Meet one of Japan's most popular characters of all timeKitaro, the One-Eyed Monster Boy Meet Kitaro. He's just like any other boy, except for a few small differences: he only has one eye, his hair is an antenna that senses paranormal activity, his geta sandals are jet-powered, and he can blend into his surroundings like a chameleon. Oh, and he's a three-hundred-and-fifty-year-old yokai(spirit monster). With all the offbeat humor of an Addams Family story, Kitarois a lighthearted romp in which the bad guys always get what's coming to them. Kitaro is bestselling manga-kaShigeru Mizuki's most famous creation. The Kitaroseries was inspired by a kamishibai, or storycard theater, entitled Kitaro of the Graveyard. Mizuki began work on his interpretation of Kitaro in 1959. Originally the series was intended for boys, but once it was picked up by the influential Shonenmagazine it quickly became a cultural landmark for young and old alike. Kitaro inspired half a dozen TV shows, plus numerous video games and films, and his cultural importance cannot be overstated. Presented to North American audiences for the first time in this lavish format, Mizuki's photo-realist landscapes and cartoony characters blend the eerie with the comic.

Born in 1922, in Sakaiminato, Shigeru Mizuki is a specialist in stories of yokai and is considered a master of the genre. He was the first manga-ka to win Best Album at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. He has been published in Japan, South Korea, France, Spain, Taiwan, and Italy.