Has the influx of manga hindered how people might perceive comic stories by Asian Americans?
I really don’t know. I think Bryan Lee O’Malley and Derek Kirk Kim have done a great job of creating their own aesthetics, which may be influenced by manga but which serve their own stories beautifully on their own terms. Have some people not picked up these books because they don’t like manga? Or have the books sold more than they otherwise would because manga fans jumped on them? I don’t know the stats — I have no idea. All I know is that their books are awesome. What kind of insight can you give other teachers and librarians who may be reading this in regards to what comic stories by Asian American creators can bring to their classrooms and library collections? First and foremost, I’d recommend Stan Sakai’s work. It’s great storytelling for all ages and educators might appreciate the fact that it’s meticulously researched — even though all the characters are talking animals, they’re living in feudal Japan and their adventures parallel traditional legends, fairy tales, and actual his
