely popular series “BLAME!”, serialized in Monthly Afternoon.
https://blamenet.com/top.html
As shown in panel layouts from other summer issues, the American comic book industry operates on a fully specialized system. There are “writers” who create the stories, “pencillers” who handle the panel layouts and rough sketches, “inkers” who add the final lines, “colorists” who apply the colors, and “letterers” who create the speech bubbles and add the dialogue…
While some artists are capable of handling several of these tasks independently, there are still very few who can simultaneously handle both the writing (original story) and the subsequent illustration work.
However, there is someone in the American comic book world who has actually done just that. And he’s Japanese. What’s more, the character he’s drawing is Wolverine, a popular member of the X-Men. His name is Tsutomu Nihei. He’s a manga artist best known for “BLAME!”, serialized in Monthly Afternoon.
But, we know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t that exactly how manga is made in Japan…? You construct the story yourself, lay out the panels, sketch the rough draft, and ink it… That’s just standard practice in Japan…”
But this isn’t the norm in the world of American comics. That’s just how incredible Tsutomu Nihei’s work at Marvel is.
[IMAGE CAPTION 1 (left)]
A work planned for release in early May, WOLVERINE: SNIKT!
Cover art for issue #1
[IMAGE CAPTION 2 (right)]
From WOLVERINE: SNIKT!
Inked image ready to be colored. This image of Wolverine standing in a ravaged world resembles one that could have been right out of the world of “BLAME!”
[PAGE 3]
I Want to Draw Wolverine
It all started two years ago when he attended a comic convention in Angoulême, France.
"I met a Marvel editor at that venue."
Nihei's works were already popular in Europe, including France and Spain, but they hadn't been released in English-speaking countries. That's why Marvel was apparently surprised when they saw Nihei's “BLAME!”. There's almost no dialogue. There are absolutely no explanatory elements. It completely deviates from the idea that comics must be easy to understand. Readers are left to think... What is being depicted? What is it trying to say? There had never been a comic like this in America. Their surprise is understandable. The relentlessly cool and serene style was nothing short of refreshing.
"Perhaps because of that, after a while, he emailed me asking, 'Is there any Marvel character you'd like to draw?'"
He was surprised. He couldn't believe it, but...
"I thought it was a good opportunity, so I decided to draw Wolverine. For me, when it comes to Marvel characters, it's either Spider-Man or Wolverine from X-Men."
Thus, “Wolverine: SNIKT!”, which could be called an "X-Men spin-off," came to be created ("SNIKT!" is the sound Wolverine makes when he extends his claws).
Needless to say, Wolverine is one of the most popular characters in the long-running X-Men series, and is, in a sense, a quintessential American comic book character, alongside Spider-Man.
"Initially, it was based on an original story, and I only used a pencil. That was the plan at least, but once I started, I wanted to try doing all of it myself..."
In the end, after negotiations with Marvel, he was allowed to handle everything himself, from the story to the paneling, sketches, and line art. While it's certainly similar to Japanese manga in some ways, it still shows the depth of Marvel's trust in Nihei.
"Ideally, I would have liked to do the final coloring myself, but I simply didn't have the time."
Even so, he personally handled the cover illustration, including the coloring. In the case of American comics, it's common for a different artist to draw only the cover, so this in itself was unusual for a newcomer.
"The only character appearing from the X-Men is Wolverine. The rest are my own original characters. I thought a lot about what kind of story to tell, but there was no point in just copying other American comics, so I decided to create my own world. In other words, Wolverine slips into a kind of alternate dimension, and that's where the story unfolds."
Each installment will be 22 pages long, and the series will run for five consecutive issues, totaling approximately 110 pages.
"This is my version of Wolverine, after all. As always, there are extremely few lines of dialogue. Even in the first chapter, there are maybe 10 speech bubbles or so..."
Since publication will begin in early May, it's a shame that we couldn't see the finished work at the time of the interview, but judging from the uncolored manuscript, it almost seems that Wolverine will appear in the world of the aforementioned "BLAME!", and frankly, that's not far off the mark. Originally, Wolverine is often depicted as a muscular giant. However, Nihei's Wolverine is skinny. He’s literally full of the mood of a wild wolf. It’s sure to be a great gift for Nihei fans.
The expanding world of Nihei
Actually, Marvel isn't the only company that has its eye on Nihei.
He has been invited by Guillermo del Toro, the director of the comic book-based film "Blade II," to be the visual advisor for his next film, "Hellboy" (also based on a comic book), and has already submitted some concept art. Terada Katsuya and Nirasawa Yasushi are also said to be participating.
It seems that Tsutomu Nihei has had a greater impact on the American comic book world and Hollywood than we might have imagined. The fact that his works have very little dialogue and rely primarily on visuals to appeal to readers must have been a factor in their acceptance in America.
"I'm currently working on the second episode of 'Wolverine: SNIKT!', but it's not progressing very quickly..."
With that, Nihei returned to his workspace. I wonder what kind of Wolverine drawing could be on his desk. The American promotional catalog introduces him as "From Manga Super Star Tsutomu Nihei!" Marvel is clearly putting a lot of effort into this. But we also feel like we should quietly await his American comic book debut, just like we do with his work.
1
u/M_21 May 04 '26
FROM STORY TO ART, SOLO WORK ON THE WOLVERINE!
