THE ALL PURPOSE GENERIC LETTERS PAGE!
The aim of this resource is to provide a record of the community of fans, and their voices that gave feedback, in print for all to see. "I understand a web based Blog may not be the best online format to view targeted information, but it is better to start, than not at all!"
When comic-book Letter pages, were like a long distant forum (submitting your views, could take up to 3 months to be printed) and thus an outlet for Fans to come together.
This will be in regards to the influence of Japanese historical and popular culture within North American (the United States of America) comic-books, from the mid 1980s onwards, and English speaking countries that would have imported them.
With many popular comic-books later having been made into Graphic-novels (Trade Paperbacks), these Letters were then lost never to be printed again.
For scope, Japanese culture; modern\popular and historical;
One of the Japanese influences that can be seen, is in the form of animation (cartoons, known in Japan as Anime); that had been localized (translated, edited, rewritten, into English), aimed for an audience of young viewers (children, pre-teens), broadcast to televisions at home, via free Terrestrial air waves, or Cable TV, or Satellite TV.
NOTE: this animation may have been part of a multiple advertising strategy tie-ins, to sell toys (robots, vehicles, and some action figures) to children. Thus comic-books (and manga) fall under this umbrella, of tie-ins.
“I believe that after the 1980s the medium of animation, that was imported from Japan, was slowly recognized as a media equivalent in genres to film and television, and the adoption of the title 'Anime' would come to be synonymous.”
“It is in the hope that in making do, with an on-line Blog format, and then adding footnotes, and meta data, that the provision of each month, in chronological order, under its year will depict multiple entries, allowing multiple sources when needed.”
Another permutation in the form of a genre, would be Japanese historical culture, made popular in the West, or of interest was the era of feudal Japan and its Samurai ruling class, and outlaw assassins\spies given the collective name of Ninja or Shinobi. These historical icons, would be depicted in live action films, and in print as fictional novels, and non-fiction books, comic-books, and as well as animation.
Other more modern (post World War II), interest would also be Japan's Business philosophy, and manufacturing discipline, a few examples of non-fiction books, live action films can be found. This does not directly affect the collective Fandoms that formed around Anime (Japanese animation) and Manga (Japanese comic-books), but no Fandom is in isolation, and not influence by its era (there is always a bigger picture).
NOTE: as with many Fan submissions editorial decisions were made, but unlike today's mass social-media there was less hate mail published.
NOTE: in addition to the Fan Letters and their replies, editorial announcements will also be part of this project. (Fans at the time, could put forward their name and a contact address, in looking to form Pen-Pals).
NOTE: the dates provided are when the comic-books were published, not when the Letters were submitted.
NOTE: Before Manga was sold in volumes in the West, it was sold in single issues, in the American comic-book format (X= 168mm, Y= 268mm). With an average page count of 28 pages.
NOTE: to give the Fans a cense of community, many comic-book publishers would make the TITLE of the Letters Page into a completion to name it, thus the Pre-name of "THE ALL PURPOSE GENERIC LETTERS PAGE!"
