Manga Mania

As a topic for obsessive study, manga can be as daunting as Hong Kong cinema, and ardent fans do not suffer fools. Thank God for Jason Thompson, a longtime manga editor who is able to simultaneously appeal to the staunch, convention-going otaku in a Sailor Moon costume and the wannabe clutching an Astro Boy reprint. His encyclopedia Manga: The Complete Guide has a sufficiently bold title, and as far as we can tell it's a masterpiece (we side with the wannabes when it comes to Japanese exports). He also helmed "How Manga Conquered the U.S.," a graphic guide to the art form that appeared a few months ago in Wired. Tonight, he presents his all-new, illustrated lecture Manga Conquers America: The Whole Story, and afterward conducts a Q&A about his life in the trenches with other contributors to the book.
Thu., Dec. 6, 7 p.m., 2007