Baptism - Kazuo Umezz
Published in France, but not yet in the UK or the US, Baptism ( Senrei ) is a later work from Kazuo Umezz (Umezu in France), the author/artist of the 1974 end of the world monster horror epic The Drifting Classroom . Created in 1995, Baptism is also a little more refined and paced while still retaining the character of Umezz's classic manga art style. Just as importantly, the story also manages to take a classic horror trope as its basis and do something entirely different with it; a Frankenstein-like science experiment, a body-swap horror that has a typically sinister twist. A famous movie actress from the olden days, Izumi Wakakusa has retired at the height of her career, terrified that the make-up she wears will no longer be able to mask the horrible disfigurement that she bears down one side of her face. She leaves the world of cinema and becomes a mother, devoted to her daughter Sakura. In fact, she may even be a little over-protective. We soon find out why. The only reason ...