Author: ahorbinski

Manga’s First Century out next week in North America + events!

/ ahorbinski

Manga’s First Century is out next Tuesday, October 28, in North America, and copies are starting to ship from warehouses. You can still preorder a copy!

For those who have read the book, please do consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews help the book get noticed by the algorithm so that more people can find out about its existence.

For those with tight budgets (and isn’t that all of us these days), please do consider requesting your local library purchase the book for their collection. A purchase request means the book will be available to everyone in your library system and beyond.

Events!

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be doing an AMA on r/askhistorians next Wednesday, October 29. Starting at 9am Eastern, you can ask me your questions about manga history and I’ll respond over the course of the day.

I’ll also be giving a book talk in Brussels in the last week of November, and I’ll probably be doing some more events in the Bay Area in winter 2026. Stay tuned!

Manga’s First Century: The reviews are in!

/ ahorbinski

Well, two of them anyway.

Publishers Weekly called the book “a vivid ode to the variety and depth of an enduringly popular art form” in their positive review.

And this past week Kirkus Reviews published a very positive review, calling it, “Deeply considered and information rich, a useful, fascinating work of comics history.”

I was also interviewed for this piece on NPR and this piece on DW.com, both about Gen Z protestors and the One Piece flag.

BayCon 2025 (/ Westercon 77)

/ ahorbinski

I’ll be at BayCon 2025 in Santa Clara this weekend! My panel “There’s a Hell of a Good Universe Next Door: Unstoppable Isekai” is tomorrow (Saturday, July 5) at 11:30 am (with a special appearance from a surprise GoH), and I’ve just agreed to join “The Long Haul: When It Takes Years to Write a Book” at 20:00. Hope to see you there!

Also, last month I was quoted in this Metro UK story on Watashi ga mita mirai.

Mechademia conference 2025

/ ahorbinski

I’m delighted as ever to be back at the Mechademia conference in Kyoto next week. As I continue slowly working towards a new project, I’ll be talking about “What’s the Matter with Comiket? Uncovering Early Strife in the Dōjinshi Sphere, 1975-1985.” According to the latest version of the schedule, this will be on Saturday, June 7, at Kyoto Seika University. Hope to see you there!

Events

/ ahorbinski

Books with Pictures, Portland, OR – 31 May 2026

Anime Expo, Los Angeles, CA – 2 July 2026

Worldcon, Anaheim, CA – 27-31 August 2026

World Fantasy 2026, Oakland, CA – 22-25 October 2026

I’ll keep this page updated as more events are scheduled.

Want me to come to your area? Talk to an organization or an event that can invite me!

Manga’s First Century preorders available now!

/ ahorbinski

I’m delighted to announce that Manga’s First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905-1989 is now available for preorder at retailers worldwide! It’s available in paperback, ebook, and hardcover, although the hardcover is priced (and intended) for academic libraries. The paperback first printing also includes 12 pages of full-color images, which will probably never be reprinted again.

BCNM 20th Anniversary Alumni Conference

/ ahorbinski

I’m delighted to say that I’ll be speaking at the Berkeley Center for New Media’s 20th Anniversary Alumni Conference, held in-person at Berkeley on April 10-11. I’ll be speaking on the Race and Popular Culture panel and on the alt-ac panel on Thursday, April 10. My talk is titled “Whose Manga Is It Anyway?: Race and Creativity in the Development & Historiography of Japanese Comics.”

You can view more information about the conference and register to attend (it’s free!) on the conference page. Hope to see you there!

Cinema Scope podcast: An Anime Odyssey

/ ahorbinski

A few months back, Rayna Denison and I appeared on the Cinema Scope podcast to discuss 10 influential anime films from throughout anime’s history with host Andy Nelson. It was a very good conversation, and I’m sorry that book revisions have meant such a delay in my sharing it here. The video is embedded below, and you can find downloads and more info at the podcast page.