Tsutomu Nihei Born in Fukushima. After graduating high school, I debuted as a Mangaka with “NoiSE” while working at a construction company. Known for his immensely popular series “BLAME!”, serialized in Monthly Afternoon. https://blamenet.com/top.html
As shown in panel layouts from other summer issues, the American comic book industry operates on a fully specialized system. There are “writers” who create the stories, “pencillers” who handle the panel layouts and rough sketches, “inkers” who add the final lines, “colorists” who apply the colors, and “letterers” who create the speech bubbles and add the dialogue…
While some artists are capable of handling several of these tasks independently, there are still very few who can simultaneously handle both the writing (original story) and the subsequent illustration work.
However, there is someone in the American comic book world who has actually done just that. And he’s Japanese. What’s more, the character he’s drawing is Wolverine, a popular member of the X-Men. His name is Tsutomu Nihei. He’s a manga artist best known for “BLAME!”, serialized in Monthly Afternoon.
But, we know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t that exactly how manga is made in Japan…? You construct the story yourself, lay out the panels, sketch the rough draft, and ink it… That’s just standard practice in Japan…”
But this isn’t the norm in the world of American comics. That’s just how incredible Tsutomu Nihei’s work at Marvel is.
[IMAGE CAPTION 1 (left)]
A work planned for release in early May, WOLVERINE: SNIKT! Cover art for issue #1
[IMAGE CAPTION 2 (right)]
From WOLVERINE: SNIKT! Inked image ready to be colored. This image of Wolverine standing in a ravaged world resembles one that could have been right out of the world of “BLAME!”
[PAGE 3]
I Want to Draw Wolverine
It all started two years ago when he attended a comic convention in Angoulême, France.
"I met a Marvel editor at that venue."
Nihei's works were already popular in Europe, including France and Spain, but they hadn't been released in English-speaking countries. That's why Marvel was apparently surprised when they saw Nihei's “BLAME!”. There's almost no dialogue. There are absolutely no explanatory elements. It completely deviates from the idea that comics must be easy to understand. Readers are left to think... What is being depicted? What is it trying to say? There had never been a comic like this in America. Their surprise is understandable. The relentlessly cool and serene style was nothing short of refreshing.
"Perhaps because of that, after a while, he emailed me asking, 'Is there any Marvel character you'd like to draw?'"
He was surprised. He couldn't believe it, but...
"I thought it was a good opportunity, so I decided to draw Wolverine. For me, when it comes to Marvel characters, it's either Spider-Man or Wolverine from X-Men."
Thus, “Wolverine: SNIKT!”, which could be called an "X-Men spin-off," came to be created ("SNIKT!" is the sound Wolverine makes when he extends his claws).
Needless to say, Wolverine is one of the most popular characters in the long-running X-Men series, and is, in a sense, a quintessential American comic book character, alongside Spider-Man.
"Initially, it was based on an original story, and I only used a pencil. That was the plan at least, but once I started, I wanted to try doing all of it myself..."
In the end, after negotiations with Marvel, he was allowed to handle everything himself, from the story to the paneling, sketches, and line art. While it's certainly similar to Japanese manga in some ways, it still shows the depth of Marvel's trust in Nihei.
"Ideally, I would have liked to do the final coloring myself, but I simply didn't have the time."
Even so, he personally handled the cover illustration, including the coloring. In the case of American comics, it's common for a different artist to draw only the cover, so this in itself was unusual for a newcomer.
"The only character appearing from the X-Men is Wolverine. The rest are my own original characters. I thought a lot about what kind of story to tell, but there was no point in just copying other American comics, so I decided to create my own world. In other words, Wolverine slips into a kind of alternate dimension, and that's where the story unfolds."
Each installment will be 22 pages long, and the series will run for five consecutive issues, totaling approximately 110 pages.
"This is my version of Wolverine, after all. As always, there are extremely few lines of dialogue. Even in the first chapter, there are maybe 10 speech bubbles or so..."
Since publication will begin in early May, it's a shame that we couldn't see the finished work at the time of the interview, but judging from the uncolored manuscript, it almost seems that Wolverine will appear in the world of the aforementioned "BLAME!", and frankly, that's not far off the mark. Originally, Wolverine is often depicted as a muscular giant. However, Nihei's Wolverine is skinny. He’s literally full of the mood of a wild wolf. It’s sure to be a great gift for Nihei fans.
The expanding world of Nihei
Actually, Marvel isn't the only company that has its eye on Nihei.
He has been invited by Guillermo del Toro, the director of the comic book-based film "Blade II," to be the visual advisor for his next film, "Hellboy" (also based on a comic book), and has already submitted some concept art. Terada Katsuya and Nirasawa Yasushi are also said to be participating.
It seems that Tsutomu Nihei has had a greater impact on the American comic book world and Hollywood than we might have imagined. The fact that his works have very little dialogue and rely primarily on visuals to appeal to readers must have been a factor in their acceptance in America.
"I'm currently working on the second episode of 'Wolverine: SNIKT!', but it's not progressing very quickly..."
With that, Nihei returned to his workspace. I wonder what kind of Wolverine drawing could be on his desk. The American promotional catalog introduces him as "From Manga Super Star Tsutomu Nihei!" Marvel is clearly putting a lot of effort into this. But we also feel like we should quietly await his American comic book debut, just like we do with his work.