A wide-ranging introductory guide for readers making their first steps into the world of manga, this book helps readers explore the full range of Japanese comic styles, forms and traditions from its earliest texts to the internationally popular comics of the 21st century.In an accessible and easy-to-navigate format, the book covers:· The history of Japanese comics, from influences in early visual culture to the global ‘Manga Boom’ of the 1990s to the present· Case studies of texts reflecting the range of themes, genres, forms and creators, including Osamu Tezuka, Machiko Hasegawa and Katsuhiro Otomo· Key themes and contexts – from gender and sexuality, to history and censorship· Critical approaches to manga, including definitions, biography and reception and global publishing contextsThe book includes a bibliography of essential critical writing on manga, discussion questions for classroom use and a glossary of key critical terms.
Shige (CJ) Suzuki is Assistant Professor of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature at Baruch College, City University of New York, USA.Ronald Stewart is Professor at Daito Bunka University, Japan. He has published widely on comics and Manga, including as a columnist for Japan's largest national newspaper, the Yomiuri Shinbun.
Series Editor’s PrefaceList of FiguresAcknowledgementsNotes on Japanese Names and Terms1. Introduction2. Historical OverviewPart I: The Emergence of Manga to 1945The Problem of Start Points and DefinitionsManga’s Emergence in Modern Periodical Print MediaTowards Character-Driven Narratives and a ProfessionChildren’s Manga Growth, Media Interplay, and the Dark Valley of WarPart II: 1945 to the PresentFrom Ashes and RuinsExpanding and Diversifying ReadershipsManga Goes MainstreamAfter the Death of “God”3. Social and Cultural ImpactControversy and Censorship Gender and SexualityHistorical RepresentationMedia Mix and Dojinshi Participatory Culture Cultural Status and Institutions4. Critical UsesBounds of MangaFormal and Visual Analysis Biographical Approaches Gender and Sexuality Studies Approaches Historical Questions and Historical Representation5. Key TextsAppendix: GlossaryList of MuseumsResourcesIndex
As someone who works on mostly the western tradition in comics I have long wanted to have an up to date work that provides both a historical overview of manga and deals with its social and cultural impact both in Japan and globally. Suzuki and Stewart have delivered that work. It will be both a useful reference work for comics scholars wishing to engage with manga and a useful text book for classroom teaching that wishes to encompass the global forms of comics.