Eike Exner
@eikeexner.com
アイケ・エクスナ
Striphistoricus writing on Japanese comics and the history of the comics medium.
eikeexner.com/books
- Comics and the Origins of Manga
(Rutgers UP, 2021)
- Manga: A New History of Japanese Comics
(Yale UP, 2025)
Striphistoricus writing on Japanese comics and the history of the comics medium.
eikeexner.com/books
- Comics and the Origins of Manga
(Rutgers UP, 2021)
- Manga: A New History of Japanese Comics
(Yale UP, 2025)
Pinned
Eike Exner
@eikeexner.com
· Oct 30
Manga
A groundbreaking story of Japanese comics from their nineteenth-century origins to the present day The immensely popular art form of manga, or Japanese co...
yalebooks.yale.edu
Someone already noticed and posted about this elsewhere, so I guess it's time to announce that I've been spending the past three years working on a comprehensive history of manga that traces the development of comics in Japan from the introduction of pantomime cartoons to smartphone apps. Pls buy?
Actually blurted out "fuck yeah, thank you!" when he said this
Mamdani: For too long, those fluent in the good grammar of civility have deployed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty
January 1, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Actually blurted out "fuck yeah, thank you!" when he said this
Reposted by Eike Exner
Mamdani: For too long, those fluent in the good grammar of civility have deployed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty
January 1, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Mamdani: For too long, those fluent in the good grammar of civility have deployed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty
Poems submitted by readers to Shonen Kurabu around 1937 that all reference Norakuro (1931-41), protagonist of the magazine's most popular comic strip.
December 30, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Poems submitted by readers to Shonen Kurabu around 1937 that all reference Norakuro (1931-41), protagonist of the magazine's most popular comic strip.
Reposted by Eike Exner
昭和12年ごろ『少年倶楽部』に投稿された滑稽和歌には、のらくらが出てくるものがいくつもあり人気ぶりが良くわかる（和歌だけに）
December 30, 2025 at 8:35 AM
昭和12年ごろ『少年倶楽部』に投稿された滑稽和歌には、のらくらが出てくるものがいくつもあり人気ぶりが良くわかる（和歌だけに）
True for academic books as well, unfortunately.
Fun fact: almost no trade nonfiction books are fact-checked. Unless the author is a rare one who wants to (and can) pay for it out-of-pocket, your favorite books hit the presses full of whatever errors the author may have made. And everyone makes some.
December 28, 2025 at 2:12 PM
True for academic books as well, unfortunately.
Reposted by Eike Exner
We didn't survive and thrive as a species because we had warriors or hunters - pretty much every omnivore can manage that.
We did so because we developed Grandmothers, and domesticated Dogs.
Community is what defines us as a species, and every "self-reliant" libertarian shitweasel be damned.
We did so because we developed Grandmothers, and domesticated Dogs.
Community is what defines us as a species, and every "self-reliant" libertarian shitweasel be damned.
"my least woke opinion is---"
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
December 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM
We didn't survive and thrive as a species because we had warriors or hunters - pretty much every omnivore can manage that.
We did so because we developed Grandmothers, and domesticated Dogs.
Community is what defines us as a species, and every "self-reliant" libertarian shitweasel be damned.
We did so because we developed Grandmothers, and domesticated Dogs.
Community is what defines us as a species, and every "self-reliant" libertarian shitweasel be damned.
Reposted by Eike Exner
*Content Warning*
Dammit kids get off YouTube and go outside and play! When I was your age we were outside the whole day!
Outside:
Dammit kids get off YouTube and go outside and play! When I was your age we were outside the whole day!
Outside:
December 28, 2025 at 1:43 PM
*Content Warning*
Dammit kids get off YouTube and go outside and play! When I was your age we were outside the whole day!
Outside:
Dammit kids get off YouTube and go outside and play! When I was your age we were outside the whole day!
Outside:
Reposted by Eike Exner
oh brother, another bad post from political influencer beltway brian. i am furious at beltway brian all of the time. i share screencaps of beltway brian's posts with people who have no idea who he is. i hate all of beltway brian's posts and i read all of them every single day, including weekends
December 27, 2025 at 5:47 PM
oh brother, another bad post from political influencer beltway brian. i am furious at beltway brian all of the time. i share screencaps of beltway brian's posts with people who have no idea who he is. i hate all of beltway brian's posts and i read all of them every single day, including weekends
Apparently the Asahi Shinbun used "AI" in the photo colorization process but it's not clear what the "AI" step is contributing. Based on the example it seems like it would have been more efficient to let experts handle the process from the beginning.
