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Nambanga: an Anthology of World Manga

by John McGee

You don’t have to be otaku to like comics. In fact, comics can be an important tool for learning language and culture, according to Kelvin Lee. He’s a former English teacher and the man behind "Nambanga, vol. 1."

from "Nambanga, vol. 1"
(Image courtesy Kelvin Lee)

"Nambanga" is a CD-ROM with ga (pictures) from namban (southern barbarians)—a term used by the Japanese to describe European traders and missionaries who visited pre-Meiji Japan. Lee—no relation to Marvel’s Stan Lee—compiled this comics anthology from the first six issues of stories originally featured on his “portal to world comics,” www.forbiddengalaxy.com.

English-born and Australian-bred, Lee, in his mid-40s, enjoyed classic comics like Spider-Man as a child. His interest lay dormant, however, until he came to Japan in 1994 and discovered manga, especially the then cutting-edge publication "Garo."

The self-produced CD-ROM is Lee’s way of sharing his rediscovered interest in comics. The mostly black-and-white short comics stories fit into alternative, underground, experimental and/or independent categories. Some are funny, others dark. All of them open onto quirky worlds. 

Lee, a.k.a. alter-ego Alexander Unginor, says it’s difficult to explain how he selected the stories, produced by 66 artists from 23 countries. “Sometimes the story is not so strong but the drawing’s good,” he says. Sometimes it’s the other way around. “But,” he continues, “sometimes you get both.” 

Eastern Europe, especially Serbia, is one of the richest sources of contemporary comics according to Lee. “The art scene in the former Eastern-bloc countries is harder edged...their art and story lines are strong," he says. The comics may be a reflection of the extreme living conditions in the region, and Lee notes that some artists are trying to improve that situation. Many of the Serbian and Slovenian artists, for example, are actively involved in social programs—some care for underprivileged children while others run anti-drug programs. 

Students—and teachers—of English are just as likely to be interested in "Nambanga" as are manga fans, illustrators, designers and artists. While the primary focus of the CD-ROM is the comics, Lee also incorporated “microenglish”—intermediate-level English lessons that use the stories as learning tools. Lee got some of his inspiration for his CD-ROM from "Manga-jin," a now defunct magazine that taught Japanese language and culture through English translations of manga. For example, modules based on “Vision Girl”—a funny story about a woman who sees disembodied heads floating in front of her—test comprehension, vocabulary and reading skills. 

Though Lee hopes someday to produce a paper version of his introduction to world comics, the CD-ROM affords novelties like interactivity, audio and Flash movies. In addition, as some of the comics are written in Spanish, Polish and other languages, the technology allows English translations as text roll-overs. And coming in the near future is another part of Lee’s long-term project—a weekly subscription service of world comics delivered through keitai-comics.com, an i-mode portal.

The bilingual English/Japanese CD-ROM uses a browser-based interface and runs on Netscape Navigator 4.7 or Internet Explorer 4 (or higher) on Mac and PC. It’s available at www.nambanga.com.

©2006 John McGee

©2006-2008 John McGee. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission.