We Need An English Translation Of Shotaro Ishinomori’s ‘009-1’

There’s something special about manga from the 1960s and ’70s. While the social and sexual revolutions were well under way in America, that energy was largely repressed within the Silver Age of Comics by the Comics Code Authority.

Japanese comics during the same era did not have the same restrictive censorship — and were able to more fully embrace the revolutionary ideas and psychedelia of the times. It can’t be overstated how ahead Japanese manga and films from this period were. Even provocative American filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino are pulling directly from ’70s era chambara movies like Lone Wolf and Cub and Lady Snowblood.

I’m an avid reader of the manga by Osamu Tezuka, Go Nagai, and Rumiko Takahashi. However, there is another avant garde manga artist who more people should know about. Shotaro Ishinomori created Cyborg 009 and Kamen Rider and is credited with popularizing the super sentai genre. But like many manga authors from ’60s and ’70s, his best work is aimed at a mature audience. This more mature and cinematic manga was influenced by the “gekiga” movement and would lay the groundwork for “seinen” manga to follow.

While in Japan, I was able to procure a collection of erotic spy thriller stories by Ishinomori that desperately need English translation. 009-1 (Not to be confused with Cyborg 009) is about Mylene, a female cyborg, who works as a secret agent.

The manga uses the aesthetic sensibilities of sexy ’60s spy adventures to explore a wide palette of different genres. In one chapter, Mylene must investigate a spooky gothic castle operated by robotic servants. In the next chapter, she must fight against dolphin men with ray guns. If the mission proves difficult, Mylene resorts to flashing her breasts that double as machine guns.

In the hands of any other creator, 009-1’s bizarre world and horny characters would devolve into an incoherent mess. Ishinomori’s genius is his ability to take wacky cartoon concepts and infuse them with elegant cinematography, fashion, architecture, and graphic design. 009-1 deserves to be collected and translated into English just like the Kamen Rider Classic Collection or Cutie Honey.

Chances are slim that publishers will take a risk on a virtually unknown character, but 009-1 is worth it. Even in Japanese, every page surprised me and brought a smile to my face. Ishinomori’s sense of pacing and panel layouts are light years beyond contemporary comics. 009-1 is an avant garde masterpiece that deserves a wider readership.