International influences
International influences |
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Page 14 of 17  Panel from Blueberry 1: Chihuahua Pearl (Marvel, 1989). Art: Moebius. Script: Jean-Michel Charlier. A gritty western in the Sergio Leone mould, about a cavalry lieutenant (Blueberry) who has to stop a unit of Mexican soldiers before they can reach a fugitive who has a message for the United States President. In Japan, the manga industry started off by being orientated towards juveniles. In the 1950s, manga could be rented from pay-libraries for a few yen, and this made them a staple of post-war children's reading. Boys' comics ('shonen') included subject matter such as historical adventure, samurai stories, and sport, while girls' titles ('shoji') focused more on Mills and Boon style romance or puppy-love stories. One creator who managed to appeal to both sexes, and in the process became central to this initial boom, was Osamu Tezuka, whose Disney-influenced comics, such as the enormously popular New Treasure Island, set the stylistic template for the majority of manga over the next two decades. As the 1950s progressed, one kids' genre became especially important, namely, science fiction, and more specifically manga involving robot stories. Again, Tezuka was pivotal. His strip Ambassador Atom', which ran in Shonen Magazine between 1959 to 1968, reworked the Pinocchio story, and was about a little twenty-first century robot who can never become fully human. An animated TV series based on the manga followed, entitled Astro Boy, in 1963 (also masterminded by Tezuka), and started the robot craze in earnest. Hundreds of copyists followed, often accompanied by TV series: a boom that has continued to the present. According to historian Helen McCarthy, it reflected, and continues to reflect, real-life concerns: 'The first nation to make extensive use of the industrial robot is still the world's largest user of robot technology, and Japanese popular entertainment mirrors the general enthusiasm for the concept of the 'tin man'... [manga] have helped to encourage and maintain Japan's positive attitude to technology, and by making it both popular and acceptable have thus contributed considerably to the nation's progress and prosperity'.  Detail from Peter Pank (Knockabout, 1990). Art/script: Max. A bizarre punk reworking of the JM Barrie story, from Spain. |