Gregory Horror Show - two sets of obscure comics
Jun 1, 2022 17:13:22 GMT
MediaMonster, Kafka, and 2 more like this
Post by monoeyewizard on Jun 1, 2022 17:13:22 GMT
NOTE - I decided that, rather than constantly cluttering it up with new posts, I'd add new information here. Or, at the very least, I can update this post as new information comes to light
So, currently, there's a lot of Gregory Horror Show lost media on the table; I think it would be a good idea (if only for my own sake) to recap what we've got on each one.
1. Macworld Japan
Technically, this one isn't actually 'Gregory Horror Show' media - but it's clearly important to the series and, for all intents and purposes, is its precursor.
According to this article, Naomi Iwata published a series of CG comics in Macworld Japan magazine; they featured a pair of characters called Mac Bear and Windows Bear getting into all sorts of hijinx.
The following issues of Macworld Japan, according to the article, contain 'Mac Bear' content:
October 1997
November 1997
December 1997
January 1998
February 1998
March 1998
April 1998
Currently, there is ZERO information about these magazines online; they have, to my knowledge, never been scanned or shown off anywhere.
I contacted the person who wrote the article, and they explained that:
"I don't have any of the magazines or photos of "Draw Technique" series because I found the articles just in the national library.
I keep looking for the used magazines, but they were published long ago and are now rarely found. So unfortunately I can't currently upload any photos."
Which can be seen if you scroll through the article. (Admittedly, I didn't see this until recently enough myself)
As such, barring someone has access to National Libraries in Japan, we're out of luck on this one.
I've been scouring Japanese market sites for information on these issues, but none have shown up; it's pretty much the same few issues that can be seen across the board with little updates.
2. CG World
Following the events that occur in Macworld Japan, a quest to find the missing Mac Bear leads to Gregory House, and the first ever incarnation of Gregory Horror Show.
The article discusses this comic, giving synopses of each issue. We know that the following issues are GHS related:
May 1998 - Gregory Horror Show, Gregory
June 1998
July 1998
August 1998
September 1998
October 1998
November 1998
December 1998
January 1999
As is noted in bold, the first issue was found by user MediaMonster! It can be seen here.
It's worth noting that this issue gives concrete proof of the article's authenticity; it specifically refers to Mac Bear and the events of Macworld Japan, and everything lines up the way it's mentioned in the article.
I may have more updates on this one soon - I'll post again if I find anything.
3. Young Magazine Uppers - 'The Gregory Horror Show CG Manga' and 'Gregory Horror Show: Another Story'
Gregory Horror Show is known to have had a short run in the Kodansha magazine, 'Young Magazine Uppers'.
There have been a few sightings of this comic on Twitter: One user uploaded a full comic starring the Poor Condutor - here - and another user posted this page, showing off a character profile for the unused character 'Bloody Wheel' - here.
Thanks to user Kicksville, we know that there are two comic runs in YMA: 'The Gregory Horror Show CG Manga' and 'Gregory Horror Show: Another Story'.
The former was only discovered thanks to Kicksville; it is a retelling of certain stories from GHS' main show, but with new art and new content. The latter is a series of new stories, featuring the cast of GHS.
The exact run is unknown; because there is little discussion of these magazines online, it's hard to pinpoint which specific issues are relevant.
The author of the article mentioned previously says the following (Translated):
"Serialized in two parts in Kodansha's "Young Magazine Uppers" from 2000 #20 to 2001 #2 (8 issues) and 2001 #4 to 2001 #13 (9 issues, cat zombie version). The manga was printed just like that CG. Short stories of 6 pages each."
This doesn't seem to entirely line up with what we know; of the three full issues we have, all of them are four pages - possibly a mistake on the author's part?
