“The voice disappearing”: Comics and Fukushima

comics and graphic novels 31st may image

SpeakerFumio Obata (University of Gloucestershire)

Paper Title: “The voice disappearing”: Comics and Fukushima

Fumio Obata has engaged with the recent natural disasters in various regions of Japan through a series of short comic strips. As he prepared his graphic novel on this topic, Obata focused on Fukushima and the complex impacts of the radiation leakage. He talks about how the nuclear accident torments those who have been affected specifically under the context of Japanese society and why the Japanese find it difficult to learn valuable lessons from the experience. Obata will also discuss the challenge of making a comic book to tackle such complex themes and how it differentiates itself from more conventional journalistic approaches and documentaries.


Oxford Comics Network, TORCH Networks