December 27, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Apparently the Asahi Shinbun used "AI" in the photo colorization process but it's not clear what the "AI" step is contributing. Based on the example it seems like it would have been more efficient to let experts handle the process from the beginning.
Reposted by Eike Exner
The only thing ChatGPT ever does.
August 14, 2025 at 7:35 PM
The only thing ChatGPT ever does.
Reposted by Eike Exner
Cleaning my room, I discovered a booklet featuring an introduction to and interview with Stan Lee, supplement of “Jump SQ II” June/2008 issu.
Around this time in Japan, a manga collaboration between Stan and Hiroyuki Takei, titled “ULTIMO” had just published, and this booklet commemorated that.
Around this time in Japan, a manga collaboration between Stan and Hiroyuki Takei, titled “ULTIMO” had just published, and this booklet commemorated that.
December 26, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Cleaning my room, I discovered a booklet featuring an introduction to and interview with Stan Lee, supplement of “Jump SQ II” June/2008 issu.
Around this time in Japan, a manga collaboration between Stan and Hiroyuki Takei, titled “ULTIMO” had just published, and this booklet commemorated that.
Around this time in Japan, a manga collaboration between Stan and Hiroyuki Takei, titled “ULTIMO” had just published, and this booklet commemorated that.
we're doing word-of-mouth and we're doing it very strongly, when someone told me "word-of-mouth" I said wow what a beautiful word
December 26, 2025 at 8:47 PM
we're doing word-of-mouth and we're doing it very strongly, when someone told me "word-of-mouth" I said wow what a beautiful word
Always fascinating to see curators/museums try to sell their pre-1900 Japan holdings by tying these to manga. Somewhere in the fine print will be an admission that these holdings are not connected to Japanese comics, while a flood of imagery instills the exact opposite impression in visitors.
⛩️🌸 AVANT LES MANGA
Estelle Bauer, co-commissaire, nous guide au cœur de la section "Avant les Manga".
‼️ La section "Avant les Manga" fermera ses portes le 26 janvier.
youtu.be/W9QyMZx7Jvo
Estelle Bauer, co-commissaire, nous guide au cœur de la section "Avant les Manga".
‼️ La section "Avant les Manga" fermera ses portes le 26 janvier.
youtu.be/W9QyMZx7Jvo
AVANT LES MANGA : Visite de l'exposition "Manga. Tout un art !"
⛩️🌸 AVANT LES MANGA
Bien avant la fin du 19e siècle, le Japon développait déjà une culture visuelle foisonnante où récits en images, humour, fantastique, scènes de combat et goût du mouvement…
youtu.be
December 26, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Always fascinating to see curators/museums try to sell their pre-1900 Japan holdings by tying these to manga. Somewhere in the fine print will be an admission that these holdings are not connected to Japanese comics, while a flood of imagery instills the exact opposite impression in visitors.
Reposted by Eike Exner
And to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, but was relaunched in Ultimate Tiny Tim #1, which takes place after Amazing Tiny Tim #332 and All-New Tiny Tim #200, and don’t forget to read the Scrooge / David Copperfield / Great Expectations crossover event minis otherwise the Miss Havisham bit won’t make sense
And to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, and will return in Avengers: Doomsday
December 25, 2025 at 4:03 PM
And to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, but was relaunched in Ultimate Tiny Tim #1, which takes place after Amazing Tiny Tim #332 and All-New Tiny Tim #200, and don’t forget to read the Scrooge / David Copperfield / Great Expectations crossover event minis otherwise the Miss Havisham bit won’t make sense
Thank you to @okazu.yuricon.com for the kind mention in this article.
The manga exhibit, which runs from November 19th through March 9th, takes pieces of the permanent collections and tells the story of manga’s origins in from comic strips and scrolls to kamishibai and commercial books in Japan.
Manga Is An Art Of Its Own! at The National Museum of Asian Art – Guimet
www.animenewsnetwork.com
December 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Thank you to @okazu.yuricon.com for the kind mention in this article.
