MANGA BOOK CLUB HANDBOOK Starting and making the most of book clubs for manga! STAFF COMIC Director’sBOOK LEGAL Note Charles Brownstein, Executive Director DEFENSE FUND Alex Cox, Deputy Director Everything is changing in 2016, yet the familiar challenges of the past continueBetsy to Gomez, Editorial Director reverberate with great force. This isn’t just true in the broader world, but in comics,Maren Williams, Contributing Editor Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization Caitlin McCabe, Contributing Editor too. While the boundaries defining representation and content in free expression are protectingexpanding, wethe continue freedom to see to biasedread comics!or outmoded Our viewpoints work protects stifling those advances.Robert Corn-Revere, Legal Counsel readers, creators, librarians, retailers, publishers, and educa- STAFF As you’ll see in this issue of CBLDF Defender, we are working on both ends of the Charles Brownstein, Executive Director torsspectrum who byface providing the threat vital educationof censorship. about the We people monitor whose worklegislation expanded free exBOARD- Alex OF Cox, DIRECTORS Deputy Director pression while simultaneously fighting all attempts to censor creative work in comics.Larry Marder,Betsy Gomez, President Editorial Director and challenge laws that would limit the First Amendment. Maren Williams, Contributing Editor In this issue, we work the former end of the spectrum with a pair of articles spotlightMilton- Griepp, Vice President We create resources that promote understanding of com- Jeff Abraham,Caitlin McCabe,Treasurer Contributing Editor ing the pioneers who advanced diverse content. On page 10, “Profiles in Black Cartoon- Dale Cendali,Robert SecretaryCorn-Revere, Legal Counsel icsing” and introduces the rights you toour some community of the cartoonists is guaranteed. who used comics Every to express day, themselves Jennifer L. Holm weabout publish the African-American news and information experience in about the harsh censorship racial climate events of the United StatesReginald BOARD Hudlin OF DIRECTORS in the 20th Century. “She Changed Comics,” on page 7, introduces CBLDF’s upcoming Larry Marder, President as they happen. We are partners in the Kids’ Right to Read KatherineMilton Keller Griepp, Vice President Projectbook, which and willBanned tell the Books story of Week.how women Our changed expert free legal expression team isin comics. Paul LevitzJeff Abraham, Treasurer In our lead interview, “Black Comics Matter,” entertainment luminary and CBLDFChristina Dale Merkler Cendali, Secretary availableBoard Member at a moment’sReginald Hudlin notice discusses to respond how times to have First changed Amend for- Black creatorsChris PowellJennifer L. Holm Jeff SmithReginald Hudlin mentsince emergencies.he started making CBLDF comics, and is he a shareslean organizationhis thoughts on how that much works further we still Katherine Keller hardhave to to go.protect His interview the rights starts that on page our 8. community depends on. For Paul Levitz moreThere information, may be no surer visit sign http://cbldf.org of the obstacles facing diverse content than the fact thatADVISORY Christina BOARD Merkler Neil GaimanChris Powell& Denis Kitchen, Co-Chairs books of that type are banned and challenged more often than any other. On page 6, we Jeff Smith preview Banned Books Week’s spotlight on diversity and how you can get involved.Susan Alston Matt Groening Unfortunately, book censorship is still a vast problem that happens throughout the ADVISORY BOARD Chip KiddNeil Gaiman & Denis Kitchen, Co-Chairs year. In our news section, we’ll tell you aboutCBLDF’s our most importantrecent cases, starting with meJim- Lee Susan Alston dia attacks on the Caldecott honoree Thiswork One Summeris made by Jillian possible and Mariko Tamaki,Frenchy MattLunning Groening attacks that vilified the book and led to its wrongful restriction in three high schoolFrank MillerChip Kidd by our members! Jim Lee libraries. Find out how CBLDF fought to get that valuable book back on the shelf Louiseon NemschoffFrenchy Lunning the next page. Join the fight today! Mike RichardsonFrank Miller All of this work is possible because of public support. If you value any of these efforts,William LouiseSchanes Nemschoff José VillarrubiaMike Richardson please take a moment to become a member of the CBLDF. You’ll see the rewards we William Schanes http://cbldf.myshopify Bob Wayne created to thank you on page 15, including t-shirts, stickers, and other items featuring José Villarrubia E Peter WelchBob Wayne T Craig Thompson’s beautiful member art. .com/collections Peter Welch A 2016 is a turning point. We hope you’ll join/memberships us in making it a change towards moreCREDITS N inclusive free expression in comics by supporting our important work today! CREDITS Betsy Gomez, Designer and Editor ! Betsy Gomez, Designer and Editor O Y —Charles Brownstein, Executive DirectorEva Volin,Caitlin Contributor McCabe, Contributor D A Deb Aoki,Maren Contributor