Cartooning, Comics, and Manga

Manga history dates back to 1814 — the Japanese artist Hokusai first used the word to describe his books of "whimsical sketches."

Osamu Tezuka can be credited as the artist who invented manga as we now know it. He defined the storytelling style and imagery and helped manga to cross geographical and cultural boundaries.

A big reason for manga's popularity is its universal appeal — there's a type of manga for everyone. Shonen, Shojo, Seinen, Komodo — whatever your age, background, or interests, there's a manga for you!

Anime, not to be confused with manga, is the Western-adopted word for Japanese style animation.

Manga, literally translated as "involuntary" pictures, has really come to mean "comic" or "graphic novel." In the West, the term refers specifically to Japanese style comics.

Shonen is manga for boys. Expect action adventure, and giant robots. Shojo describes a highly popular manga style. Shojo manga can best be translated as "manga for girls."

Pen and marker papers have an extremely smooth surface, the ideal finish for a medium in which sharp lines and transitions are needed. The paper is sized to resist absorption of color, to prevent lines from bleeding.