Either way, from comparing the information found by the article author, Kicksville and myself, it seems that the following issues contain GHS content:
October 17, 2000
November 7, 2000
November 21, 2000 - Gregory Horror Show CG Manga: Lost Doll
December 5, 2000
December 19, 2000
January 2, 2001
January 16, 2001
'2001-04'
March 6, 2001
March 20, 2001
April 3, 2001
April 17, 2001
May 1, 2001
May 15, 2001
June 5, 2001 - Gregory Horror Show: Another World; Neko Zombie + Angel Dog/Devil Dog
'2001-12'
July 3rd, 2001
There is an issue for February 6, 2001, but according to the article, this one was skipped for some reason; this seems highly odd to me, but they've been right in everything thus far, so not much reason to doubt them.
Furthermore, to add to the confusion - with MediaMonster's help, I searched through the archives on Kodansha's website. As mentioned in the 'Gregory Horror Show: Chara-Freaks!' book that they found, there were character profiles based around YMA that could be found on Kodansha's website.
Sadly, several of the profiles were not archived, but the information present gives us this to work with:
01 - Not Archived
02 - Not Archived
03 - Not Archived
04 - Not Archived
05 - Not Archived
06 - Not Archived
07 - Not Archived
08 - Clock Master & My Son
09 - Neko Zombie
10 - James
11 - Trap Mouse
12 - 'Koneko Zombie'?
13 - Poor Conductor
14 - Clock Master & My Son
15 - Not Archived
16 - Frog Fortune-Teller
17 - Pig Gentleman
Again, going by the information in the article, this seems to add up; that would imply that the first eight issues are the CG Manga, and the next nine are 'Another Story'. That would explain why Clock Master & My Son have two entries, and the fact that Neko Zombie is number nine ties in fittingly.
There is one issue, however - the 'Poor Conductor' issue.
Going by the dates provided, his issue should be May 1, 2001 - yet, from the side columns of the magazine listed, it had to have been published prior to April 7, as it mentions that a new issue of Gregory Horror Show will be airing on that date.
This would place it, most likely, on April 3. I'll keep looking, but this discrepancy makes it hard to confirm that the website can be used as a concrete list.
Strangely, though, going by the dates, the 'Angel/Devil Dog' issue would land squarely in the 'Not Archived' space.
Oddities that I'd love to hear people's input on - I can't make head nor tail of it!
4. Gregory Horror Show Guidebook: Another Side
This book has, for the most part, slipped under my radar - until user muldica brought it to my attention, I had paid it no mind.
There's very little information on the book currently - there is an Amazon review that can be found here that features a few images and a review. The images include a table of contents, though I haven't yet been able to translate it.
The review, translated, reads as follows:
"Includes scenarios of the 1st full episode, 3DCG making, glossary, interviews with Naomi Iwata and staff, and more.
The color-bound appendix includes a pamphlet and trading cards from Gregory House (the original ones, different from the ones that appeared in the game version of "Soul Collector").
The scenario differs in some respects from the one that actually aired, and is packed with interesting information for fans.
This is a good quality Gregory book, priced at 1000 yen without tax or more.
The book is about the size of B6, but it has a cover and color pages, so it is not a "separate volume" with a gorgeous binding.
(I was expecting something more like a cheap booklet.)
However, if you expect too much and buy it at a premium price, you may be disappointed.
The contents are only as good as the price listed above.
Personally, I think that Chara Freaks, which is full of fun pages, is more enjoyable for both fans and newcomers.
It is not a must-have for fans, but a book that is nice to have on hand."
So, we know that the book contains interviews with staff, including Naomi Iwata himself, trading cards, a floor plan for Gregory House and a few skits, at least. Definitely seems worthwhile to find!
Currently, it's next to impossible to find, though I'm keeping an eye out!
5. Gregory Horror Show G-Mode games
Lastly, there is a Gregory Horror Show game that was made for mobile phones; there is next to no information about this one available on the internet currently.
The game is confirmed to exist; here is an archived G-Mode website detailing how the game could be purchased.
Outside of this, however, there's nothing to go on; no footage, no descriptions from people who've played it, and certainly no uploads of the game itself.