Williams, Contributor D Lauren Bullock, Contributor CBLDF thanks our Guardian Members: Cover Williamart from H. Evans,Naruto, Contributor © and ™ VIZ O Omar Holmon, Contributor T James WoodCBLDF Bailey, thanks Grant Geissman,our Guardian and PhilipMembers: Harvey Media, LLC. Cover and interior art Lesliecourtesy Light, Contributor VIZ Media. James Wood Bailey, Grant Geissman, and Philip Harvey Defender logo designed by Brian Wood. CBLDF’s education program made CBLDF is recognizedCover art by theJimmie IRS asRobinson. a 501(c)3 CBLDF’s education program made possible with the not-for-profit organization. Donations are tax- possible with the generous support deductibleCBLDF to is the recognized fullest extentby the IRS allowed as a 501(c)3 generous support of the Gaiman Foundation by not-for-profitlaw in the year organization. they are Donationsgiven. are tax- of the Gaiman Foundation deductible to the fullest extent allowed and supporters like you! ©2016 Comic byBook law inLegal the year Defense they are Fund given. and and supporters like you! ©2016respective Comic Book authors. Legal Defense Fund and respective authors. CORPORATECorporate Members MEMBERS Introduction Japanese comics, or manga, began making their way stateside in the 1970s, and in recent years, the format has seen exponential growth in terms of sales and popularity. A simple visit to the graphic novel section of your local book store or library reveals that a lot of shelf space is allotted to manga. There’s a reason chain stores like Barnes and Noble are doubling their graphic novel sections: the demand for manga is massive! What does manga offer? Quite literally, there is manga available for every type of reader, from the youngest early reader to the most sophisticated adult reader. Whether you’re looking for comedy, complex science fiction, period drama, historical mem- oir, psychological thrillers, horror, romance, or coming of age stories, there’s all this and more. And it’s not just “kid stuff” — there are manga as elaborate and engrossing as the most acclaimed classic prose. What are some types of book clubs? Book clubs can be held in a variety of places and run by a variety of individu- als. The tips and guidelines offered in this handbook are most applicable to graphic novel book clubs held in the following locations: h Libraries (curated by library staff or by an outside individual) h Schools (independent, non-compulsory programs curated by teachers, students, or parents) h Retail comic and book stores (curated by store employees or members of the community) Why start a manga book club? The reasons to start a manga book club go beyond simply sharing the format we love with the people around us. For librarians, a manga book club is anoth- er avenue to reach the wider community, an opportunity to engage longtime and new patrons alike. Manga can be especially attractive to younger audi- ences and reluctant readers. You’ll see increased circulation of manga (and by extension, graphic novels and other books), as well as more community engagement as you tap into an audience that isn’t always served by libraries. For educators, manga can be an amazing tool for making life-long readers, engaging reluctant readers, and assisting struggling students. For new and re- luctant readers, manga are less daunting than prose and more likely to be read. For advanced readers, they offer a novel and expansive reading experience. In the context of a book club, manga can help students build reading, discussion, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills that will benefit them throughout their lives. For retailers, a manga book club can strengthen your ties to the com- munity and bring in new customers. Even if you don’t run the book club yourself, you can partner with your local library and schools to provide books and to host offsite meetings, which can generate new manga fans and increase your sales. Whatever your motivation, a book club is a great way to engage your community with manga and to reach new audiences! Assassination Classroom (VIZ) 2 | Manga Book Club Handbook Know Your Manga A (Very) Brief History of Manga The roots of manga lie within a thousand years of Japanese art and printmaking culture. Some of the earliest examples of Japanese se- quential storytelling date back to religious scrolls from the 11th and 12th centuries. The term manga was coined in the early 19th century by Katsushika Hokusai, who used the word to describe the “whimsical pictures” in his long-running instructional series. The term wasn’t applied to Japanese comics as we know them until the early 20th century. Modern manga began to emerge in the 1920s and 1930s with the children’s magazines Shonen Club (for boys) and Shojo Club (for girls). The popular comic series that ran in the magazines were col- lected into hardcover books. The interest in sequential storytelling — and indeed the skills of several manga artists — was also fueled by kamishibai, or paper theatre shows that employed a series of painted panels to tell a story.