Manga
A New History of Japanese Comics
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A groundbreaking story of Japanese comics from their nineteenth-century origins to the present day
The immensely popular art form of manga, or Japanese comics, has made its mark across global pop culture, influencing film, visual art, video games, and more. This book is the first to tell the history of comics in Japan as a single, continuous story, focusing on manga as multipanel cartoons that show stories rather than narrate them. Eike Exner traces these cartoons' gradual evolution from the 1890s until today, culminating in manga's explosion in global popularity in the 2000s and the current shift from print periodicals to digital media and smartphone apps.
Over the course of this 130-year history, Exner answers questions about the origins of Japanese comics, the establishment of their distinctive visuals, and how they became such a fundamental part of the Japanese publishing industry, incorporating well-known examples such as Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon, as well as historical manga little known outside of Japan. The book pays special attention to manga's structural development, examining the roles played not only by star creators but also by editors and major publishers such as Kodansha that embraced comics as a way of selling magazines to different, often gendered, readerships. This engaging narrative presents extensive new research, making it an essential read for enthusiasts and experts alike.
About this Author
Eike Exner is a historian of graphic narrative. His previous book, Comics and the Origins of Manga, received the Will Eisner Comics Industry Award for Best Academic/Scholarly Work. He is based in Houston, TX.
Reviews
"A fresh history of Japanese comics. . . . Simultaneously a record of comics art in Japan and an account of its trailblazing publishing industry . . . An exciting, illuminating history that will inspire fans to explore the classics."--Kirkus Reviews
"I came away from this book having learned so much that I already know I'll need to re-read [it]. . . . A fresh, well-researched look at the history of manga."--Erika Friedman, Okazu
Selected by Comics Beat among "85 Anticipated YA and Adult Graphic Novels for Summer 2025"
"With prodigious research, a global perspective, and abundant new insights, Eike Exner cuts through misunderstandings and myths to bring us an instant classic about the evolution of modern manga."--Frederik L. Schodt, author of Manga! Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics (1983)
"With fascinating examples and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, Exner shows how manga is the result of decades of creative exchange between American, European, and Japanese visual storytellers."--Deb Aoki, co-host and manga editor, Mangasplaining
"Exner is here to remedy the incoherent hodgepodge of decidedly unscholarly baby boomer fanfic that has long passed for 'the history of manga,' and he's brought all the receipts."--Rachel Thorn, Kyoto Seika University
"Manga: A New History is a significant and much-needed book that both expands and deepens how we understand Japanese comics in all their varieties and complexities."--Paul Gravett, author of Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics
"Manga: A New History breaks ground with tremendous new research, deflates long-held notions, fills in historical gaps, and showcases seldom-seen-before illustrations."--John A. Lent, founder, publisher, and editor in chief of International Journal of Comic Art
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