Departure from Darkness pg 19 by Tatsuo Okuda

Published in Manga Punch (1972)

Size : 25.3 x 35.3 cm

Media : pencil, ink & white gouache on paper

Ryuo Okuda a.k.a. Tatsuo Okuda became a mangaka in the late 1950's and is concidered as an early dramatist (together with Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Masahiko Matsumoto, Takao Saito, Masaaki Sato). He already had a lot of experience when he started working as Takaharu Kusunoki's assistant on Yusei Kamen.
Together with Shunji Obata, he took on the extra workload of the huge (but rather shortlived) succes of the anime (39 episodes) and Yusei Kamen manga. Tatsuo remained active in animation and was, for over a decade, affiliated with Tatsuo Yoshida's 'Tatsunoko Production'
At about the same time as Yusei Kamen, he drew Captain Scarlet published by Shogakukan (1968) but soon after that, he started drawing graphic novels (gekiga) for adults & young adults.
He gained a good living illustrating both historical and erotic books and during this time, his style and technique evolved remarkably because it was influenced by his colleague and friend; Kazuo Kamimura, known as the 'Showa artist' that brought us Lady Snowblood !
He also had a close friendship with Hisashi Sekiya, the mangaka who brought us 'Stop, Nii-chan' and it was Sekiya who announced the passing away of his dear friend (2006)
Since around 2013, manuscripts from Okuda have been frequently exhibited and even sold at online auctions, allowing us to get a glimpse of his short but remarkable career