This article originally appeared on Livescience.com
Japanese manga comics have gradually infiltrated the bookstore
shelves and popular culture of the United States and the rest of the
world. But rather than just create entertaining stories, one manga
illustrator hopes to use the popular storytelling medium to boost
skeptical thinking and interest in science among fans, especially girls.
The
manga series, titled "Legend of the Ztarr," draws inspiration from "Star Trek" and
"Star Wars" among other stories. Yet its creator also cites influences
from the "shoujo" manga stories that aim at a readership consisting of
female teens, and often resemble romantic comedies.
Manga comics
embrace all genres and have attracted a growing international audience.
Some manga versions of science textbooks have even come out with English
translations, but few if any of the "shoujo" stories aimed at female
teens touch on science or empirical thinking.
One illustrator
hopes to change that.
"'Legend of the Ztarr' is an epic — like
'Lord of the Rings' in space! Except, 'Legend of the Ztarr' is the
skeptic's epic," said Sara Mayhew, a manga illustrator who lives in
Kirkland Lake, Canada.
Mayhew presented her idea at TEDActive
conference held at Palm Springs, Calif., in February. It's a sister
event to the annual TED conference, which features talks from creative
thinkers and innovators who have included"Avatar"
director James Cameron and Microsoft-founder Bill Gates.
The
proposal has appeal in part because manga has attracted plenty of female
fans with certain romance or emotion-centered series, and continues to
draw in such readers with new tie-ins such as a recently announced
"Twilight" manga adaptation. Such stories could also possibly help
female readers take an interest
in science and skeptical thinking, if done well.
By contrast,
the U.S. comic book industry has traditionally appealed more to a male
geek culture — not unlike how certain scientific fields still have
male-dominated cultures.
Simple appearances can make a huge
difference. Mayhew recalled being a young girl and seeing "Star Wars"
concept art for the original movies that envisioned the hero as a
heroine, back when "Star Wars" creator George Lucas toyed with the idea
of a female lead.
"That idea and image really stuck with me — Star
Wars with a female Luke Skywalker," Mayhew told LiveScience. Some "Star
Wars" elements appear in "Legend of the Ztarr," such as young hero (or
heroine) pining for adventure while stuck on a distant planet,
"Legend
of the Ztarr" also bears resemblance to "Star Wars" by focusing on a
story that just happens to have a galactic backdrop, rather than "Star
Trek" where certain story elements depend more on real-world science
principles. That means "Legend of the Ztarr" probably won't teach any
biology or physics, but may instead inspire readers — especially female
readers —through fictional role models who have scientific or
evidence-based mindsets.
Mayhew noted that stories can convey
skeptical or critical thinking through characters, even without being
overtly about science. She pointed to the "Harry
Potter" series as a bit of a counterintuitive example of fantasy
teaching evidence-based thinking.
"Even though the characters can
use magic, they still think their way out of problems and are good
skeptics; they have a passion of solving mysteries but use critical
thinking," Mayhew said.
Mayhew's own interest in science and
skeptical thinking grew alongside her practice of drawing and
storytelling. She pointed to the "Bad Astronomy" blog as one of the
first science and skepticism blogs she encountered, and expressed an
ongoing love with astronomy and anything written by the late astronomer
Carl Sagan. She also regularly listens to podcasts such as "Skeptics'
Guide to the Universe" and SETI's "Are We Alone."
For now, Mayhew
has already published a chapter of "Legend of the Ztarr" online, and
hopes to eventually land a U.S. publisher for her work. Her earlier
series, "Secrets of Sorcerors," was deemed "Best Comic for Teens" by the
International Anime and Manga Festival.
Manga has already helped
encourage young readers' interests in other areas as well. Classic
literature such as "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn" has already undergone the manga treatment. UK
publisher SelfMadeHero has also spun off its own manga adaptations of
Shakespeare plays, with twists such as transforming "Romeo and Juliet"
into a story of feuding yakuza gangs in Tokyo.
"What I like about
manga is how unrestrictive it is in the kinds of stories that are told,"
Mayhew said.
