Dreamland Japan

Drawn in styles ranging from the crudely vulgar to the highly refined, and covering every genre from naive romance to high-tech cybervisions, manga (Japanese comics) are a sophisticated narrative art. In Japan, where manga were born, the art is today actively evolving, with a whole new generation of younger artists making bold innovations in style and content. Dreamland Japan is a collection of thoughful essays on the current state of tha manga universe, essential reading for fans, literati, and anyone interested in the shape of visual culture to come. Featured artists include Hinako Sugiura, King Terry, Yoshikazu Ebisu, Kazuichi Hanawa, Murasaki Yamada, Suehiro Maruo, Akira Narita, Shungicu Uchida, Shigeru Mizuki, Reiko Okano, Yuji Aoki, Yoshiharu Tsuge, Milk Morizono, Fujiko F. Fujio, Seiki Tsuchida. There are also discussions of the work of Osamu Tezuka and Hayao Miyazaki, plus features on important magazines like CoroCoro Comic, Jump, Big Comics, Morning, June, Yan Mama, and the avant-garde Garo, as well as the dojinshi phenomenon. Fully referenced and indexed with selected readings and Internet references.