Queen in Japan • 日本の愛されたクイーン

The Queen Comic Fanzine Anthology was assembled in 1992 after Freddie's passing. It's a curated reprinting of a smattering of unofficial Queen fanzine and doujinshi content, with the timeline skewing towards the early-mid 80s. Several unofficial Queen fanclubs and rock-centric doujin circles are represented, including the Queen Mutual Aid Society. Interestingly, there doesn't seem to be much overlap with other earlier doujin circles featured on this site, such as Manken Queen—the 70s and 80s doujin groups appear to contain different casts of characters. Rather than featuring flowery romantic shoujo manga that was so popular in the 70s, this anthology features grittier, more humorous and cynical content. There are also interviews and reflections from dozens of artists, including Yoko of the Mutual Aid Society.

Nestled in between the comics, the artists recount their experiences of discovering Queen, attending events, and building friendships around their love for the band. There are pages and pages of cut illustrations, including some new things drawn in 1992 especially for this volume, as well as many interesting concert reports and personal anecdotes regarding the band's visits to Japan over the years. As could be expected, there are many heartfelt tributes to Freddie.

This volume is of immense value as a documentation of this tiny subculture, where Queen fandom and manga intertwine. Most of these names might otherwise be lost to time.

This book is thicc but I hope to get almost all of it up here eventually. Out of respect for the band, I won't be posting any BL content, but there are plenty of silly comics to enjoy outside of that anyways.