It's as if Musk and his cronies were lying about what their goals were 🤗
On DOGE’s watch, federal spending did not go down at all. It went up. But is still led to cuts that closed offices, canceled programs and deprived people of food, medicine and other aid.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
How Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little?
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 6:19 PM
It's as if Musk and his cronies were lying about what their goals were 🤗
I see these takes with astonishing frequency, as if the state of things were simply due to good or bad decisions, when most of it is (1) the different results of the 1950s anti-comics backlash and (2) the serialization of comics in anthology magazines issued by large mainstream publishers in Japan.
December 23, 2025 at 11:30 AM
I see these takes with astonishing frequency, as if the state of things were simply due to good or bad decisions, when most of it is (1) the different results of the 1950s anti-comics backlash and (2) the serialization of comics in anthology magazines issued by large mainstream publishers in Japan.
Got a long scam email offering book promotion services, very obviously written by an LLM, that tells me my book needs to show up next to authors like "Frederick Scheldt."
December 22, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Got a long scam email offering book promotion services, very obviously written by an LLM, that tells me my book needs to show up next to authors like "Frederick Scheldt."
begging people to read a second book sometime, preferably one written in the last 30 years
December 21, 2025 at 7:24 PM
begging people to read a second book sometime, preferably one written in the last 30 years
Authors, email your publishers to ask them to get off Xdotcom if they're still there! They do take such feedback into account
the broad inability to leave a social media platform owned by a white supremacist and prolific manipulator of public perception really is one of the most discouraging data points right now
December 21, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Authors, email your publishers to ask them to get off Xdotcom if they're still there! They do take such feedback into account
Reposted by Eike Exner
Professional societies keep beclowning themselves buying into a lie about what an LLM "summary" is. They are inherently counterfeit: not an epistemic product of the ideas in the source, but summary-shaped text linguistically based on *other* works (in the training corpus) that use related language.
This is one of the reasons I remain horrified by seeing @historians.org suggest "ways to use gAI" that included this:
December 21, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Professional societies keep beclowning themselves buying into a lie about what an LLM "summary" is. They are inherently counterfeit: not an epistemic product of the ideas in the source, but summary-shaped text linguistically based on *other* works (in the training corpus) that use related language.
Our ruling class doesn't see sufficient value in scholarly knowledge creation to support it financially but does see sufficient value to steal it from us for their private profit.
And please also, AGAIN, never forget that they are inherently unethical to use because no one gave permission for their research or writing to be used in it. It is all stolen, and if you're using the plagiarism machine, please keep that in mind.
My friends, I say this with all the love in my heart: Right now might not be the moment for “But we should be TOLERANT and NUANCED about the plagiarism machines!”
Your tolerance and “nuance” will be weaponised by the grifters and their apologists. Please respect yourselves more.
Your tolerance and “nuance” will be weaponised by the grifters and their apologists. Please respect yourselves more.
December 21, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Our ruling class doesn't see sufficient value in scholarly knowledge creation to support it financially but does see sufficient value to steal it from us for their private profit.
Reposted by Eike Exner
A little compendium of a few things I've translated.
A varied group, but worth your attention, I think!
A varied group, but worth your attention, I think!
December 20, 2025 at 7:57 PM
A little compendium of a few things I've translated.
A varied group, but worth your attention, I think!
A varied group, but worth your attention, I think!
Reposted by Eike Exner
This book I put a lot of effort into is currently heavily discounted by some retailers and will still arrive in time for Christmas
eikeexner.com/books/manga-...
eikeexner.com/books/manga-...
December 19, 2025 at 1:09 PM
This book I put a lot of effort into is currently heavily discounted by some retailers and will still arrive in time for Christmas
eikeexner.com/books/manga-...
eikeexner.com/books/manga-...
This book I put a lot of effort into is currently heavily discounted by some retailers and will still arrive in time for Christmas
eikeexner.com/books/manga-...
eikeexner.com/books/manga-...
December 19, 2025 at 1:09 PM
This book I put a lot of effort into is currently heavily discounted by some retailers and will still arrive in time for Christmas
eikeexner.com/books/manga-...
eikeexner.com/books/manga-...