Wednesday, 26 June 2019 at 4:30 pm – Wednesday, 26 June 2019 at 5:30 pm

Paul Gravett Keynote: The ‘Outside’ World: Isolationism and Interconnectedness in Comics Cultures

Date: Wednesday 26th June 2019

Time: 4.30pm – 5.30pm

Location: Geoffrey Manton Building, Rosamond St West, Manchester Met

Tickets: £5 – Available here.

In our high-speed, highly connected, ‘borderless’ world, it’s easy to forget that export, exchange and trade have always been part of the global industries of comics.

Since its early newspaper strips began to be syndicated abroad over a century ago, America has long been the most enterprising, if not aggressive exporter of its cartoon properties worldwide. However Britain, France and other centres of comics’ production were also proactive in seeking fresh markets for their products. Even a nation as largely self-isolating for several centuries as Japan owes much in the modern forms of manga to crucial connections with the West.

Manga has evolved in response to its eventual huge success abroad in translation, adjusting from a medium targeted mainly at its own local readership to one increasingly aware of appealing, at least in part, to international audiences.

Paul Gravett explores how the big three – American comics, Franco-Belgian bande dessinée and Japanese manga – as well as other players have been determined to spread their sales abroad and also receptive, in the end, to enriching external content and influences. The more interconnected comics cultures become, is
it more likely that specific national styles, themes and schools are set to vanish and for a stateless,  nternationalist ‘world comics’ style to emerge?

About The International Graphics Novel conference

The International Graphics Novel conference will take place at Manchester Metropolitan University from 24th to 28th June 2019. Our theme this year is Storyworlds and Transmedia Universes. Visit our website for further information.

Organising Committee:

Joan Ormrod: J.ormrod@mmu.ac.uk
Matthew Screech: m.screech@mmu.ac.uk
David Huxley davidhuxley@gmail.com
Chris Murray C.Murray@dundee.ac.uk
Julia Round jround@bournemouth.ac.uk
Laurence Grove Laurence.Grove@glasgow.ac.uk

The Wednesday will be a public and pracitioner day, which all are welcome to attend. To see our full day schedule, please click here.

Manchester Metropolitan University is committed to disability equality. If you have any access requirements, please let us know via 0161 247 6740 or email us at lucy.simpson@mmu.ac.uk before you arrive to help us to make sure that your visit to the event is as enjoyable as possible.

For more information, please contact:

Lucy Simpson · lucy.simpson@mmu.ac.uk

Book Tickets

RAH! - Research in Arts and Humanities