Once the Traveling Hobonichi returned to Japan, we spotted a section called “The Little Black Book,” a group comic started by Hobonichi Techo English translator and Traveling Hobonichi participant Lindsay Moore. Lindsay got the idea for a group comic from previous summers when a group of friends (who now make up the company Fangamer) would make group comics together in the summer. Lindsay brought the book to Fangamer and had everyone contribute to the comic.
Everyone at Fangamer came to Japan this summer and stopped by the Hobonichi office for a visit. They even brought their own Hobonichi Techos!
“We see each other every day at work,” Lindsay said, “and a few of us have our own Hobonichi Techos. It seemed like a fun idea for us all to participate in the Traveling Hobonichi with a group comic instead of just randomly introducing ourselves, so I started out a story.”
That’s Lindsay in the foreground. All the participants told us about their contributions to the comic.
Fangamer was founded in 2007 in Tucson, Arizona. The company designs and sells gaming merchandise, plans and hosts events, runs gaming fan sites, and more. Naturally, everyone in the company loves games, with many employees drawn to Japanese culture because of it. The company learned of Hobonichi around the time that they created a Mother 3 handbook in 2008, and many of the employees use the Hobonichi Techo.
Fangamer’s office in Tucson, Arizona.
This summer, the Fangamer crew came to Japan to spend some time in Tokyo. During their stay, they stopped by the Hobonichi office for a visit, so we decided to chat with them about their group comic in the Traveling Hobonichi. We hope you enjoy the story about The Little Black Book.
One day, a beautiful flower blossomed in Tokyo, Japan, and out bloomed a little black book.
The little book packed his bag for a trip around the world.
Lindsay Moore
I thought about what kind of story to make, and decided to make one related to the Traveling Hobonichi project.
Traveling was a bit cramped... But he didn’t mind. There was plenty to keep him preoccupied on the long trip! He would’ve liked a window, though...
Stephanie Campos
Because the book was the main character, I wanted to show how he traveled. It wouldn’t have been by passenger plane, so I put him in a box and showed how it would have been cramped but exciting.
He arrived in time to see Tucson, Arizona, a desert city surrounded by the most beautiful mountains, cacti, and sunlight.
Adil Mohyuddin
The Traveling Hobonichi had arrived just as I’d come back from a trip to Istanbul and Dubai, and also moved to Tucson from Chicago. I had a lot of surprises with all the different landscapes I traveled across, so I wanted to put into the story my own experience of being moved by the beautiful mountains and cactus when I arrived in Arizona.
But suddenly, a gust of wind blew his very cute hat right off his very cute book body!
What’s a very cute traveling black book to do?
“My hat!”
Audrey Waner
I knew something had to happen to carry the story on, so I figured I would use the hat that Lindsay drew in the first panel. I think it turned out cute.
Why, ask the desert lizards for help, of course! Because we all know Tucson lizards are super pros at finding lost stuff!
“We found your hat on this rock!”
“Oh, thank goodness!”
Tony Kuchar
There’s a ton of lizards where we live in Tucson. When we had the book, I’d been in Tucson about 4-5 months, and everywhere I looked there were cute lizards. So I wanted to draw them in.
But one lizard had become very fond of Little Book’s hat! He didn’t want to give it back.
“Nope.”
“Oh no!”
“Meanie!”
But just then, Little Book had an idea!
“Ah hah!”
Jenna Post
I wanted the lizards to stay in the story, so I gave them an opportunity to make friends with the book.
The book picked a cactus flower and used it as a new hat!
Heidi Mandelin
The little black book turned aggressive toward the lizard!
“Yoga boogie boogie!”
Clyde Mandelin
The lizard became transfixed as a long-suppressed memory resurfaced in his lizard brain, bubbling up from the depths like a haunted vessel.
Reid Young
Techo: “Can I help you?”
Lizard: “S-sempai... It’s nothing.”
Lizard: “Come on, Lizard... this shouldn’t be so hard... you’ve been in love before... Get a hold of yourself! But, I don’t want to be hurt―again!”
Dan Moore
When I saw Reid’s page, it looked like the lizard was remembering something frightening when he looked at the lizard. But I didn’t want to make them fight, so I made that frightening thing from his past a story of heartbroken love. Now the techo can just give the lizard advice on love.
Lizard Vision
Techo: “W...what?”
Steven Campos
The story took a weird turn, so I drew what the little black looked like in the lizard’s eyes. You can see the lizard is in love.
Little Book, however, has no idea how the lizard feels, so he’s like, “Wait, what is it? Why are you looking at me like that?” (laughs) The inspiration for this one was the anime Rose of Versailles, and I drew it while referencing Sailor Moon.
Suddenly! The sun fell below the horizon... It was June’s first moonless night. A night so dark no predators of the lizards could hunt. So... The Great Summer Lizard Fiesta had begun!
Lizard: “Will... you dance with me, Te…Techo-kun!”
Jack Murphy
I was going to draw a kiss scene to carry on the love story, but I realized the page in the book landed right on the New Moon.
I figured the lizards could come out at night in the darkness without being seen by predators, so I decided to throw them a party. Then I could just pass the kiss scene on to the next person. Instead, the lizard just asks the book to dance.
Techo: “Yeah, but I want to get tacos first.”
Lizard: “‘Kay!”
Techo: “Tacos plz”
Vendor: “Eyy!”
Kevin Chai
“Oop, sorry for dropping your taco.”
“Why”
The taco vender accidentally dropped the taco. Techo was sad and decided to flip the table.
“Noooo!”
Michael Ferguson
I didn’t have any ideas
so I ran with the tacos.
C’mon, Lizzy! Let’s get out of here. I know a great place in California called Taco Bravo! They won’t drop our tacos.
Jenna Post
2016-10-14-FRI
Photo：Yoshimi Sugawara / Hiroyuki Oe
