The Strange Tale of Panorama Island

On a remote and mysterious island, one man builds a playground of hedonistic excess. His world is filled with splendor — waterfalls, palaces, and gardens — a grand back-drop for decadent bacchanalia and dark secrets. Set in 1920s Japan, The Strange Tale of Panorama Island follows the twisted path of failed novelist Hitomi, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the son and heir apparent of a rich industrialist family. Hitomi learns of the rich man's sudden passing and creates a desperate plan. He fakes his own death, digs up and hides the other man's body, and then washes himself up starving on a beach near the home of the dead man's family. After successfully impersonating the now-dead son, Hitomi takes over all aspects of the man's life, including his company, his fortune, and eventually his wife. The failed author soon redirects the family's wealth to his own perverse aims. A graphic novel based on the revered novella by Edogawa Rampo. Rampo was the godfather of Japanese pulp mysteries. Stunning artwork by master manga artist Suehiro Maruo deftly illustrates this Japanese pulp classic in fine detail. (Source: Last Gasp) Note: Panorama Toukitan received the 13th (2009) Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for New Artist.