Stories of Modern Manga Kickstarter Launched
A pair of passionate French journalists, with a specialization in manga and comics, wish to create an innovative book which delves into the rich history of Japanese comics.
A book for rookies AND for die-hard manga fans !
STORIES OF MODERN MANGA, 1952-2012 will review the 60 years following Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy.
It will be a 60 double page-spread, each double page representative of the year: with the left page dedicated to the most important events in Japan and manga industry, and the right page focused on a mangaka who achieved fame through a milestone manga published that year.
With multi-reading options offered by the double-page layout, STORIES OF MODERN MANGA will be a
book for both manga devotees and neophytes alike. It will also feature exclusive documents obtained
during the trip to Japan, including several photos of studio visits and interviews.
The team behind the book
Having worked in the manga field for over a decade, Matthieu Pinon and Laurent Lefebvre have always
dreamt of an accessible book about manga history, because the likes of such a book do not currently
exist in a western language.
Assisting with the book's writing process is: Olivia Gilmore, Image Archivist at the NYC Guggenheim. Assisting with the book's drawings is: French illustrator Nico Hitori De, published in the USA (Spell Checkers, Oni Press). With this team, Matthieu Pinon and Laurent Lefebvre are working to reach a wider community of manga readers through the launching of a Kickstarter project.
About the Kickstarter campain
Starting Wednesday, April 2nd 2014 and for the remaining 30 days, the campaign aims to reach the $18k
the team will need to print and ship approximately 1,000 copies of this book in full color. The main purpose of this project is to make the manga culture affordable: in addition to discounts for two-books
packs, Matthieu's trip will be recorded and commented on a private section of their website with Realtime access for any backer who contributes $5.00 or more.
The project is supported and praised by several veterans of the industry !
Frederik L. Schodt, award-winning writer, author of "Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics":
« The "60 Years of Manga" project looks very interesting and promising. I like the idea of a year-by-year
approach and also the layout. ».
Cedric Littardi, founder of the anime movement in France:
“In the western world, the universe of manga still seems oftentimes closed, like it is the property by a
ghetto of fans who know extremely well some portions of it without seeing any big picture. This perfect
research project will provide manga readers with a perspective over the history of what they are reading,
as it will also allow newcomers to discover the universe in a fun, trivia-based but also very meaningful
way. I have known Matthieu and Laurent for years and their strong experience make them trustworthy
people to pursue this great idea of theirs.”
http://www.project6060.net
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/project6060/1952-2012-stories-of-modern-manga
