Showa: A History of Japan #[1]

"Prologue," the opening chapter of Shigeru Mizuki’s *Showa: A History of Japan*, presents a vivid, personal glimpse into a pivotal moment in Japan’s past: a failed coup d’état orchestrated by right-wing military officers. With Mizuki’s distinctive art and storytelling, the narrative unfolds through the eyes of a young Shigeru, whose mother’s quiet sympathy for a conspirator adds a personal dimension to the nation’s political turmoil. The story, translated by Zack Davisson and rendered with Mizuki’s signature blend of realism and subtle surrealism, sets the stage for a powerful, intimate chronicle of a nation caught between chaos and memory.