• About This Book
• Table of Contents
• Blurbs
• Ordering Information
  

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Dreamland Japan was published in 1996 by Stone Bridge Press. I wrote it as a type of sequel to my 1983 book, Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics. With the boom in interest in Japanese comics, more and more people had asked me to do a revision of Manga! Manga!, but I had unfortunately been unable to interest the original publisher. Dreamland Japan is better than a revision, however, because it builds on what Manga! Manga! did, and Manga! Manga! still has considerable currency as an introductory work. I designed Dreamland Japan to be as complementary as possible, and hopefully readers new to the manga scene will read both volumes. Although the books can certainly be read separately, they are designed to function as a pair, with Manga! Manga! laying the historical groundwork and giving the introduction, and Dreamland Japan providing the overview of post 1983 developments, and also giving a more personalized view of the manga scene. The book was edited and laid-out by Peter Goodman. The cool cover on this book was designed by artist Raymond Larrett (who also works as a cartoonist under the pen name of Norman Dog ). The wonderfully explosive manga illustration in the center of the cover is by Ebisu Yoshikazu, who is described in detail in the book.

Here's the book's

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Preface

Enter the Id

What are Manga?
Why read Manga?

Modern Manga at the End of the Millenium

What's in a Word?
The Dojinshi World
Otaku
Are Manga Dangerous?
Freedom of Speech vs. Regulation
Black and White Issues #1
Black and White Issues #2
Do Manga Have a Future?

(COVERS OF MANGA MAGAZINES)

The Manga Magazine Scene

Artists and Their Work

Osamu Tezuka: A Tribute to the God of Comics

Beyond Manga

Manga in the English-Speaking World

Appendix: Manga in English

References and Recommended Reading

Index

PAPERBACK BACK COVER BLURBS:

Manga, or Japanese comics, have become a certified cultural megaforce. Born in the Japanese collective consciousness, their dream-like visions and epic, cinematic qualities have launched a multibillion-dollar industry and inspired pictorial storytellers throughout the world.

In this long-awaited sequel to his award-winning Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics, Japanese culture expert Frederik L. Schodt looks at the current state of the manga universe, both in and outside Japan. In brief essays he introduces dozens of artists, magazines, and individual works, and he goes beyond manga to look at manga's impact on society and on the evolution of anime and animation, film, and graphic design. An entire chapter is devoted to the work of Osamu Tezuka, the "God of Comics," and an up-to-date appendix lists manga resources and Internet connections for fans and conventiongoers.

With over 100 black-and-white illustrations and 8 pages in full color, Dreamland Japan showcases the astonishing variety of manga today, from Buddhist cosmology and gay romance to tales of atomic cats, pachinko experts, motorcycle girls, and hardboiled heroes. In manga, there is room for every fantasy-- every dream.

--Fred Patten, animation and comics historian

"Fred Schodt's "Dreamland Japan is the most encompassing and the best introduction to manga I have ever read. For anyone involved in graphic literature this book is necessary background reading."

--Will Eisner, graphic novelist, creator of The Spirit

ORDERING INFORMATION:

Dreamland Japan can be ordered directly from the publisher, the intrepid Stone Bridge Press, through the toll-free number of 1-800-947-727, or through finer bookstores, both real and web-virtual, including Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. The Stone Bridge Press contact info is:

Dreamland Japan is also available at finer bookstores, both real and Web-virtual.