Henry Yoshitaka Kiyama (1885–1951)

This year, 2011, marks the 80th anniversary of the publication of The Four Immigrants Manga, the story of Henry (born Yoshikata) Kimaya and his four young-ish fellow Japanese who come to America around 1904. Henry's dream is to pursue art, and this book -- truly ground-breaking for its time -- is a 52-chapter autobiography in which he experiences the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, and the start of prohibition, and a whole lot in between. The notion of an autobiographical comic, even one intended to be collected as a standalone volume, is nothing particularly special 100 years or so after Kiyama unceremoniously first stepped foot in America (he's confined for some time, as a new immigrant, and tries to convince himself that he's being looked after because Americans are so darn caring), but it was truly groundbreaking for its day. It's also pretty darn funny.… (meer)