The Essential Pocket Guide to Japanese Pop Culture. Manga comics and art are now ubiquitous, but how much do you actually know about the artists, writers and publishers of some of the most beloved comics in the world? A Brief History of Manga is the only concise book of its kind to provide a snapshot of the past years of this sequential art form. Filled with anecdotes, quotes, facts and figures, the title gives any manga fan a host of new areas to explore. Containing everything you need to know, from Akira to Mazinger Z, it is fully illustrated with colour examples of manga and photos of the creators behind them. It also has a quick reference timeline running throughout, featuring key publication dates, historical events and the births and deaths of the biggest names in manga art. Written by one of the West's most renowned and respected anime and manga experts, this book is an authoritative and essential guide - a crash course on the world's most prevalent and popular art form.

Helen McCarthy is one of the west's most distinguished manga experts. The Harvey- award-winning biographer of Osamu Tezuka, she is regularly interviewed in the mass media abour manga, curated a Tezuka exhibition at London's Barbican Centre, and - the ultimate compliment - has seen her work translated back into Japanese.