Robert Smith of The Cure on the front cover of Japanese music magazine ‘8 Beat Gag,’ 1988.
 
I’m really into these sweet manga illustrations which were published back in the 80s in a Japanese music magazine called 8 Beat Gag. Written in Japanese, most (if not all) are likely by the the rather prolific manga artist Atsuko Shima—but she wasn’t the only artist that created the cartoons that featured popular musical acts in weird situations that Japanese youth were obsessing about.

The fantastic cartoon of Finnish band Hanoi Rocks, which may have also been published in 8 Beat Gag, did show up as a surprise insert UK pressings of the band’s last record 1984’s Two Steps From the Move. Which makes me want to hunt a copy down just so I can have one of my own. When it comes to finding copies of 8 Beat Gag, good luck. As when they do pop up (which they occasionally do), they will cost you a tidy sum. The comic featuring The Cure (where Robert Smith Inexplicably morphs into some sort of goth Yeti. Because, Japan), follows in its entirety as well as a few others featuring Siouxsie Sioux going up against Girlschool in some sort of track event involving vegetables, Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy, Marc Bolan, Peter Murphy, Morrissey and 80s New Wavers Ultravox.
 

A manga cartoon about The Cure from Japanese music magazine, ‘8 Beat Gag,’ 1988.
 

 

 

 

Siouxsie Sioux vs Girlschool!
 

Ultravox.
 

Marc Bolan and John Lennon.
 

Phil Lynott, Gene Simmons, Freddie Mercury, Billy Idol among others in a comic panel from ‘8 Beat Gag.’
 

Morrissey and what appears to be the “True Blue” version of Madonna in a comic by Atsuko Shima from ‘8 Beat Gag.’
 

Peter Murphy and Mick Karn of Dali’s Car.
 

Hanoi Rocks manga cartoon by Atsuko Shima, 1984.
 

 

Boy George as a child, 1984.
 

Boy George on the cover of ‘8 Beat Gag,’ 1984.

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Anatomical Diagrams of Mythical Japanese Monsters