COLUMNS

What Was Alternative Manga?What Was Alternative Manga?

Tezuka Osamu, Manga College (August 1950), cover.

Tezuka Osamu & The Rectification of Mickey

BY Ryan Holmberg May 15, 2012 10 Comments

Tezuka, Disney, and languages of cartooning and reproduction. Continue reading →

 
Kitazawa Rakuten, High Collar Puck, special issue of Tokyo Puck (April 1905), cover.

Guns & Butter

BY Ryan Holmberg Mar 8, 2012 2 Comments

Now, it is time to reset this column. It’s not about alternative manga. It started out thinking it was but now it’s changing. Continue reading →

 
shitgrin-kyojin_no_ketto-back_cover

The Bottom of a Bottomless Barrel: Introducing Akahon Manga

BY Ryan Holmberg Jan 5, 2012 12 Comments

A new discovery and a shit-eating grin. Continue reading →

 
Kuwada Jirō, Rocket Tarō, Omoshiro Book (September 1957), furoku cover.

Emonogatari in the Age of Comics, 1948-1957

BY Ryan Holmberg Nov 17, 2011 10 Comments

Influence and industry. Continue reading →

 
Oda Eiichirō, One Piece, volume 62 (May 2011), cover.

Manga 3.11: The Tsunami, the Japanese Publishing Industry, Suzuki Miso’s Reportage, and the One Piece Lifeboat

BY Ryan Holmberg Aug 31, 2011 3 Comments

The effects of the tsunami on the business and content of Japanese comics publishing. Continue reading →

 
nakazawa_shigeo

Tatsumi Yoshihiro’s “Black Rainbow”

BY Ryan Holmberg Jul 14, 2011 6 Comments

The true roots of Tatsumi’s Black Blizzard. Continue reading →

 
4-saito-age18(c1954)-goon-main

Saitō Takao and the “Gekiga Factory”

BY Ryan Holmberg May 18, 2011 5 Comments

Studios, factories, and the rise of Saitō Takao in Japan. Continue reading →

 
Gekiga!

An Introduction to Gekiga, 6970 A.D.

BY Ryan Holmberg Mar 24, 2011 3 Comments

A long buried time capsule contains hints of both a theory of communication and a utopian vision implicit in Gekiga. Continue reading →