BY CATHERINE KYLE Human relationships with nonhuman entities are a prominent motif in Osamu Tezuka’s manga. From Metropolis (Metoroporisu, 1949) and Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atomu, 1952-1968) to Kimba the White Lion (Junguru taitei, 1950-54), nonhuman characters play significant roles both thematically and narratologically, be they mammalian or mechanical. As Susanne Phillipps observes, these characters … Continue reading
BY CATHERINE KYLE In Skim, a 2008 graphic narrative written by Toronto-based author Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by her cousin Jillian Tamaki, the emotional and intellectual development of the protagonist hinges on the risks she is willing to take in matters of romantic attraction. Prior to her first brush with love, 16-year-old Kim is largely … Continue reading
BY BRIDGET G. DOOLEY Gene Luen Yang’s comic novels Boxers and Saints, two stories that occur simultaneously on opposite sides of China’s Boxer Rebellion, are narratives embedded in one another: Bao, the central figure in Boxers, appears as a secondary character in Saints, a work that revolves around the Christian Vibiana (né Four-Girl). She, in … Continue reading
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