Stan Lee -
Anime
Convention Personality of the Week - July 1, 2007
The
previous week's personality, a Japanese animator, said he liked
American comics and wanted to try drawing in that style after being
influenced by what he called "the other side." One of the major reasons
that so many Japanese artists are interested in American comic art and
storytelling is Stan Lee. In the 1960's, Lee's work at Marvel Comics
helped bring a new sense of drama to a genre that had been flattened by
the rules of the Comics Code Authority. Lee's storytelling strategy was
much like the way that manga was created: put ordinary people in
extraordinary circumstances and give them real-world troubles to solve
along with needing to save the world. The books that resulted from that
concept were considered a revolution in that era, and impressed some of
Japan's greatest artists. Legendary creators such as Go Nagai and Osama
Tezuka met Lee when he traveled to Japan. And, manga artists who have
proven themselves in the Japanese style have insisted on getting a
chance to create works in the Marvel universe. Tsutomu Nihei, creator
of Blame, jumped at the opportunity to create a Wolverine comic for
Marvel. Kia Asamiya, with remarkable works like Silent Moebius, has
drawn an X-Men story for American audiences. Even American artists best
known for their work in the manga style, artists such as Philip Moy and
Robert DeJesus, have created Marvel works.
The
previous week's personality, a Japanese animator, said he liked
American comics and wanted to try drawing in that style after being
influenced by what he called "the other side." One of the major reasons
that so many Japanese artists are interested in American comic art and
storytelling is Stan Lee. In the 1960's, Lee's work at Marvel Comics
helped bring a new sense of drama to a genre that had been flattened by
the rules of the Comics Code Authority. Lee's storytelling strategy was
much like the way that manga was created: put ordinary people in
extraordinary circumstances and give them real-world troubles to solve
along with needing to save the world. The books that resulted from that
concept were considered a revolution in that era, and impressed some of
Japan's greatest artists. Legendary creators such as Go Nagai and Osama
Tezuka met Lee when he traveled to Japan. And, manga artists who have
proven themselves in the Japanese style have insisted on getting a
chance to create works in the Marvel universe. Tsutomu Nihei, creator
of Blame, jumped at the opportunity to create a Wolverine comic for
Marvel. Kia Asamiya, with remarkable works like Silent Moebius, has
drawn an X-Men story for American audiences. Even American artists best
known for their work in the manga style, artists such as Philip Moy and
Robert DeJesus, have created Marvel works.