n the 20th century, no artistic medium in North America with so much potential for creative expression has had a more turbulent history plagued with less respect than comic books. Through animated montages, readings and interviews, this film guides us through the history of the medium from the late 1930s and 1940s with the first explosion of popularity with the superheroes created by great talents like Jack Kirby and hitting its first artistic zenith with Will Eisner's "Spirit". It then shifts to the post war comics world with the rising popularity of crime and horror comics, especially those published by EC Comics under the editorshiop of William B. Gaines until it came crashing down the rise of censorship with the imposition of the Comics Code. In its wake of the devastation of the medium's creative freedom, we also explore EC's defiant survival with the creation of the singular "Mad Magazine" by Harvey Kurtzman. We then move to the resurgence of the superheroes in the late 1950's and 1960's typified with the rise of the dramatically innovative Marvel Comics edited by Stan Lee. Still more important is the rise of the the gleefully uninhibited underground comics created by eccentric talents like Robert Crumb and Dan O'Neill. These leads to profiles of creaters like Harvey Pekar who take the medium into new directions of expression. In the late 1970s and '80s we see the rise of alternative comics with such bold talents like Jaime Hernández for "Love and Rockets, Sue Coe for How to Commit Suicide in South Africa and especially for Art Spiegelman for his searing Pulitizer Prize winning Holocaust account, Maus. Finally, we learn of the medium's superhero mythos' revitalizing moment with the creation of Frank Miller's ferocious min-series "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns". Taken together, the film makes its arguement that the medium is far more than the stereotype of juvenile trash but rather it is an artform with a wild history and an exciting future.

n the 20th century, no artistic medium in North America with so much potential for creative expression has had a more turbulent history plagued with less respect than comic books. Through animated montages, readings and interviews, this film guides us through the history of the medium from the late 1930s and 1940s with the first explosion of popularity with the superheroes created by great talents like Jack Kirby and hitting its first artistic zenith with Will Eisner's "Spirit". It then shifts to the post war comics world with the rising popularity of crime and horror comics, especially those published by EC Comics under the editorshiop of William B. Gaines until it came crashing down the rise of censorship with the imposition of the Comics Code. In its wake of the devastation of the medium's creative freedom, we also explore EC's defiant survival with the creation of the singular "Mad Magazine" by Harvey Kurtzman. We then move to the resurgence of the superheroes in the late 1950's and 1960's typified with the rise of the dramatically innovative Marvel Comics edited by Stan Lee. Still more important is the rise of the the gleefully uninhibited underground comics created by eccentric talents like Robert Crumb and Dan O'Neill. These leads to profiles of creaters like Harvey Pekar who take the medium into new directions of expression. In the late 1970s and '80s we see the rise of alternative comics with such bold talents like Jaime Hernández for "Love and Rockets, Sue Coe for How to Commit Suicide in South Africa and especially for Art Spiegelman for his searing Pulitizer Prize winning Holocaust account, Maus. Finally, we learn of the medium's superhero mythos' revitalizing moment with the creation of Frank Miller's ferocious min-series "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns". Taken together, the film makes its arguement that the medium is far more than the stereotype of juvenile trash but rather it is an artform with a wild history and an exciting future.

日本漫画家千叶彻弥6岁前在中国长大，父亲在印刷厂工作，在日本战败后滞留中国的一年间，全家多亏父亲的一位朋友的舍命照顾。多年后，千叶再次来到中国寻找旧日恩人，寻找时听说因为会日语、在日企工作，恩人受了不少罪。

日本漫画家千叶彻弥6岁前在中国长大，父亲在印刷厂工作，在日本战败后滞留中国的一年间，全家多亏父亲的一位朋友的舍命照顾。多年后，千叶再次来到中国寻找旧日恩人，寻找时听说因为会日语、在日企工作，恩人受了不少罪。

荣誉：克拉科夫国际电影节铜龙奖 　　导演点评：这原本是大阪世博会时（译注：1970年），为住友化学工业展馆制作的影片。本片在世博会上是在三面银幕上放映的，而这里收录的作品则是对其进行重组后完成的。

荣誉：克拉科夫国际电影节铜龙奖 　　导演点评：这原本是大阪世博会时（译注：1970年），为住友化学工业展馆制作的影片。本片在世博会上是在三面银幕上放映的，而这里收录的作品则是对其进行重组后完成的。

The movie tells the story of Imri, who at 19 goes to live in Tel- Aviv, but dreams of moving to Japan. Through his relationships and encounters and in diverse cinematic tools, we are introduced to the young man's life. An exploration of living in the exotic city of Tel Aviv is presented through a hero who is himself in the midst of exploring his own choice of an exotic place. A unique correlation is formed between the hero's misconception of Japan and ours of him. 　　The movie was constructed by both improvised and pre-scripted scenes, as required by the nature of each scene.

The movie tells the story of Imri, who at 19 goes to live in Tel- Aviv, but dreams of moving to Japan. Through his relationships and encounters and in diverse cinematic tools, we are introduced to the young man's life. An exploration of living in the exotic city of Tel Aviv is presented through a hero who is himself in the midst of exploring his own choice of an exotic place. A unique correlation is formed between the hero's misconception of Japan and ours of him. 　　The movie was constructed by both improvised and pre-scripted scenes, as required by the nature of each scene.