[Kyodo News Agency, September 29]Japanese cartoonist Takao Saito, famous for his masterpiece “Skull 13”, died of pancreatic cancer at 10:42 am on the 24th at the age of 84. This work describes mysterious killers who are running around the world. Saito was born in Wakayama Prefecture. The funeral and farewell ceremony have been held by close relatives.
In July this year, the 201-volume “Skull and Crossbones 13” booklet was released, and it was certified by the Guinness World Records as the “single manga series with the largest number of volumes”. The magazine serialization will be taken over by the staff and others, and it is reported that it will continue in the future.
In 1968, “Skull 13” was serialized in the comic magazine “Big Comic” (Shogakukan). The tough style of linking the actions of the protagonist Duke Dongxiang with superb sniper ability to the real international situation determines the rise of “drama” worthy of adult reading. It has been serialized for more than half a century, and there are also works such as “Guiping Criminal Accounts”.
Saito won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1976 and the Japan Manga Artists Association Award in 2002. In 2003, he was awarded the Purple Ribbon Medal. (over)
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