Mangas

Typically Japanese, but used by us westerners to describe any comic in a certain style which developed in Japan in the late 18th century.
In Korea they call their comics manhwa and in China they're called manhua. Manga artists are called Mangaka.

In an extremely broad sense the common manga will contain either schoolgirls, robots, cutesy animals or monsters. Many westerners think that all mangas contain pornographic material, which is obviously untrue.
This can be insulting to many manga artists.

In 1945ish splits appeared in the styles of manga. This is to do with the US invasion of Japan. Some artists took inspiration from the comic books the Americans brought over with them and cartoons introduced, such as Disney cartoons.
Other artists, notably Kinko Ito, stayed true to the Japanese cultures of comic writing and drawing. However, many hybrid versions were also created. The modern mangas popular in America, the UK and France would be a mixture of the two styles.

One of the most revered figures in manga and anime is Osamu Tezuka. He's referred to as the 'Godfather of Anime' and the 'God of Manga'.
He created Astro Boy which has received numerous awards and is internationally renowned.

Mangas are nearly always in black and white and is published in binded volumes, unlike typical western comics, which tend to be colourful and sold in thin booklets. Despite their durability, they aren't that much more expensive, making collecting them much more practical than collecting comics.

There are several main types of manga, unlike American comics which are mostly aimed at the 9-15 age group.

The first group is Kodomo, which is for children. Shonen mangas are for boys aged 12-18, Shoujo is for girls aged 12-18.

Josei is for women over 20, mainly working women, while Seinen is for men aged 18-30.

Hentai is pornographic, and is most of the manga that reaches the internet and obscure comic book shops in the west.

A few more things.

Manga is read from right to left. Animated manga is called anime. There are many sub-cultures based around mangas and anime. One of the biggest American manga conventions is Wonder Con.

pictures:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/54/AstroBoyVolume1.jpg
http://graphjam.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/song-chart-memes-japanese-population.jpg

Samurai Jack

Samurai Jack started off as a animated television series on Toonami, created by cartoonist Genndy Tartakovsky.

DC later made a single comic about this series.

You may be wondering how this is relevant to the geography of comic books because there was only one issue, but it's very relevant.

Created by a Jewish Russian in America, the show is meant to depict a bizarre parallel futuristic Asia where our hero goes around slaying evil demons and the like.

It portrays the western ideology of the east and is one of the only such shows (and comic!) available in the west.
It is (astonishingly) more accurate in illustrating what oriental life is like than most mangas originating from the area in question.

The villain in called Aku, which means evil in Japanese.

His name and demeanor is similar to that of Akuma, the evil demon in Japanese mythology with burning eyes. This is another possible source for his name.
His origin is revealed in one episode (The Birth of Evil). Three gods, Norse Odin, Egyptian Ra and Hindu Rama are shown. In another episode Greek Zeus and Crono are shown. There are many other strong cultural references.

The show is based on Japanese epics and is similar to Japanese animes in that there are many episodes without dialogue with a huge emphasis put on artwork.
In the opening sequence, many scenes (including elephants with hookahs for trunks) depict Asian lifestyles and cultures.
The music is based on traditional oriental works and completes the feeling of the east.

For pictures:http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/a/aku.jpg

http://www.comicvine.com/samurai-jack/29-44135/issues-cover/

For samurai jack episodes: http://www.tvduck.com/Samurai-Jack.html

Comic books in general

Comic books, or comics, have been round for hundreds of years. in the early 1800s a Swiss newspaper published a small strip and in the 1860s it spread to America.
There were the Japanese mangas and the British humour strips around this time too.

Styles have changed and evolved, which can be distinct to the geographical area.
If you're looking for schoolgirls or giant robots with wings then Asia's your place( classic transformers), but if you're looking for superpowers and detailed technology then America's for you(marvel, DC).

Collecting comic books can be a difficult and expensive hobby, but it is a very popular one and with good reason.
Comic books can make people laugh, create a sense of awe and make people feel powerful all at once.

They are usually very political and up to date(unless you're collecting proto-comics).

Introduction

Hello, I'm Sarah.
This blog is going to be about the geography of comics.