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A review by colophonphile
Bat-Manga!: The Secret History of Batman in Japan by Chip Kidd
Continuing a bout of re-reading. Jiro Kuwata was already a well-known figure in Japan when he hired on to adapt America's Batman for a manga audience. In an interview in this book, he says he pretty much read and then discarded with much of Bob Kane's stories, trying to craft something with the domestic readership in mind.
Some four decades later, the work would be re-discovered by Chip Kidd (in a circuitous manner that's a good story unto its own).
The book is a lot of fun, especially because it provides a kind of Rosetta Stone moment for American manga readers. Not exactly the direct translation tool provided by the actual Rosetta Stone, but there's a lesson to be had here in seeing how Japanese creators "see" American comics, giving how long we in America have been gaining a perspective on Japanese comics.
Some four decades later, the work would be re-discovered by Chip Kidd (in a circuitous manner that's a good story unto its own).
The book is a lot of fun, especially because it provides a kind of Rosetta Stone moment for American manga readers. Not exactly the direct translation tool provided by the actual Rosetta Stone, but there's a lesson to be had here in seeing how Japanese creators "see" American comics, giving how long we in America have been gaining a perspective on Japanese comics.