If anyone has any ideas on how to learn more about this game, PLEASE reach out!
I've contacted G-Mode, but received no response from them. I've been unable to find or contact anyone that has information on the game or what it had played like.
We know that it's unique from Soul Collector, as we can see multiple characters that were not present in that game - plus, there is a mention of the game having alternate endings.
In the Ameblo post mentioned in the next paragraph, there's a mention of the game that claims the plot is to find your stolen cell phone and escape Gregory House. The veracity of this post is questionable, but it's worth a mention!
Rereading the article, I found out that there is actually a SECOND mobile game, known as 'Gregory Bakun!' - there's not much info on it, other than it being some kind of shooting game with fortune-telling.
In my search, I found this video; it doesn't have any gameplay footage, but it's apparently pulled from 'Gregory Bakun!' and shows off a bunch of different character profiles.
This one is more anecdotal, and conflicts with the information at hand, but I thought I'd bring it up regardless:
I found this Ameblo post that discusses the mobile games: it refers to 'Gregory Bakun!' as a 114 character shooter - I don't know if that's a mistake or if I'm misinterpreting it? The video linked above mentions 47 characters and says that it's a complete list, so I really don't know.
UPDATE: Found the phone store page for 'Gregory Bakun!' - here.
Seems to line up with what we know - it seems fairly simple, but it's worth looking for, all the same.
Also, while not Gregory Horror Show content, I may as well mention it here:
There's at least one 'Midnight Horror School' mobile game, as can be seen here.
Not really a part of my search, but may as well log it down anyway.
Worth noting that I've heard rumours of a Pecola game, though there's no trace of it among the other games from what I can see.
Again, any information on this title is greatly appreciated!
So, that wraps up what we have thus far. If anyone has ANY ideas on how to find more on these titles, please feel free to make suggestions!
I'm doing a lot of work to find what I can, but I'm running into a lot of dead ends.
I'm not savvy with the likes of Twitter or tumblr, and wouldn't know how to begin searching on those sites - which is where I know a lot of information has been found.
Again, ANY information, ideas, suggestions etc are appreciated! No matter how small, all ideas are welcome!
So, currently, there's a lot of Gregory Horror Show lost media on the table; I think it would be a good idea (if only for my own sake) to recap what we've got on each one.
1. Macworld Japan
Technically, this one isn't actually 'Gregory Horror Show' media - but it's clearly important to the series and, for all intents and purposes, is its precursor.
According to this article, Naomi Iwata published a series of CG comics in Macworld Japan magazine; they featured a pair of characters called Mac Bear and Windows Bear getting into all sorts of hijinx.
The following issues of Macworld Japan, according to the article, contain 'Mac Bear' content:
October 1997
November 1997
December 1997
January 1998
February 1998
March 1998
April 1998
Currently, there is ZERO information about these magazines online; they have, to my knowledge, never been scanned or shown off anywhere.
I contacted the person who wrote the article, and they explained that:
"I don't have any of the magazines or photos of "Draw Technique" series because I found the articles just in the national library.
I keep looking for the used magazines, but they were published long ago and are now rarely found. So unfortunately I can't currently upload any photos."
Which can be seen if you scroll through the article. (Admittedly, I didn't see this until recently enough myself)
As such, barring someone has access to National Libraries in Japan, we're out of luck on this one.
I've been scouring Japanese market sites for information on these issues, but none have shown up; it's pretty much the same few issues that can be seen across the board with little updates.
2. CG World
Following the events that occur in Macworld Japan, a quest to find the missing Mac Bear leads to Gregory House, and the first ever incarnation of Gregory Horror Show.
The article discusses this comic, giving synopses of each issue. We know that the following issues are GHS related:
May 1998 - Gregory Horror Show, Gregory
June 1998
July 1998
August 1998
September 1998
October 1998
November 1998
December 1998
January 1999
As is noted in bold, the first issue was found by user MediaMonster! It can be seen here.
