The monthly manga magazine Garo (published by Seirindō 1964–2002) has gained a certain visibility outside of Japan throughout the past few years: more and more of its authors have been translated and recognized, exhibitions are being held [1] and articles released, even in non-specialized magazines.[2] While Garo authors and their work attract increasing attention outside of Japan, the magazine itself doesn’t seem to be a popular topic within manga studies despite – or precisely because of – its link to the so-called “alternative manga” (Asagawa 2015), the 1960s counterculture, the rise of a new readership and its role as an aesthetic forerunner during its first decade of existence. Bearing this in mind, this column will try to give an overview of the sources currently available on the magazine itself, identify those which can be used as proper academic references and demonstrate the possibilities afforded by studying the magazine itself, going beyond the focus on its authors.
Tag Archives: Paul Gravett
Next Week: Comics Forum 2013
Comics Forum 2013 is taking place at Leeds Central Library next Thursday and Friday!
As you can see from the poster above, we have a fantastic line-up of speakers and events this year, and we’re really looking forward to welcoming everyone to Leeds for what promises to be a fantastic event. In addition to the individual papers, we also have a keynote event featuring Paul Gravett and Roger Sabin, a book launch for Paul’s latest book Comics Art, and we’ll be making some exciting announcements about Comics Forum’s plans for 2014! The full running order is provided below:
DAY 1: 21/11/2013
0900-0930: Registration
0930-0945: Opening Remarks
0945-1100: Panel 1: History
Chair: Ian Hague
Lise Tannahill: Assessing Ololê: Vehicle for Breton Pride or Source of Shame?
David Huxley: ‘I still have 50 Copies in the Attic’: British Regional Underground comics 1970- 1980
Martin de la Iglesia: Early manga translations in the West: underground cult or mainstream failure?
1100-1115: Break
1115-1215: Panel 2: Audience
Chair: Joan Ormrod
Cameron Fletcher: “Amateur” Hour
R.Finn: Using a webcomic comment thread to gauge reader experience
1215-1300: Lunch
1300-1415: Panel 3: Gender & Sexuality
Chair: Carolene Ayaka
Louisa Parker: Small Story – Big Picture
Laura A. Pearson: Nina Bunjevac’s “Alternative” Catwoman in ‘Bitter Tears of Zorka Petrovic’
Mihaela Precup: ‘It came from Alpha Centaur looking for love’: The Mutant and Non-human Body in Denis Kitchen’s Bizarre Sex (1972-1982)
1415-1430: Break
1430-1545: Panel 4: Graphixia
Brenna Clarke Gray, Damon Herd, Hattie Kennedy, Ernesto Priego, Peter Wilkins and David N Wright: Small is the New Big: The Comics Criticism Blog as Small Press
1550-1620: Comics Forum Developments
1700-1830: Comics Art Book Launch (Venue: Travelling Man Leeds)
1830: Conference Dinner
DAY 2: 22/11/2013
0900-0930: Registration
0930-0945: Opening Remarks
0945-1045: Panel 5: Authorship
Chair: Julia Round
Ian Horton: Dave Sim’s Cerebus the Aardvark: Self-publishing, the Direct Market and Creative Freedom
Christopher J. Thompson: Comix Narrative Parody: Hunt Emerson’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner
1045-1100: Break
1100-1215: Panel 6: Art
Chair: Simon Grennan
Gareth Brookes: Small Press Comics and Fine Art
Paddy Johnston: From Random House to Rehab: Julia Wertz and the Small Press
Dan Smith: Revisiting Donald Parsnips’ Daily Journal
1215-1300: Lunch
1300-1400: Panel 7: Politics
Chair: Hattie Kennedy
Aysel Demir: Political Humor is Absolutely a “Serious” Job!
John Miers: Metaphor, financial crisis, and the small press
1400-1415: Break
1415-1515: Panel 8: Communication
Chair: Ian Horton
John G. Swogger: Underground Archaeology: Comics as alternative agents of professional discourse
Lydia Wysocki, Jack Fallows and Mike Thompson: Epic themes in awesome ways, or how we made Asteroid Belter: The Newcastle Science Comic
1515-1530: Break
1530-1630: Keynote: Paul Gravett in conversation with Roger Sabin
1630-1645: Closing Remarks
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Registration fees this year are as follows:
1 day pass (21st or 22nd): £10
2 day pass (21st and 22nd): £20
4 day pass (two day Comics Forum pass + 2 day Thought Bubble Convention pass (SRP £22)): £35 (save £7!)
To register, simply email comicsforum@hotmail.co.uk with the phrase ‘CF2013 Registration’ in your subject line and tell us your name and how many tickets you’d like.
* * *
Comics Forum 2013 is supported by: Thought Bubble, the University of Chichester, Routledge, Travelling Man, Dr Mel Gibson and Molakoe.
Discounted books:
In addition to sponsoring Comics Forum 2013, Routledge are offering Comics Forum readers and attendees a 20% on their comic-related titles, including pre-orders! To see the full range of discounted books, click here.
Comics Forum 2013 Keynote and Book Launch
Paul Gravett (Image © Peter Stanbury)
Comics Forum is proud to announce that the keynote event for our 2013 conference ‘Small Press and Undergrounds: A Conference on Comics’ will be Paul Gravett in conversation with Roger Sabin. A key figure in British comics, Paul’s career started in 1981 when he launched the Fast Fiction stall at Westminster Comics Mart. The stall was one of the major intersections between the British small press and the European bande dessinée scene. Paul later went on to work for Pssst!, and subsequently launched with Peter Stanbury the important anthology Escape, which again marked up the importance of bande dessinée in its artistic style and approach to comics, as well as including early comics work by noted creators such as Eddie Campbell, Neil Gaiman, Myra Hancock, Rian Hughes, Dave McKean and Carol Swain. Paul has played a major role in the British comic scene ever since, promoting creators and talents, and finding spaces for comics in locations and communities where they might not otherwise have been seen. Paul’s latest book Comics Art is published in November 2013 by Tate. Roger Sabin is a journalist and academic who has written for The Guardian, The Independent and New Statesman. He is now Reader in Popular Culture at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design. He is the author of Adult Comics: An Introduction, a significant cultural history of comics, and Comics, Comix and Graphic Novels: A History of Comic Art, which takes an international look at the medium of comics. Paul Gravett in conversation with Roger Sabin will take place on Friday afternoon and bring Comics Forum 2013 to a close.
Roger Sabin; photo by Alberto García Marcos – used with permission.
But wait! There’s more!
On the evening of the 21st of November (Comics Forum 2013 day 1), Comics Forum will be partnering with Travelling Man Leeds to present a book launch for Paul Gravett’s Comics Art. The launch will take place at Travelling Man from 1700-1830 and Paul Gravett will give a short introduction to the book. All welcome; see you there!
To find out more about Comics Forum 2013’s full line-up of speakers, and to register for a place at the conference, see https://comicsforum.org/comics-forum-2013/.
Comics Forum 2013 is supported by: Thought Bubble, the University of Chichester, Routledge, Travelling Man, Dr Mel Gibson and Molakoe.
Comics Forum 