Tsutomu Nihei
Born in the year 1971 in Japan, decided to study architecture, one of his passions, as seen constantly in his mangas with mega architectonic structures that awe the eye of the reader and inspire the mind to know no limit, geographically, scientifically or architectonically. After finishing his studies, took a plane to cross the world and work for a construction company based in the vast city of New York.
After knowing the American working system, he quit and returned to Japan to work in Kodansha Magazine, famous for its action series aimed to a more mature reading population, to start his career as a full-fledged manga-ka. He started under the wing of Tsutomu Takahashi (Blue Heaven, Alive, Skyhigh) while he was working in Jirashin, a story about a gun-wilding-loner cop that may have worked as a inspiration to Tsutomu Nihei to work on BLAME! (that ran in the same magazine as his debut work) but with a more artistic touch and more sci-fi than his sensei instead of deep and complex stories, as his personal assistant. Among other facets that Nihei inherited from Tsutomu Takahashi after working with him, was his character design style, with some modifications. Looking more like unfinished sketches unlike the most other artists. This art style works as a signature for Tsutomu Nihei (and Takahashi while we are at it), making him easily recognizable.
After working on BLAME! he tried to continue this story a bit more ambitiously and from another view point, with more sci-fi and action than before. And so he ended up with NOiSE. A manga that made the action fans out there to be on the look out for more Tsutomu Nihei. With jumpy and freaky action sequences he had the readers by the edge of their seats, while captivated by the atmosphere brought by the very imaginative worlds and character designs. Definitely the first step towards evolution for him, since the differences between NOiSE and BLAME, in style, artwork, atmosphere and action are by far better in his second work. Breeding a steady fan base, Nihei was ready to start a new project: BLAME!
By the end of 1997 Kodansha Magazine started releasing BLAME!, the most ambitious and longest manga Nihei has ever made. Running 10 volumes strong and distributed in many countries of Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Germany, among others...) BLAME! was a complete success and a true stepping stone for Nihei to reach the entire world. After such a big hit he worked on BLAME! Academy, a short manga that tried to show Nihei's other side, a rather light and comedic manga unlike its predecessors. Followed by Zeb-Noid, a one shot manga about a war waged between humans and flies using characters that scream BLAME! every chance it has. But his works have yet to reach the constantly increasing market of United States of America in terms of manga, since he was asked by C.B. Cebulski (Associate Editor for Marvel Comics™) to participate
in a project involving Wolverine. Being the fan he is of Wolverine, Nihei couldn't say no and by July 2003 Wolverine Snikt! #1 was released. Wolverine-fans were pleased with the work done by Tsutomu Nihei. He continued working with Marvel Comics™ till November 2003 when issue 5 of 5 was released. That same year Anime Reactor had him as a guest, where he talked about his work in Wolverine Snikt!, saying: "Wolverine already has a long history. It's almost impossible to make it a complete work of your own. I had to make it Wolverine as I draw it. I couldn't make it a complete character, so I admit that it's my Wolverine." He also had a word to say about one difference between Japanese Manga and American Comics. Japanese Manga are composed of monthly 200 or so pages anthologies against he 32-48 paged monthly American Comics, acknowledging the fact that this creates two different working environments for the artists.
Continuing his traditional sci-fi stories involving gun-wielding mysterious-looking men and a not-so-traditional gun-wielding bear,
Tsutomu Nihei started his work on BiOmega! Still working with Kodansha Magazine, by November 2004 the first volume was finished and ready to hit the streets. BiOmega may seem to walk into the same direction as BLAME! and for a reason. Don't take my word for it, but any conclusions you may get from reading the first volume of BiOmega is this: Prequel. Yes, a prequel to BLAME! is what this new manga looks like to me so far, but who knows what Tsutomu Nihei has for us in a not so far away future, we will just wait, read, enjoy and most certainly get excited with his use of shadows, the excellent and characteristic art style, and the impeccable action sequences that he enjoys drawing and planning for us to read, live and experience. Surely Tsutomu Nihei is one of those manga-kas to be on the look out from now on in case you have never heard of him, and if you have, you know what I am talking about.