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
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
For samurai jack episodes: http://www.tvduck.com/Samurai-Jack.html
This is a very interesting take on comics, and I look forward to reading more of your work.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have never seen the show (My daughter was into Powerpuff Girls at the time), I knew Genndy's name from Dexter's Laboratory.
Thanks for posting the episode link.