Winter Reading

at Swanshurst

2011-12

What do YOU know about Manga?

„Manga‟ is the Japanese word for comics.

In Japan people of all ages read manga.

Japanese people spend around £2.3 billion a

year on manga.

Manga‟s popularity is growing all around the

world - Americans now spend £120 million a

year on manga.

Manga, as we know it, emerged in Japan in

the 1950s and 1960s and has become

increasingly popular ever since.

Manga has an amazing number of genres:

action-adventure, romance, sports and games,

historical drama, comedy, science fiction and

fantasy, mystery, horror, sexuality, and

business/commerce, among others.

In Japan, manga are serialised in magazines -

you have to wait for the next episode!

Heard of Dōjinshi? Often produced by

independent publishers, these manga often

parody mainstream titles or include popular

characters from famous series

The Chinese characters used to write „manga‟

in Japanese can be translated as "whimsical

drawings".

1 One Piece

2 Gantz

3 Naruto

4 Shingeki no Kyojin

5 Fairy Tail

6 Bakuman.

7 Kimi ni Todoke

8 Gintama

9 Bleach

10 Toriko #12 Top

selling

Man

ga in

Japa

n 20

11

1 Pokemon Black & White

2 Naruto

3 Black Butler

4 Blue Exorcist

5 Sailor Moon

6 Vampire Knight

7 Bleach

8 Deathnote

9 Yotsuba&!

10 Highschool of the Dead Top

selling

Man

ga in

UK 2

011*

* Amazon figures

Manga at

Swanshurst Bleach, Fruits Basket,

Vampire Knight and

Death Note are

already very popular.

Our new collection,

however includes lots

of new titles.

Find a full list of our new Manga

on the library homepage.

Comics, Manga and

Graphic Novels Why should you give them a go?

Some people - and yes, I‟ll whisper it, even some librarians,

teachers and parents, look down on

comics, manga and graphic novels - “not

serious enough”, “pop culture”,

“simplistic”, “trashy”. THEY ARE WRONG!!!

The truth is, like any art form, comics

can be produced for pure entertainment

or they can take on all manner of social,

artistic and emotional subjects with

astonishing complexity and depth. More

importantly, the

intricate interplay

of word and image is unique and can

stimulate different ways of perceiving and

imagining the world. Most importantly of all...

THEY ARE CREATIVE AND FUN.

A word of caution Comics, especially those aimed at

boys have always had sexist

images and representations of

women. Manga is no different

and certain titles are criticised for a particularly nasty strain of

misogyny and sexism. Like any other book, readers need to think

critically about the ideas they confront. There is enough sexism in

the world without it being in our comics too.

More to think about

Quite clearly comics, manga and graphic

novels deserve more respect and greater

critical attention. Critics and fans like Paul

Gravett are slowly winning the battle.

Newspapers and the media are following suit

(The Guardian has a great site devoted to

Comics). There are a growing number of

brilliant graphic novels aimed at teenage

girls and women.

Comics in the UK A brief history 1

The first weekly British comic started in

1874 - it was called Funny Folks. The

first comic published completely in full

colour was Mickey Mouse Weekly (1936 -

1955).

The 1930‟s are known as the Golden

age of comics. The Golden age saw the

appearance of comics like Tiny Tots (1927

- 1959), The Dandy (1937 - Present) and

The Beano (1938 - Present).

The 1950‟s is known as the Silver Age

and it saw the appearance of a more

sophisticated type of comic epitomised by

the Eagle (1950 - 1969) with its hero Dan

Dare. The early 1950s also saw the

appearance of "lurid” crime and horror

comics from America.

Comics in the UK A brief history 2

The 1960‟s saw a significant increase in

comics aimed at girls. Jackie was the best-

selling teen magazine in Britain for ten

years. During the 1970s, Jackie published a

mix of fashion and beauty tips, gossip,

short stories and comic strips.

The popularity of comics declined in

the 1970s, 80s and 90s as kids favoured

TV, computer games and movies but the last decade has seen a

comics renaissance, especially with the emergence of manga and

graphic novels.

2000AD with its blend of sci-fi and

fantasy was first published in 1977 and

continues today. People like Alan Moore,

Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman and Bryan

Talbot all wrote for 2000AD and have

gone on to produce some of the best

comics of all time. Look out for V for

Vendetta, Watchman and Grandville.

Drawing Manga

You can improve your

artwork with the help of

several popular websites,

though you‟ll have to

put up with quite a lot of advertising on some of

them. Try Manga University, Mark Crilley, Drawing Now,

Manga Tutorials and Sketch Heroes.

There are some great Manga

artists in the UK. Check out

Sonia Leong. Emma Vieceli

and Kate Brown.

Keep reading

You can read lots of

Manga titles online.

Try Manga reader,

Manga Stream, Anime A,

Manga Fox or

Unix Manga

Other good sites with

trailers, fanzines and

previews include

Manga UK,

Manga Shakespeare and

Manga Blog.

There‟s fun to be had on

FaceYourManga and there‟s a good

little guide here.

Broaden Your

Horizons (All things Japanese)

Art Japanese art has influenced western masters like

Van Gogh (see right) and Degas, but is brilliant

and fascinating to discover in its own right.

Films Have you tried the brilliant films of Studio Ghibli - films like Spirited Away

(image below), Howl‟s Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke.

If you love cinema try the classic movies of Akira Kurosawa from the 1950s

and 60s - Seven Samurai, Ikuru or Yojimbo.

As long as you‟re not expecting modern special

effects check out the original Godzilla,. Made in

1954 it explores the savagery of nuclear weapons.

Brilliant!

And for all you horror fans, as soon as you turn 15 you can watch fantastic

films like Ring, Dark Water and The Grudge.

Books For Manga fans the best place to start exploring

Japanese Literature is with the modern author

Haruki Murakami. He is a living legend in Japan and his books are now read

all over the world. His books are genre-defying, humorous and surreal.