It's worth noting that this issue gives concrete proof of the article's authenticity; it specifically refers to Mac Bear and the events of Macworld Japan, and everything lines up the way it's mentioned in the article.
I may have more updates on this one soon - I'll post again if I find anything.
3. Young Magazine Uppers - 'The Gregory Horror Show CG Manga' and 'Gregory Horror Show: Another Story'
Gregory Horror Show is known to have had a short run in the Kodansha magazine, 'Young Magazine Uppers'.
There have been a few sightings of this comic on Twitter: One user uploaded a full comic starring the Poor Condutor - here - and another user posted this page, showing off a character profile for the unused character 'Bloody Wheel' - here.
Thanks to user Kicksville, we know that there are two comic runs in YMA: 'The Gregory Horror Show CG Manga' and 'Gregory Horror Show: Another Story'.
The former was only discovered thanks to Kicksville; it is a retelling of certain stories from GHS' main show, but with new art and new content. The latter is a series of new stories, featuring the cast of GHS.
The exact run is unknown; because there is little discussion of these magazines online, it's hard to pinpoint which specific issues are relevant.
The author of the article mentioned previously says the following (Translated):
"Serialized in two parts in Kodansha's "Young Magazine Uppers" from 2000 #20 to 2001 #2 (8 issues) and 2001 #4 to 2001 #13 (9 issues, cat zombie version). The manga was printed just like that CG. Short stories of 6 pages each."
This doesn't seem to entirely line up with what we know; of the three full issues we have, all of them are four pages - possibly a mistake on the author's part?
Either way, from comparing the information found by the article author, Kicksville and myself, it seems that the following issues contain GHS content:
October 17, 2000
November 7, 2000
November 21, 2000 - Gregory Horror Show CG Manga: Lost Doll
December 5, 2000
December 19, 2000
January 2, 2001
January 16, 2001
'2001-04'
March 6, 2001
March 20, 2001
April 3, 2001
April 17, 2001
May 1, 2001
May 15, 2001
June 5, 2001 - Gregory Horror Show: Another World; Neko Zombie + Angel Dog/Devil Dog
'2001-12'
July 3rd, 2001
There is an issue for February 6, 2001, but according to the article, this one was skipped for some reason; this seems highly odd to me, but they've been right in everything thus far, so not much reason to doubt them.
Furthermore, to add to the confusion - with MediaMonster's help, I searched through the archives on Kodansha's website. As mentioned in the 'Gregory Horror Show: Chara-Freaks!' book that they found, there were character profiles based around YMA that could be found on Kodansha's website.
Sadly, several of the profiles were not archived, but the information present gives us this to work with:
01 - Not Archived
02 - Not Archived
03 - Not Archived
04 - Not Archived
05 - Not Archived
06 - Not Archived
07 - Not Archived
08 - Clock Master & My Son
09 - Neko Zombie
10 - James
11 - Trap Mouse
12 - 'Koneko Zombie'?
13 - Poor Conductor
14 - Clock Master & My Son
15 - Not Archived
16 - Frog Fortune-Teller
17 - Pig Gentleman
Again, going by the information in the article, this seems to add up; that would imply that the first eight issues are the CG Manga, and the next nine are 'Another Story'. That would explain why Clock Master & My Son have two entries, and the fact that Neko Zombie is number nine ties in fittingly.
There is one issue, however - the 'Poor Conductor' issue.
Going by the dates provided, his issue should be May 1, 2001 - yet, from the side columns of the magazine listed, it had to have been published prior to April 7, as it mentions that a new issue of Gregory Horror Show will be airing on that date.
This would place it, most likely, on April 3. I'll keep looking, but this discrepancy makes it hard to confirm that the website can be used as a concrete list.
Strangely, though, going by the dates, the 'Angel/Devil Dog' issue would land squarely in the 'Not Archived' space.
Oddities that I'd love to hear people's input on - I can't make head nor tail of it!
