A different kind of cultural frame: An analysis of panels in American comics and Japanese manga

The growing interest and influence of Japanese manga (“comics”) in America has inspired comparisons between the properties of the two cultures’ graphic systems. Various theories have hinted to the existence of structural variation between these cultures’ books, yet little quantitative data has serve...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Neil Cohn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven 2011-03-01
Series:Image & Narrative
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.imageandnarrative.be/index.php/imagenarrative/article/view/128
Description
Summary:The growing interest and influence of Japanese manga (“comics”) in America has inspired comparisons between the properties of the two cultures’ graphic systems. Various theories have hinted to the existence of structural variation between these cultures’ books, yet little quantitative data has served to support these claims. This study seeks to provide empirical evidence for these cross-cultural theories by examining 300 panels in each of twelve American and twelve Japanese comic books. It examines 1) how they highlight amounts of information, 2) their depiction of subjective viewpoints, and 3) the angle of view taken by their representations.
ISSN:1780-678X