Rutgers University Press Comics and the Origins of Manga: A Revisionist History

This book was a joy to read. It kept my interest in learning about the history of comics, the evolution of speech balloons and audio representations, and the lineage of mangaka traced back to Western cartoonists.Having been a longtime comics and manga fan, and having recently gotten into 1920s comic strips, this book was right up my alley. I was certainly shocked to learn how far the influence of American comic strips spread in the early 20th century, and how much has been forgotten or ignored. Seeing Western comics characters used heavily in advertising in 1920s Japan was a real eye opener to the popularity of these comics overseas.The only major critiques of the book was the physical cover was quite soft and easily prone to damage (it arrived already bent), and the long sentences that can sometimes require re-reading to fully grasp the point. I understand the need to fully articulate your argument, but some streamlining of sentences, or breaking them up into seperate ones, would go a long way to making the book an easier read for a wider audience.And this book should reach a wider audience. With the growing popularity of manga in mainstream Western pop culture, the history of the two mediums and how much they share should be more well known and appreciated.While the book can sometimes feel like it takes a while "getting to the point", I think Exner's argument that modern manga was born from American comic strips requires such precision and full explanations. Dedicating an entire chapter to the invention of voice reproduction through technology, for example, might seem like an unnecessary tangent when talking about manga, but it builds the fundementals of the viewpoint of "audiovisual" comics, and the historical context and influence those kinds of comics played in Japan.All in all, this is a very interesting book for both manga lovers and comic strip enthusiasts. Learning of the historical Japanese desire for Western comics 100 years ago, it's almost poetic seeing the modern Western desire for Japanese manga today. Truly the art form of comics/manga is universal.

If you ask a random American what they know about Japan, it's likely that Manga and/or Ramen will be mentioned in short order. These things seem quintessentially Japanese and are an easily recognized cultural export the world over. And yet, both have complex origin stories with substantial foreign influences. Ramen grew from a humble Chinese noodle dish being served in Japan in the mid-1800s, into the mega-star of Japanese fast food that we know and love today. What about early influences on Manga? You'll have to read this book to find out-but suffice it to say they're substantially less Japanese than you would ever expect!

It addresses a very interesting question, and you can rely on its conclusions. A fine scholarly work.

The book was a great read and I learned so much about the shared origin of the popular story mediums of comics and manga (that l always thought were similar, but very distinct). The book has a bunch of pictures that helped illustrate the concepts the author discusses as well as provide evidence that supports his arguments. It was a bit academic at times, but I nonetheless was able to follow along. I was suprised how fast I got to the end of it. Definitely recommend for anyone who likes reading comics or manga (or both, like me)!!!

I am revising my PowerPoint slides so that my students will have the benefit of Eike Exner's insights! As I continue to read this book closely, I am finding it to be original, convincing, deeply-researched and fundamental.