Fumio Obata

Fumio Obata is a graphic novelist whose inspiration comes from cultural differences and social issues in his surroundings. Born in Tokyo in 1975, he grew up reading the manga of the1970s and 80s. He studied Illustration at Glasgow School of Art and Royal College of Art in London and had a brief career in Animation in the early 2000 working for Duran Duran and Channel 4.

Since 2013 he has been lecturing Illustration at the University of Gloucestershire. His graphic novels include ‘Just So Happens’ (Jonathan Cape, 2014) and ‘The Garden’ (Liminal 11, 2019) written by a Japan based Scottish author Sean Michael Wilson. Fumio also explored reportage comic genre inspired by the triple disasters in northern Japan happened in 2011.

He is currently focusing on the US market, publishing a graphic novel version of ‘Front Desk’ (Scholastic), an acclaimed middle grade novel by an Asian American author Kelly Young coming out in 2026.