ABSTRACT
As we move further into a future age of globalization of cultures, my experiences have shown me that an idea may start in one place—but will most assuredly migrate to another place that may be around the corner or the other far flung side of the planet. Once the idea arrives where it is going, someone will seek to give their unique take on the concept, striving to make the idea their own. With ideas, things always seem different on the surface, maybe even completely alien and incomprehensible. Most stay away, but there are those who will scratch at it and dig deeper and find themselves amazed in wonder and crave more; we are all engaged in a revolving door of culture whether we know it or not. An idea sparked in your mind most likely came from one sparked in someone else’s and so forth and so on. On the forefront of this is manga, a style of comic book illustration that started on the island nation of Japan. Manga has spread the world over and influenced countless creations outside its place of origin. Only recently, though, have the contributions of manga artists from outside Japan started to gain recognition. As an American manga artist, I know this all too well. Here I will relate my personal experiences as an artist, writer, and publisher of manga, and show why there is indeed manga from beyond Japan.