4. Gregory Horror Show Guidebook: Another Side
This book has, for the most part, slipped under my radar - until user muldica brought it to my attention, I had paid it no mind.
There's very little information on the book currently - there is an Amazon review that can be found here that features a few images and a review. The images include a table of contents, though I haven't yet been able to translate it.
The review, translated, reads as follows:
"Includes scenarios of the 1st full episode, 3DCG making, glossary, interviews with Naomi Iwata and staff, and more.
The color-bound appendix includes a pamphlet and trading cards from Gregory House (the original ones, different from the ones that appeared in the game version of "Soul Collector").
The scenario differs in some respects from the one that actually aired, and is packed with interesting information for fans.
This is a good quality Gregory book, priced at 1000 yen without tax or more.
The book is about the size of B6, but it has a cover and color pages, so it is not a "separate volume" with a gorgeous binding.
(I was expecting something more like a cheap booklet.)
However, if you expect too much and buy it at a premium price, you may be disappointed.
The contents are only as good as the price listed above.
Personally, I think that Chara Freaks, which is full of fun pages, is more enjoyable for both fans and newcomers.
It is not a must-have for fans, but a book that is nice to have on hand."
So, we know that the book contains interviews with staff, including Naomi Iwata himself, trading cards, a floor plan for Gregory House and a few skits, at least. Definitely seems worthwhile to find!
Currently, it's next to impossible to find, though I'm keeping an eye out!
5. Gregory Horror Show G-Mode games
Lastly, there is a Gregory Horror Show game that was made for mobile phones; there is next to no information about this one available on the internet currently.
The game is confirmed to exist; here is an archived G-Mode website detailing how the game could be purchased.
Outside of this, however, there's nothing to go on; no footage, no descriptions from people who've played it, and certainly no uploads of the game itself.
If anyone has any ideas on how to learn more about this game, PLEASE reach out!
I've contacted G-Mode, but received no response from them. I've been unable to find or contact anyone that has information on the game or what it had played like.
We know that it's unique from Soul Collector, as we can see multiple characters that were not present in that game - plus, there is a mention of the game having alternate endings.
In the Ameblo post mentioned in the next paragraph, there's a mention of the game that claims the plot is to find your stolen cell phone and escape Gregory House. The veracity of this post is questionable, but it's worth a mention!
Rereading the article, I found out that there is actually a SECOND mobile game, known as 'Gregory Bakun!' - there's not much info on it, other than it being some kind of shooting game with fortune-telling.
In my search, I found this video; it doesn't have any gameplay footage, but it's apparently pulled from 'Gregory Bakun!' and shows off a bunch of different character profiles.
This one is more anecdotal, and conflicts with the information at hand, but I thought I'd bring it up regardless:
I found this Ameblo post that discusses the mobile games: it refers to 'Gregory Bakun!' as a 114 character shooter - I don't know if that's a mistake or if I'm misinterpreting it? The video linked above mentions 47 characters and says that it's a complete list, so I really don't know.
UPDATE: Found the phone store page for 'Gregory Bakun!' - here.
Seems to line up with what we know - it seems fairly simple, but it's worth looking for, all the same.
Also, while not Gregory Horror Show content, I may as well mention it here:
There's at least one 'Midnight Horror School' mobile game, as can be seen here.
Not really a part of my search, but may as well log it down anyway.
Worth noting that I've heard rumours of a Pecola game, though there's no trace of it among the other games from what I can see.
Again, any information on this title is greatly appreciated!
So, that wraps up what we have thus far. If anyone has ANY ideas on how to find more on these titles, please feel free to make suggestions!
I'm doing a lot of work to find what I can, but I'm running into a lot of dead ends.
I'm not savvy with the likes of Twitter or tumblr, and wouldn't know how to begin searching on those sites - which is where I know a lot of information has been found.
Again, ANY information, ideas, suggestions etc are appreciated! No matter how small, all ideas are welcome!